PHOTO: TOM SAATER/ACTIONAID
SECTION 2. COUNTRY STUDY: NIGERIA Background to the NIgerian education system
grown dramatically in recent years,52 Nigeria has very low levels of investment in basic public services,
Nigeria. With approximately 202 million people, Nigeria
including education. Nigeria has the highest number
accounts for about half of West Africa’s population,
of out-of-school children in the world, with the latest
is the most populous country in Africa, and has
data putting the figure at around 10.5 million,53 and the
one of the largest youth populations in the world. A
percentage of children out of primary school has barely
multi-ethnic and culturally diverse federation, Nigeria
changed from 37% in 1999 to 34% in 2010.xi
50
consists of 36 autonomous States, the Federal Capital Territory, and 774 local governments. States and local
Inequalities based on wealth are also prevalent in
governments manage their own education systems, and
education. For instance, of the poorest children, only
though core funding and key strategies and policies
35% complete primary and 15% secondary school,
come from the Federal Government, the Federal
compared to 97% and 88% of the wealthiest.54 The IMF
Ministry of Education does not play a strong role in
states that policy action to address these challenges is
delivery.
urgent and should not be delayed, including financing the growing need for education and health services that
Despite an abundance of natural resources, including
are already under strain at current population levels.55
oil and gas,51 and though the country’s economy has
xi.
Taken from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics UIS database, Latest year available for Nigeria is 2010
THE BEDROCK OF INCLUSION: WHY INVESTING IN THE EDUCATION WORKFORCE IS CRITICAL TO THE DELIVERY OF SDG4
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