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

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> NigeriaCHAPTER 9: OUT-OF-SCHOOL ISSUES AFFECTING ACCESS (‘pull factors’)9.1 Introducti<strong>on</strong>The reas<strong>on</strong>s children do not enrol or fail to persist or to achieve <strong>in</strong> school are <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten a comb<strong>in</strong>ati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>‘pull factors’ related to home and/or community circumstances, lifestyles and cultures and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ‘pushfactors’ related to what goes <strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> schools. In this chapter we exam<strong>in</strong>e <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> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ‘out-<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>school’factors located <strong>in</strong> homes and communities that affect school access, persistence and atta<strong>in</strong>ment,<strong>on</strong> which <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is a body <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> predom<strong>in</strong>antly quantitative research. We draw <strong>in</strong> particular <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 2003 and2008 NDHS survey data and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> associated 2004 and 2010 NEDS, as well as <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 2004 ESA (FME 2005).This chapter first c<strong>on</strong>siders <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> evidence <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> demand for school<strong>in</strong>g before mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>on</strong> to some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>out-<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>-school factors that <strong>in</strong>hibit educati<strong>on</strong>al participati<strong>on</strong>, such as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> direct and opportunity costs <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>school<strong>in</strong>g and issues c<strong>on</strong>cern<strong>in</strong>g children’s health and that <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir family. We <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n explore <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> evidence<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> relati<strong>on</strong>ship between culture and formal educati<strong>on</strong>, particularly <strong>in</strong> regard to pastoral nomads,before briefly c<strong>on</strong>sider<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> impact <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>flict <strong>on</strong> school<strong>in</strong>g.9.2 Demand for school<strong>in</strong>gThe evidence <strong>on</strong> demand for school<strong>in</strong>g is not straightforward. On <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>e hand, as expla<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> Chapter2, EMIS figures show that over a four-year period (2006/07–2009/10) numbers <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> enrolments <strong>in</strong> publicprimary schools have decl<strong>in</strong>ed overall, both for girls and boys (FME 2011b). This is also true at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> z<strong>on</strong>allevel except for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> North West, where numbers have <strong>in</strong>creased c<strong>on</strong>sistently each year. The AnnualStatistical Digest 2006–2010 also shows that at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> state level <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> picture is more mixed; for example,with<strong>in</strong> North Central, Kogi State has shown a steady <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> enrolments whereas Kwara Stateenrolments have dropped by around <strong>on</strong>e-third over <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> four-year period. Nati<strong>on</strong>al figures for privateprimary school<strong>in</strong>g, however, show <strong>in</strong>creases for both girls and boys but when both private and publicfigures are comb<strong>in</strong>ed <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y still show an overall decrease <strong>in</strong> enrolments for girls and boys (FME 2011b).This might perhaps not tell <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> whole story s<strong>in</strong>ce unregistered private schools, <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> which <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are many,are not counted <strong>in</strong> statistics.Moreover, plenty <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> qualitative data (e.g. Adediran 2010; P<strong>in</strong>nock 2012, UNICEF 2012) suggest thatdemand is soar<strong>in</strong>g, especially for girls <strong>in</strong> nor<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rn Nigeria, as a result <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> successful social mobilisati<strong>on</strong>campaigns and development <strong>in</strong>terventi<strong>on</strong>s. This may well be <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> case <strong>in</strong> areas where governmentcampaigns have been successful and development programmes are tak<strong>in</strong>g place (although reliablestatistical data to support <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> claims are hard to come by) and it is perhaps <strong>in</strong> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r areas wherecampaigns have not taken place, or development programmes have not been <strong>in</strong>itiated, that numbersare dropp<strong>in</strong>g. Aga<strong>in</strong>, however, this is speculati<strong>on</strong>.The 2010 NEDS (NPC and RTI Internati<strong>on</strong>al 2011), when compared to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 2004 NEDS (NPC and ORCMacro 2004), suggests that school attendance patterns have not changed much over time. Similarly, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>disparities discussed <strong>in</strong> Chapter 2 rema<strong>in</strong>, with lower attendance <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> poorer, rural, nor<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rn areas forMuslim girls, above all, and higher attendance <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> more urban, sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rn regi<strong>on</strong>s.In c<strong>on</strong>trast, accord<strong>in</strong>g to EMIS figures, at JSS level enrolments have risen <strong>in</strong> public schools <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fouryearperiod across all z<strong>on</strong>es, although overall numbers are much lower than at primary level. It may bethat some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pupils from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> private system are re-jo<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> state system to boost numbers,although this is speculati<strong>on</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ce EMIS returns from private schools are very <strong>in</strong>complete.Increased numbers <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> nomadic schools and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> reported <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> IQTE (see Chapter 7) also suggest an<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g demand for school<strong>in</strong>g am<strong>on</strong>g groups who historically have been wary <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> secular school<strong>in</strong>g.EDOREN – Educati<strong>on</strong> Data, Research and Evaluati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> Nigeria 100

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