A report by the Central Bank of Nigeria shows that $1.38 billion was spent by Nigerians on foreign education between January and September 2022
The 2023 figures are not yet out, but there are indications that the difference would not be much
The appeal of foreign education speaks to the deteriorating state of public educational institutions back home, caused by years of government neglect, underfunding and other systemic problems
In our 2023 review series, ait.live examines the issues and the prospects as promised by the Bola Tinubu Administration, to salvage the Sector.
A September 2022 UNESCO report which concluded that approximately 20 million Nigerian children are out-of-school, was viewed by the authorities as a slap on the efforts by the Buhari Administration to fix a defiant malaise
Buhari, who exited office in May 2023 incidentally hails from northern Nigeria, a region with the highest number in the out of school statistic
He had promised to reduce by half, the earlier bandied 10.5 million out of school children number, before leaving office in May 2023.
Despite the denial, the problem paints a broader picture of what is faulty in Nigeria’s quest to fix its education system.
It cuts across the different layers of the system, from the basic to the tertiary. And it is not just a problem that needs fixing by the federal government, but by the states, since education falls under the concurrent list in Nigeria’s constitution
The public school system is broken, and has been broken for a long time due to underfunding. The facilities are not fit for learning and the quality of teaching is suspect.
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As a result, the middle and upper class in Nigeria have opted for private schooling for the wards. This is without its own challenges
as Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria reported that as much as 70 percent of private school teachers in the South-West are unqualified, while no fewer than 3,963 teachers failed the November 2023 diet of the Professional Qualifying Examination for teachers across the country.
In northern Nigeria, some states have really done quite a lot to up their investments in the public school system. But insecurity continues to be a drawback as schools suffer repeated attacks
Despite the country committing to the safe schools declaration, tens of children are abducted each year from their schools on their way to or from schools, with a number remaining in captivity in 2023.
Tertiary public education level, has been afflicted by unending strikes. More Nigerian parents have opted to pay higher for foreign education for their children, spending an estimated $1.38 billion in 2022 alone. It’s not just about the uncertainties with studying for a degree in Nigeria, it is also about the recognition and respect a foreign degree enjoys.
In May 29, 2023, the newly inaugurated government of Bola Tinubu set a 2027 target to end the out of school children phenomenon, with the inauguration of a National Commission for Almajiri and Out of School Children.
It also promised to return the largely unsuccessful home grown school feeding programmes
But the problems are deeper. Reports by the World Bank and UNICEF show that Nigeria is faced with a staggering learning crisis, with about 70 per cent of children in school unable to read and write or perform basic numeracy tasks by age 10.
In terms of adult literacy, the Nigerian Government says as at May 2023, about 31 per cent are illiterate, dropping from 38 per cent in 2015.
Among policies initiated during the year under review is to increase investment in adult education.
One major policy made during the year was the Tinubu administration’s decision to exempt all tertiary institutions from IPPIS, which has been one of their grouse of repeated industrial action; as well as payment of 8 months arrears to university lecturers under ASUU and 4 months owed salaries to members of other university workers unions.
Another major policy decision was the Tinubu’s Students Loan Scheme ,which while laudable has been quite controversial
On funding, while the 2023 National Budget provided a N1. 08 trillion allocation for Education, the Tinubu administration’s ‘Budget of Renewed Hope’, is proposing a N1.54 trillion, representing 6.39 per cent of the total budget but falling lower than the UNESCO Benchmark of 26%.
These poor budgetary allocations, expert say have continued to count for thousands of students leaving the shores of Nigeria to study in almost any country abroad
On the way forward, analysts believe that a comprehensive policy drive is what is needed to drastically reform the Education sector and adequately address the learning crisis in Nigeria
(Editor: Ena Agbanoma)
