Kano refutes excluding persons with disabilities from teachers’ recruitment

The Kano State Government has denied allegations that persons with disabilities were excluded from the ongoing teachers’ recruitment exercise, describing the claims as false and misleading.

The denial was contained in a rejoinder issued on Monday by the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board, following a statement released on January 3, 2026, by the Kano State Initiative for Persons with Special Needs.

In the rejoinder, signed by the board’s Director of Corporate Communications, Balarabe Danlami Jazuli, SUBEB said the inclusion of qualified persons with disabilities remained a core policy and consistent practice in its recruitment processes.

“SUBEB has never excluded persons with disabilities from any recruitment exercise. The inclusion of qualified persons with special needs is a standing policy of the board,” Jazuli said.

He noted that over the years, the board had recruited qualified persons with disabilities and deployed them appropriately, including to special education schools across the state.

Jazuli acknowledged that in some special needs schools, teacher strength currently exceeded pupil enrolment.

He, however, stressed that such situations had never been used as grounds to deny employment to any qualified applicant with a disability.

On accessibility, he said reasonable accommodations were provided during the most recent recruitment examinations to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all candidates.

He added that visually impaired candidates were allowed to attend the examination with assistants, a measure he said contradicted claims of discrimination or informal screening.

The SUBEB spokesperson acknowledged the provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and the Kano State Persons with Disabilities Law, but clarified that the implementation of employment quotas was guided by available vacancies, job relevance, and operational realities.

According to him, the law does not prescribe automatic recruitment irrespective of workforce balance, role suitability, or existing staffing levels.

Jazuli also explained that recruitment across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies was decentralised, noting that SUBEB could only recruit within its statutory mandate, while other MDAs handled their respective recruitment processes.

While reaffirming that the rights of persons with disabilities were protected by law, he stressed that such rights must be exercised alongside responsibility and professionalism, warning that absenteeism and prolonged non-official engagements could undermine service delivery.

He urged persons with special needs to pursue their legitimate interests through unity and constructive engagement, noting that public division weakened advocacy efforts.

Prospective applicants were advised to submit their details through their respective Local Government Education Authorities or appropriate local government structures, in line with established guidelines.

“The board can only entertain recruitment requests that follow proper channels,” Jazuli said.

He reaffirmed that no qualified person with a disability had been deliberately excluded from the ongoing recruitment exercise, adding that accessibility measures were provided and legal provisions respected.

“Inclusive employment is not a favour but a legal obligation, and Kano State remains committed to upholding this principle,” he added.

culled from punch.