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Table 4 presents the statistics for student enrollment in Nigeria. It is evident that although
both primary and secondary education are labeled as compulsory, there are far fewer students
participating in secondary education than those in primary education. The table also shows that
despite the 500 languages that are spoken in Nigeria, children are instructed in three local
languages at the beginning of their primary schooling, and then only in English after their third
year of primary education.
Table 4 Nigeria: Country and Education System Vital Stats
Population
174.5 million
Language of Instruction
Compulsory Education
Academic Year
English (Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba in the first 3 years of primary)
Primary & Lower Secondary School (Grades 1-9)
September to July
Number of Universities
Number of Students
128 (51 private)
-Primary (6-12): 20,682,000
-
-
Secondary (12-17): 9,057,000
Tertiary (18+): 1,700,000
Lower Secondary Gross Enrollment Ratio
Secondary Gross Enrollment Ratio
Tertiary Gross Enrollment Ratio
47%
44%
10%
Note: From “An Overview of Education in Nigeria” by N. Clark & C. Ausukuya, 2013, World Education News &
Reviews, p.1.
The tracking system in Nigeria makes it difficult for many students to progress in the
education system. Those who enroll in vocational programs at age 12 have no opportunity to
receive the necessary certificates to one day participate in tertiary education. Much of these
students’ future is already decided from this young age, and it will be difficult for them to change
their course once they are set in this path. The same is true for those students that begin technical
programs at age 15 instead of attending senior secondary school.
Indicators for the Subsector
Education Finance
There is little reliable information available for financial expenditures in Nigeria. As one
researcher found, even in official reports by UNESCO and World Bank “educational expenditure
data for Nigeria are either totally omitted or are recorded for the Federal Government alone”
(
Hinchliffe, 2002). Another author warned, with regards to studies in Nigeria, that “it is
important to remember that expenditure estimates are made on partial, often inadequate, data”
World Bank, 2008). With that in mind, the following represents the most recent available data
from the region.
(
The federal budget for education decreased during the years of 2001-2004, but then began
to increase significantly in 2006. Despite this increase in the overall budget, federal education
allocation has failed to keep up with the growth that Nigeria has experienced in GDP. It has
actually declined over time from 1.8% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2007. The federal education budget,
however, has risen slightly, from constituting 10.7% of the total federal budget in 2001 to 12.5%
in 2007 (see Appendix C).
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