Delivered by the National Working Group on Basic and Senior Secondary Education
Suleja – 29 May, 2024:
Good day, esteemed members of the media, distinguished guests, and fellow advocates for education. My name is Halima Yusuf, and I am a Girl Child Education Advocate, from a community in Kano State. Today, as we commemorate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s one year in office, we gather to address a matter of utmost importance: the state of girl education in Nigeria. This day offers us an opportunity to reflect on the progress made thus far and to chart a path forward to ensure that every girl in Nigeria has access to free, safe, and quality basic and senior education. Although much headway has been made, there is still plenty of work to be done.
In my community, many girls’ dreams of education often end too soon. They face relentless challenges in staying in school and completing senior secondary education.
The obstacle for many girls comes after they sit for the qualifying exams. Because the government only covers the National Examination Council (NECO) fees for those who pass these exams, those who do not pass carry the burden of paying N26,000. This fee, which is often too high for the families to afford, leads many girls to drop out of school. Recently, the results came out just days before the NECO exams were set to start, leaving the families no time to gather the necessary funds.
Just last week, a neighbor came to me in tears, asking if I could help pay for her NECO exams. She had failed the qualifying exams, and her family couldn’t afford the fee. Her story is all too common. In my immediate neighborhood alone, I have spoken to at least ten girls this year who have faced the same challenge. This story reflects only one out of many factors that impede girls’ access, retention, and completion of at least senior secondary school.
On this one year in office of President Tinubu, we would like to highlight five core challenges for the President’s attention and action:
- Out-of-School Children: According to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Personnel Audit of 2021, Nigeria has an alarming 18.3 million children out of school. This figure, already staggering, does not account for those who are out of senior secondary school, suggesting that the actual number of children deprived of education is even higher. Among these out-of-school children, girls are disproportionately affected due to socio-economic barriers, cultural practices, and early marriage. The lack of access to education for girls not only limits their personal development but also undermines the nation’s progress.
- Learning Poverty: Recent data from UNICEF highlights a significant challenge in terms of learning poverty in Nigeria. Learning poverty, as defined by the World Bank, means being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. This is a critically high phenomenon in Nigeria, as it is estimated that over 70% of children fall into this category. This statistic reflects the dire state of Nigeria’s education system where even those in schools are not acquiring fundamental skills. The implication is that millions of children, especially girls, are not being equipped with the basic literacy skills necessary for their future.
- Security and Safety of Schools: Nigeria endorsed the international Safe Schools Declaration in May 2015, as a commitment to safeguard education in armed conflict. This was ratified in December 2019, making a commitment that the government would legally implement the declaration. Under the declaration, Nigeria is obliged to ensure programmes and policies to prevent and respond to attacks against schools and to fight impunity for such attacks. Four years after its ratification, the impact of safety and security is yet to be felt at the school and community levels, where the support is mostly needed.
In December 2022, the federal government unveiled the N145.8 billion National Plan on Financing Safe Schools to be implemented between 2023-2026. According to the NSSRCC, between February 2023 to April 2024, the center has prevented 118 attempted attacks on schools across the country. This is a great achievement and the center can do more if provided the required support.
According to Save the Children International (2023), Since the Chibok girls’ abduction in 2014 through the end of 2022, a total of 1,683 learners have been kidnapped from schools in Nigeria. There had been 70 incidents of attacks on schools, over 180 school children were killed and nearly 90 injured. Also, an estimated 60 school staff were kidnapped and 14 killed.
In response to this alarming situation, the government of Nigeria has taken some decisive actions to enhance school security and safety of schools. Despite the huge investment in safety and security of schools, children in rural schools are yet to feel the impact of these investments. Abductions, kidnapping and violence against children are on the increase across the country. There is a need to integrate community-based surveillance systems and promoting public awareness campaigns on school safety can create a more secure learning environment.
4. Education Financing: At the 2021 Global Education Summit in London, Nigeria committed to spend 4% of its GDP and 22.5% of its national budget on education by 2025 and maintain this to 2030. Achieving this would bring Nigeria in line with international benchmarks and other African countries such as Kenya and South Africa who are already spending 19% and 18.4% of GDP respectively on education. In contrast to this commitment, the Federal Ministry of Education received one of its lowest budgetary allocations by the federal government in the last ten years. The 5.39% allocation in 2022 represents a 50% reduction from the 10.79% of the national expenditure allocated to the Federal Ministry of Education in 2015. In the 2024 approved budget, out of the total N28.77 trillion only N1.59 trillion is allocated to the Federal Ministry of Education, representing only 5.53% of the total budget. Despite being the second richest country on the continent, Nigeria spends less on education than all but one (Somalia) of the 10 poorest countries in Africa.
Education is the cornerstone of any prosperous society. It is the key to unlocking the potential of individuals and communities alike. As representatives of the National Working Group on Basic and Senior Secondary Education, a coalition of international and local organizations committed to making the policy and legal framework for basic and senior education more responsive to the current gender gaps in service delivery around quality, access, and systems strengthening, we believe that under the current administration, Nigeria has the potential to become a leader in education, particularly for girls. This will not only transform lives but will have positive impacts across all aspects of society. By investing in girls’ education this term, Nigeria will be investing in its future stability and prosperity.
We commend President Tinubu for his consistent public commitment to education, especially girls’ education. However, knowing that state governments are the implementing units of his vision and roadmap, he needs to mobilise, facilitate, and coordinate State Governors to work in tandem with his commitments to education as captured in the Education for Renewed Hope: Roadmap for the Nigerian Education Sector (2024-2027). This collaboration is particularly crucial at the senior secondary education level, where there are significant challenges that are currently seldom talked about.
In light of the above, the National Working Group on Basic and Senior Secondary Education calls on President Tinubu to convene the subnational governments to:
- Education Strategy Alignment
Key into the Education for Renewed Hope: Roadmap for the Nigerian Education Sector (2024-2027) by aligning their State Education Sector Plans (SESPs) to important focal areas in the Roadmap, such as Out-of-School Children, Basic and Senior Secondary Education, and Girl-Child Education.
- Fund More, and Fund Better
It is imperative that we increase the allocation of resources to the education sector. However, it is not just about funding more but funding better. This means ensuring that funds are efficiently utilised to address pressing educational needs, including teacher training, infrastructure development, and provision of learning materials.
It is, therefore, important to put Nigeria on track in line with the country’s commitment to spend 4% of its GDP and 22.5% of its national budget on education by 2025 and maintain this until 2030. State governments, for their concurrency, are key to achieving this. Hence, we ask Mr President to build consensus and show strong leadership to State governors in promoting girls’ access, retention, and completion of primary, junior, and senior secondary school.
3. Safe and Secure Schools for All Children
A safe learning environment is essential for effective education. Schools must be safe spaces for school children and personnel, where they can learn without fear of violence, harassment, or abduction.
The Federal Government should work swiftly and comprehensively with state Governors to implement the National Plan on Financing Safe Schools 2023-2026 and the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools. Pay special attention to the unique challenges faced by remote communities, incorporating community-based safety plans, improved security infrastructures, and consistent safety education and drills. Also, strengthen the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC) at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who had been very proactive in response to preventing threats of attack on schools.
4. Learning Poverty
Recent data from UNICEF highlights a significant challenge in terms of learning poverty in Nigeria. Learning poverty, as defined by the World Bank, means being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. This is a critically high phenomenon in Nigeria, as it is estimated that over 70% of children fall into this category. This statistic reflects the dire state of Nigeria’s education system where even those in schools are not acquiring fundamental skills. The implication is that millions of children, especially girls, are not being equipped with the basic literacy skills necessary for their future.
We recognise the commitment in the Roadmap to gender-responsive learning physical environment, provision of special skills training for out-of-school girls. We also applaud the sense in which the Roadmap seeks to encourage parents subscribing to girl-child education, and improve enrolment and retention in schools throuth a cash-transfer strategy. We, however, consider the Federal Government’s reliance on conditional cash transfer as a major incentive for reducing the number of out-of-school children as a minimalist approach, which is incapable of ensuring a substantive number of children, especially girls, are brought back into learning environments in a poverty endemic environment. We hereby call on the National Assembly to revisit The Constitution (Fifth Alteration) Bill No. 63 (Fundamental Human Rights) which sought to alter the provisions of the Constitution to make free, compulsory, and basic education a fundamental right of all citizens under chapter IV of the Constitution. This bill passed by the 9th National Assembly was unfortunately not assented to by former President Muhammadu Buhari
5. Out of School Children:
In line with Mr. President’s direction and vision, the Federal Ministry of Education developed a roadmap for the sector with the aim to revamp the education system in Nigeria. Despite all the efforts made by the government, partners could not reduce the number of out of school children in Nigeria.
We call on the government of Nigeria to effectively Implement the education roadmap for the Nigerian education sector (2024-2027), especially the pillars 1-3.
As we look ahead, let us remember that the education of our girls is not just a policy issue or just a human right requirement; it is a moral imperative. It is about ensuring that every girl in Nigeria has the opportunity to reach her full potential, to contribute to her community, and to help build a stronger, more prosperous nation.
In conclusion, we urge President Tinubu and all State Governors to prioritise girls’ education in their agendas. Let us work together to make all basic schooling up to senior secondary free, to fund our schools more and better, and to ensure that every school is a safe place for learning. By doing so, we will be taking significant steps towards a brighter future for all Nigerians.