ECOSOC ANNUAL MINISTERIAL REVIEW REGIONAL PREPARATORY MEETING FOR AFRICA Lome, Togo 12

th

April 2011

The Right to Education for All in Africa: Reinforcing Quality and Equity

The Nigerian Experience By HE Olorogun (Barr. ) Kenneth O. Gbagi Hon Minister of State for Education, Nigeria

Outline of Presentation

• • • • • • • • • Brief on Nigeria Educational Context Improving Equity and Inclusion Gender Improving Quality Improving Teacher Quality Financing Prospects Commitment for the future

Country Profile

• • • • • • With a population of over 140 million people, it is the world’s most populous black nation. Has a total area of 923,768 sq km.

It is composed of 250 ethnic groups with varying languages and cultures.

The largest ethnic groups are Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo, accounting for 68% of the population.

The literacy rate is 67% (Source: 2006 National Population Census).

The official language is English.

Educational Context

• Country operates three major levels of Education – - a 9-year Universal Basic Education System which is free and compulsory from primary to junior secondary schools including adult and non-formal education programmes for adults and out-of-school youth.

-Post- Basic (Senior Secondary School) with three categories: 3 year Secondary Education; Science & Technical Education; and Continuing Education provided in vocational enterprise institutions.

-Tertiary Education provided in Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Vocational Enterprise Institutions.

Improving Equity : Almajirai and the rural poor

• • • • • Initiatives targeted at the most marginalized include Almajirai education programme: The almajirai are itinerant Qu’ranic pupils who hitherto had been excluded from formal education. The programme seeks to infuse formal education into the qu’ranic system. The short term plan is to mainstream 20% of the total population of the almajirai, while the long term hopes to mainstream all almajirai population (9.9 million) in the country by the year 2020.

Over 31 boarding and day schools have been built specifically for the Almajirai while nearly 100 schools are under construction. The rural poor- Funds have been injected to ensure free education at 2 nd chance schools with adequate supply of books and learning materials; Embarked on construction of classrooms in rural communities to reduce the risk of trekking long distances to school by poor children.

• •

Improving Equity: The Girl Child

Challenge of High illiteracy rate among women/ gender parity

We have continued to ensure that girls’ education remains top on the education Agenda. Specific interventions in this area include: Girls Education Project to promote girls’ enrolment, retention and completion.

Introduction of All Girls Primary school concept, especially in Northern Nigeria The institutionalization of a special female teacher training scholarship scheme (FTTSS) for indigent girls from remote areas to study a teachers’ pre-service course leading to the award of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) to address the acute shortages of female teachers in rural communities in the affected States, encouraging the recruitment, training and retraining of female teachers who serve as role models for female pupils.

Improved learning environment and increased provision of gender friendly school facilities.

Continuing Education Centers have been established in all States. Sustained advocacy/sensitization and mobilization at grassroots

Results

- Net Enrollment has steadily increased over the years, from 68% in 1990 to 88% in 2008. - The ratio of girls to boys in primary education is 85.4, while that at secondary school is 79.9. - By 2015, more women would have been empowered to enhance enrolment, retention and completion and improve maternal and child mortality as well as help the girl child and woman break the cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Improving Equity: Nomadic Education

• Strategies: -Face-to-face campaigns at field levels; - Community leaders’ forum; - Use of radio; - Establishment of radio listening groups; - Development of radio-based distance learning programme; - Development of integrated radio curriculum; and - Recruitment of youth from the nomadic communities to serve as literacy instructors.

Improving Quality

• • • • • 9-year Basic Education Curriculum, free and compulsory.

Developed “Minimum Standards for Basic Education in Nigeria” to serve as benchmark for Quality Assurance in Basic Education.

Training of Quality Assurance Officers on Whole School Evaluation.

Routine monitoring and Follow-up monitoring of Basic Education in States, LGEAs and Schools to ascertain effectiveness of in-put and process variables on quality of instruction and learning activities.

Spent N20 billion in 2010 to procure textbooks in Mathematics, English language and Basic Science for public primary schools nationwide.

Improving Quality

• • • • Community Accountability and Transparency Initiative (CATI). It promotes ownership and monitoring of projects by communities.

Community Initiated Self-Help project designed to involve community and private sector participation in Basic Education delivery through the initiation, administration and ownership of designated school projects.

Community participation in education and testing decentralized management and funding has resulted in School Based Management Committees (SBMC) involvement in the management of schools in the communities.

In 2009/2010, 34,000 primary school teachers were enlisted into the Federal Teachers Scheme (FTS) designed to address the shortage of teachers as well as cater for unemployed NCE graduates

Improving Teacher Quality

• • • • • • Restructuring of the National Certificate of Education (NCE) for Colleges of Education to reflect 5 major areas of ECCE, Primary Education, Junior Secondary, Adult and Non-Formal and Special Education.

Continuing career development for Teachers and Head Teachers; From 2005 – 2008- 1,317,585; 2009- 175,767 and 2010 - 165,000. Developed a comprehensive curriculum on ECCE for the training of specialist teachers in Colleges of Education.

Introduced Specialized Teacher Education Programmes in Junior Secondary Education, Primary Education studies and Adult and Non-Formal Education in all colleges of education.

Motivation of teachers through a special Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) and the Teachers’ Housing Scheme (HATS).

Annual Teacher recognition and awards at national level and also in some states.

Financing

• • • • Financing education in Nigeria is a joint responsibility of the federal, state, and local governments; local communities, the private sector, other organizations and individuals.

Since 2005, 2% of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government is dedicated to support the States and the Federal Capital Territory in the delivery of Basic Education through the UBE Commission. The States provide 50% matching grant to access this fund.

Additional intervention funds for education are also sourced from the MDGs, Debt Relief Gains, as well as the Education Tax Fund. These have assisted in addressing issues of quality, access and equity.

Conditional Cash Transfer -for children from poor homes to stem the incidence of dropout .

KEY CHALLENGES

• • • • • Large population and many other competing needs.

Improving Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation Weak capacity for data collection and management.

Inadequate funding for Basic Education especially at the State and Local government levels.

Improving learning outcomes.

NIGERIA’S PROSPECT IN RELATION TO MDG 2 BY 2015

PRIMARY SCHOOL ENROLMENT

NIGERIA’S PROSPECT IN RELATION TO MDG 2 BY 2015

EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRES ENROLMENT

• • • • • •

Commitment for the Future

Education is currently top on the Agenda with a Presidential summit in September 2010. A Presidential Task Team has been in place to redress fundamental gaps in education delivery.

Provision of incentives for teachers.

Support for infrastructural development.

Sustaining commitment and progress made in achieving the EFA goals.

Stepping up advocacy, effective coordination, synergy and drive towards achieving EFA goals and MDGs.

A Ministerial Committee in place to address the issue of data.

Thank you for listening