Pupils at a public elementary school in Kwara State

Education in Nigeria is overseen by the Federal Ministry of Education. The

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

take responsibility for implementing state-controlled policy regarding

public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

and

state schools A state school, public school, or government school is a primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-funded schools a ...

. The education system is divided into

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

Primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

Secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

, and

Tertiary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

. Nigeria's federal government has been dominated by instability since declaring independence from Britain, and as a result, a unified set of education policies is yet to be successfully implemented. Regional differences in quality,

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...

, and funding characterize the education system in Nigeria. Currently, Nigeria possesses the largest population of

out-of-school learning Out-of-school learning is an educational concept first proposed by Lauren Resnick in her 1987 AERA presidential address, which consists of curricular and non-curricular learning experiences for pupils and students outside the school environment. ...

youths in the world. The educational systems in Nigeria are divided into two the public where the student only pays for Parents Teachers Association (PTA) while the private where students pay school fees and some other fees like sports, exam fees, computer fees etc. and they are costly Education in Nigerian schools takes place in English. On November 30, 2022, the education minister Adamu Adamu announced a government plan to abolish instruction in English on primary schools in favour of Nigeria's local languages.

Primary education

Nigeria Primary School Enrolment by state in 2013

Primary education begins at around age 5 for the majority of Nigerians. Students spend six years in primary school and graduate with a first school-leaving certificate. Subjects taught at the primary level include Mathematics, English language, Christian Religious Knowledge/Islamic Knowledge,

Agricultural science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Professio ...

Home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

and one of the three main indigenous languages and cultures: Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

. Private schools also offer

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

, French, and

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

. Primary school pupils are required to take a Common Entrance Examination to qualify them for admission into the Federal and State Government Secondary schools, as well as Private schools. Before 1976, education policy was still largely shaped by the colonial policy of the British Colonial Period. In 1976, the

Universal Primary Education The second of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals focuses on achieving Universal Primary Education. This goal aims to ensure global access to complete primary education for all children, regardless of gender, by 2015. Education plays a ...

program was established. This program faced many difficulties and was subsequently revised in 1981 and 1990. The Universal Basic Education (UBE) was formed in 1999 and this came as a replacement of the Universal Primary Education and intended to enhance the success of the first nine years of schooling. The ''UBE'' involves 6 years of Primary School education and 3 years of Junior Secondary School education, culminating in 9 years of uninterrupted schooling, and transition from one class to another is automatic but determined through

continuous assessment Continuous assessment is a form of educational examination that evaluates a student's progress throughout a prescribed course. It is often used as an alternative to the final examination system. Proponents of continuous assessment argue that the a ...

. This scheme is monitored by the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, and has made it "free", "" and a "right" of every child. Therefore, the ''UBEC'' law section 15 defines UBE as early childhood care and education. The law says a 9-year formal schooling, adult literacy and non-formal education, skill acquisition programs, and the education of special groups such as nomads and migrants, girl child and women, Al-majiri, out of school and disabled people (Aderinoye, 2007). "Nigeria Education Profile"
. U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria. ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

.''

Secondary education

Secondary school is a link between the primary and tertiary levels of education. It is the form of education children receive after primary education and before tertiary stage (Solomon, 2015). Prior to 1982, students spent a total of five years in secondary school. After the "6-3-3-4" system was introduced, students spend six years in Secondary School divided into 3 years of JSS (Junior Secondary School), and 3 years of SSS (Senior Secondary School). During the 3 years of Junior Secondary School education, students are to take subjects such as Mathematics, English,

Social Studies In many countries' curricula, social studies is the combined study of humanities, the arts, and social sciences, mainly including history, economics, and civics. The term was coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as ...

, cultural and creative arts, basic science and technology, pre-vocational studies, French, business education,

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

Computer Studies Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to applied disciplines (including the design and ...

Fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

s. Senior Secondary curriculum is based on 4 core subjects completed by 4 or 5 elective subjects. Core subjects are: English; mathematics; Economics;

Civic Education In the field of political science, civics is the study of the civil and political rights and obligations of citizens in a society. The term ''civics'' derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". In U.S. politics, ...

; one or more electives out of Biology, Chemistry, Physics for science class; one or more electives out of

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

, History, Geography, Agricultural science or a

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

subject which includes:

Book Keeping Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business and other organizations. It involves preparing source documents for all transactions, operations, and other events of a business. T ...

Commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

, Food and Nutrition,

Technical Drawing Technical drawing, drafting or drawing, is the act and discipline of composing drawings that visually communicate how something functions or is constructed. Technical drawing is essential for communicating ideas in industry and engineering. ...

amongst other 17 subjects. After the BECE, students can also join a

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

. The curriculum for these also lasts 3 years and leads to a trade/

craftsmanship Workmanship is a human attribute relating to knowledge and skill at performing a task. Workmanship is also a quality imparted to a product. The type of work may include the creation of handcrafts, art, writing, machinery and other products. Workma ...

certificate.

Federal-sponsored secondary schools

The

Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

is made up of thirty-six States and the

Federal Capital Territory A capital district, capital region, or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politic ...

and there are 2-3 Federal Government Colleges in each state. Most are boarding schools, with some admitting girls only. Also referred to as "unity schools," these schools are funded and managed directly by the

Federal Government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

through the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. There are also Command Schools run by the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

and other military schools run by the Airforce and Navy. These schools are supposed to be model schools carrying and maintaining the ideals of

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

for Nigerian students. Admission is based on merit, determined by the National Common Entrance Examination taken by all final year elementary school pupils.

Tuition Tuition may refer to: *Formal education, education within a structured institutional framework *Tutoring, private academic help *Tuition payments Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth ...

and fees are relatively low as compared to private schools, approximately twenty-five thousand naira because partial funding comes from the

. The Federal schools generally have good reputations and tend to be viewed as elite owing to their admissions being based on annual national merit exams.

Teacher qualifications at federal schools

Teachers who want to teach in Nigerian schools must have either a National Certificate in Education, bachelor's degree in education or a bachelor's degree in a subject field combined with a postgraduate diploma in education.

State-sponsored secondary schools

State-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

secondary schools are funded by the respective

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

and are not comparable to Federal government colleges. Although, education is supposed to be free in the majority of the state-owned institutions, students are required to purchase books, uniforms and pay for

miscellaneous {{Short pages monitor Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

, and poor school facilities. In recent years, the rise of militancy groups such as the

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad (), is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group spli ...

, Bandits, Unknown Gunmen and the

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

militancy have contributed to

destabilization The word destabilisation (alternatively, destabilization) can be applied to a wide variety of contexts such as attempts to undermine political, military or economic power. Psychology In a psychological context, it is used as a technique in brai ...

of the education system. In a bid to improve female education in girls, the

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

initiated some projects in Nigeria. one of them is The Girls’ Education Project initiated through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2004 between the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Kingdom Department for International Development. The Girls’ Education Project Memorandum of Understanding focused on supporting Federal Government of Nigeria initiatives that aim at achieving Universal Primary Education and Universal Basic Education as stipulated in the six Education for All goals. The Girls’ Education Project 3 Cash Transfer Programme (GEP3-CTP) was designed as a social protection programme for mitigating the impact of poverty on girl child enrolment and school attendance in Niger and Sokoto States. The programme was implemented for two years (2014 to 2016). UNICEF has commissioned Capra International to assess the programme against five criteria in order to better understand how the programme was implemented, the impacts achieved, and identify lessons that can inform further implementation of the Cash Transfer Programme. GEP3-CTP was a two-year unconditional cash transfer programme (September 2014 - August 2016) with primary objective of increasing girls' enrolment, retention and completion of basic education in selected schools in Niger and Sokoto States. The impact evaluation of GEP3-CTP was carried out by Capra International, a division of Ghubril Ltd, from October 2016 to March 2017 in two stages. The first stage was the Evaluability Assessment of GEP3-CTP, and the second stage was the

Impact Assessment Policy impact assessments, or simply impact assessments (IAs), are formal, evidence-based procedures that assess prospective economic, social, and environmental effects of a public policy proposal. They have been incorporated into policy making in ...

of GEP3-CTP.

Secondary education in Nigeria's rural areas

In Nigeria's

National Policy on education The National Policy on Education (NPE) is a policy formulated by the Government of India to promote and regulate education in India. The policy covers elementary education to higher education in both rural and urban India. The first NPE was prom ...

(FRN 1998) it is stated that the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

has adopted education as an instrument for effecting national development in all areas of the nation. Education in

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

Nigeria is characterized with very poor

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

, insufficient

academic staff Academic staff, also known as faculty (in North American usage) or academics (in British, Australia, and New Zealand usage), are vague terms that describe teachers or research staff of a school, college, university or research institute. In ...

insecurity Insecure may refer to: * Lack of security, in an objective sense: ** Risk ** Data security ** Computer security * Food insecurity * Insecurity (emotion), lack of confidence or self esteem Media * ''Insecure'' (TV series), a television series ...

and non-payment of staff among others. Education is fundamental to the growth and development, and serves as a critical index in measuring the process of the development agenda. However, rural schools in Nigeria are in a "sorry state" and it is a common knowledge that a majority of the population in developing countries like Nigeria live in rural areas, which are largely neglected by the government when it comes to development.

Literacy in Nigeria

Though most of Nigeria's challenging areas for literacy are in the northern region Nigeria's literacy rate remains significantly low, with only 62.02% of adults (ages 15 and above) being literate as of 2018. The low literacy rate in Nigeria is exacerbated by regional disparities especially in the

North-East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

and

North-West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

, which has the highest numbers of out-of-school children, primarily due to poverty, insecurity, and cultural factors like child marriage and religious extremism. In the South, while the situations are much better, significant challenges persist, with millions of children still out of school. Efforts to improve literacy are ongoing, with stakeholders advocating for policies that enhance multilingual education and access to resources like books and libraries. According to the nigerian federal government as of 2022 Nigeria's illiteracy rate is now at 31% bringing the liratcy rate at 69%. As of 2024, the Nigerian government is actively addressing its literacy challenges through several initiatives aimed at improving both general and digital literacy levels. On traditional literacy, the government has emphasized its commitment to raising literacy rates among both youth and adults. The administration of President Bola Tinubu has prioritized this issue, with policies aimed at enhancing functional literacy and creating equitable access to education for all citizens. This includes a strong focus on eliminating barriers to education, particularly for vulnerable populations. The government has also partnered with UNESCO to support mass literacy programs and review non-formal education policies In the realm of digital literacy, Nigeria has set an ambitious target of achieving 95% digital literacy by 2030. This is seen as a crucial step toward boosting employment opportunities and reducing poverty. Efforts include training programs for youths in digital skills such as content creation and digital marketing, but there are concerns that the country's high out-of-school population may hinder the full realization of this target.

Literacy rates by state

Female literacy rates by states by the

National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria The National Bureau of Statistics oversees and publishes statistics for Nigeria. Contributing Bureaus The contributing bureaus are where the National Bureau of Statistics get their information. They include: * National Planning Commission * Ec ...

Male literacy rates by states the

References

External links

Ministry of Education, Nigeria

World data on Education: Nigeria, UNESCO-IBE(2010–2011)
nbsp;– Overview of the Nigerian Education system
Vocational education in Nigeria, UNESCO-UNEVOC(2012)
nbsp;– Overview of the Nigerian technical and vocational education system
Preparing for University as a Nigerian Secondary School Student
{{World topic, Education in, noredlinks=yes