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review-of-the-literature-on-basic-education-in-nigeria-june-2014-3-1

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Review <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>literature</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>basic</strong> educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> NigeriaIncrease <strong>in</strong> girls-<strong>on</strong>ly schoolsThere has been an <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> girls-<strong>on</strong>ly schools (Okojie 2008; FMWASD 2010). Ten percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>beneficiary girls surveyed <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> three LGEAs participat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> ESSPIN’s girls’ educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong>itiative <strong>in</strong> JigawaState thought that girls-<strong>on</strong>ly board<strong>in</strong>g sec<strong>on</strong>dary schools would help improve <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> retenti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> girls <strong>in</strong>school (ESSPIN 2013b). Provisi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> all-girls schools is <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> three fund<strong>in</strong>g priority areas <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>‘imbalance funds’ from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> FGN–UBE Interventi<strong>on</strong> Fund (see Secti<strong>on</strong> 6.2).Increase <strong>in</strong> provisi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>in</strong>tegrated Qur’anic and Islamiyya schoolsGEP I claimed that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Qur’anic schools us<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>in</strong>tegrated curriculum rose by 75% <strong>in</strong> GEPsupportedcommunities, by 50% <strong>in</strong> GEP-supported LGAs, and by 30% <strong>in</strong> GEP-supported states by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> end<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> project (Chege et al. 2008). This, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y also claimed, has resulted <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> femaleenrolments s<strong>in</strong>ce IQTE schools are preferred for girls by many parents/guardians (FMWASD 2010) <strong>on</strong>account <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> be<strong>in</strong>g c<strong>on</strong>sidered safer (Okojie 2008). However, it is not specified why <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y are thought to besafer; nor was any evidence presented as to whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y actually are safer.Gender-disaggregated data ga<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<strong>in</strong>gThere has been tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g to improve EMIS data ga<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> gender-disaggregated statistics to helpassess progress toward gender equality (Chege et al. 2008). As <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> British Council (2012: 5) reporthighlighted: ‘Accurate, accessible disaggregated data must be a priority for any government committedto promot<strong>in</strong>g gender equity’. C<strong>on</strong>versely, ‘c<strong>on</strong>tradictory and c<strong>on</strong>fus<strong>in</strong>g’ statistics <strong>on</strong> educati<strong>on</strong> (BritishCouncil 2012: 4) hamper efforts to achieve gender equality (UNDP Nigeria 2010; British Council 2012).Female teachers and female participati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> educati<strong>on</strong>It is widely believed that hav<strong>in</strong>g more qualified female teachers encourages greater female enrolment,retenti<strong>on</strong> and atta<strong>in</strong>ment <strong>in</strong> school (USAID 2009; Acti<strong>on</strong>Aid 2011; Okojie 2012; Gabrscek and Usman2013). Part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this belief is based <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> noti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female teachers be<strong>in</strong>g ‘role models’ (USAID 2009;Acti<strong>on</strong>Aid 2011; Okojie 2012), presumably <strong>in</strong> terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> girls’ educati<strong>on</strong>al aspirati<strong>on</strong>s, although generallythis is not specified. In resp<strong>on</strong>se to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> shortage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female teachers, especially <strong>in</strong> rural areas <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> nor<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rnNigeria, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> FTTSS was <strong>in</strong>itiated, which is ‘aimed at <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female teachers to serve asrole models <strong>in</strong> rural communities where female enrolment <strong>in</strong> <strong>basic</strong> educati<strong>on</strong> is low’ (Okojie 2012:47).Yet <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> relati<strong>on</strong>ship between female participati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> school and female teachers is not straightforward.The British Council <str<strong>on</strong>g>review</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> nati<strong>on</strong>al data c<strong>on</strong>cluded that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> near doubl<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female teachers atsec<strong>on</strong>dary level has not been matched by a comparable <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> female enrolment at that level,suggest<strong>in</strong>g perhaps that o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r factors are <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> greater importance (British Council 2012). Similarly, aftercompar<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> atta<strong>in</strong>ment <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> girls with schools’ gender pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>iles, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> TEGINT basel<strong>in</strong>e noted: ‘<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>presence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female teachers does not appear significant <strong>in</strong> support<strong>in</strong>g girls’ progressi<strong>on</strong> and atta<strong>in</strong>ment’(Acti<strong>on</strong>Aid 2011: 17), c<strong>on</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g that female teachers needed better ‘tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g and support to improvefemale teachers’ capacity to be role models for girls’ (ibid.: 19). Qualitative data from Bakari’s (2013)study <strong>in</strong> a handful <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sec<strong>on</strong>dary schools <strong>in</strong> Kogi State and Dunne et al.’s (2013) primary-level case studies<strong>in</strong> Adamawa appear to back up this po<strong>in</strong>t. Although <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is evidence to suggest that girls are more likelyto go to female teachers with health c<strong>on</strong>cerns, for example <strong>in</strong> Bakari (2013), <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is also evidence thatfemale teachers may hold gender-stereotyped expectati<strong>on</strong>s about girls’ (and boys’) behaviour andcapabilities – <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same way that male teachers and <strong>in</strong>deed pupils (female or male) can do – that serveto perpetuate gender <strong>in</strong>equalities (see Bakari 2013).Box 8.2 The Female Teacher Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g Scholarship SchemeThe FTTSS is viewed as <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> GEP’s highlights (UNICEF 2012) and is aimed at <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female teachers, seen to be a major deterrent to girls’ enrolment <strong>in</strong> school. So far over 2,300EDOREN – Educati<strong>on</strong> Data, Research and Evaluati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> Nigeria 92

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