THE CHALLENGE OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Prof. Olakunle Frank Odumosu

Education has been described as the foundation of every society and a basic tool for national development. Education consists of organized activities which promote learning situation. Education is a lifelong process and an instrument of change, a potent equalization of life chances. Education is a process of learning that assists in the provision of suitable skills, training the youths for economic, social, cultural and political responsibilities, transmission and transformation of social, economic and cultural structures from generation to generation. Education, certainly, is the key that opens the doors of modernization and globalization.

The National Policy on Education (2004) states that no nation can arise above the quality of its citizens. The type of education given to the people of a nation determines the type of government that might exist in that country. If poor quality education is given to the citizens, there is the likelihood that the products would have little or nothing to offer to the nation.

Since the 1970s, numerous federal and state government initiatives to widen access and improve the quality of education delivery have recorded gains in some respects, including a general increase in gross enrolment ratio (GER; 85 percent in 2021)at the primary school level as well as notable gains in both GER and net enrolment ratios (NER) for girls. There has also been a significant increase in the number of students transitioning from primary to junior secondary school (JSS); 84 percent of all students in primary school in 2021 transition to junior secondary as compared with 67 percent in 2016/17. While Nigeria has made impressive gains in access to education during the last few decades, it continues to face two major challenges: low enrolment and low levels of learning outcomes. In 2020, 11.1 million children aged between 6 and 15 were out of school (OOS), representing 1 in 12 of all OOS children globally and 22 percent of all children in this age group in Nigeria. Despite the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act of 2004, which mandates that the government should provide free basic education to all primary and JSS age children, many primary and JSS students still report having to pay school fees. Even among students enrolled in government schools, 43 percent of primary school attendees, 60 percent of JSS students, and 64 percent of SSS students state that they are required to pay examination fees. Additionally, between 23 percent (for primary students) and 52 percent (for SSS students) in government schools report having to pay at least some school fees. Other reasons for large number of OOS children in Nigeria include high opportunity costs of attending school, prevalent socio-cultural norms and concerns related to safety in and around schools. 

In addition to low levels of enrolment, Nigeria is experiencing a significant learning crisis. According to international standards, children who have finished Grade 3 should have acquired full literacy. Though Nigeria doesn’t participate in international or regional student assessments, literacy statistics from Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) 2020 show that only 66.8 percent of children aged 12 to 14 can read at least one out of three given words. Moreover, just 67.3 percent of children in the same age bracket can add single digits. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach, involving increased investment in education, policy reforms, enhanced teacher training, community engagement, and initiatives to guarantee access, quality, and fairness in education for all Nigerian children.

Prof. Olakunle Frank Odumosu

Increasing accountability and efficiency in the use of public and out-of-pocket financing in education are critical to realizing the maximum impact of the meager allocations to education.  While broad estimates and numbers are routinely collected by most national ministries and state departments of education, the lack of accuracy and reliability as well as the obtuse nature of recording and presentation of the data does not facilitate any serious policy use.  There is a need for increased accountability, described as “having clear lines of responsibility, knowing when and where those lines are broken and what action is required in response.” It also requires identifying the actors responsible for each component, providing them with measurable goals and the resources needed to carry out their responsibilities. 

The government is the single largest actor in the provision of education in Nigeria. However, the provision of public education is highly decentralized, and all three tiers of government are involved, especially at the primary school level, which complicates the development of a comprehensive plan.  Given the difficulties related to collecting, analyzing, and using data, measurement of goals is a rarity, and the setting of broad goals has been more ideological than practically measurable. State and local governments enjoy a considerable degree of political and fiscal autonomy. State governments run separate fiscal and budgetary systems, independent of the federal funds.  Although they receive significant funding from the Federation Account, state and local governments are not required to inform or seek approval from the federal government on their budget, fiscal performance, or allocation of resources in line with their spending priorities.  No national framework encompasses budgets at all tiers.  No statutory accountability mechanisms ensure proper coordination of state plans and fiscal arrangements to achieve national goals in any sector. 

Governance involves setting goals and monitoring progress toward achieving these goals and at the same time accountability allows stakeholders to assess performance, assign responsibility, and play a role in the delivery of services.  With fragmentation and concurrent responsibilities across three states, decentralized processes, varying interpretations of key policy documents, and insufficient data on budget allocation and actual expenditures, a common, standardized sector plan is not viable at this time, and given the institutional constraints within the system, no national strategic plan is likely to be developed in the near future.  In the absence of a coordinated and unified approach, and without clearly defined accountability across tiers of government, some key areas remain neglected and others duplicated, resulting in inefficient use of resources and poor accountability.  In Nigeria, weak accountability is a fundamental issue in education because of the confusing roles and responsibilities, and low management capacity. This is further exacerbated by the data limitations. Accurate collection, analysis, and reporting of data are integral parts of better accountability across the system. The mechanisms for keeping, reporting, monitoring, and evaluating data are improving but are still quite limited across the sector, both within and across ministries. The system has inadequate relevant and selective statistics and information on academic and financial performance, making it difficult to compare performance across schools and states, to assess the cost-effectiveness of the education system and make projections for the future.

In an era of growing scope and complexity but limited resources, increasing accountability and efficiency in the use of public as well as out-of-pocket financing are critical to realizing the maximum impact of allocations in the education sector. In addition, given the increasing role of new actors in the provision of education, especially the private sector, Ministries of Education (MOE) need to be able to better document and track education financing to assure optimal use of the available resources. While most national and state MOE routinely collect financial data, the lack of accuracy, reliability and transparency inhibits serious policy use. A carefully constructed National Education Accounts or State Education Accounts (at the state level) will provide evidence to help policy-makers and stakeholders make better decisions in their efforts to improve education system performance.

 UNESCO. (2017-18). Global education Monitoring Report: Accountability in education. 2^nd edition. UNESCO 2017. Accessed October 15 2018 at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002593/259338e.pdf

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