According to reports by UNESCO, the current literacy rate of Nigerians that are above 15 years is 62%. This report indicates that most Nigerians are able to learn and speak. In any country, the education system impacts the literacy rate of it and therefore, to understand the current literacy rate of Nigeria it is important to see the education system of the country.
The Education Policy of Nigeria
The first education policy of Nigeria was published in 1977 and since then it has undergone many revisions to meet the changes in the education requirement.
The Education Policy of Nigeria gives the government the power to handle the formal basic education which is compulsory and is made free. The basic education provided includes one year of pre-primary education, six-year of primary education, and three years of junior secondary education.
The education system of Nigeria consists of nine years of basic education, three years of senior secondary school education, and four years of tertiary education that includes universities and colleges, and the degrees from the same can be helpful in landing Government Jobs and the information for the same can be accessed through Sarkari Result. The educational activities both in public and private schools are regulated through this guide.
The education sector in Nigeria is managed by both the government and private stakeholders. The public tertiary and secondary level institutions are managed by the federal and the state government while the local government controls the public pre-primary and primary level institutions.
Challenges of the Nigerian Education System
Even though the education system of Nigeria is good, it has its own challenges. For instance, even though primary education is compulsory and is made available for free, 10.5 million children in Nigeria are not enrolled in school. The net-attendance rate of the students who are attending the schools is merely 53%.
One challenge is that students when they are out of school, they hardly get back to the education system again. Additionally, more than half of the girls of Nigeria are not enrolled in school and the factors contributing to this imbalance in gender can be attributed to economic barriers and socio-cultural norms.
How To Improve The Education System Of Nigeria For The Future?
To improve the education system in Nigeria, it is important to make education a priority and while doing so the most vulnerable children, the ones who have the maximum risk of being left out of receiving education should be targeted.
Further, the teachers should be trained with core knowledge and innovative teaching methodologies to spark interest amongst the children to continue their education. The same should be done while ensuring quality education is provided to the students in a way that they are easily able to understand the lessons.
The students are mostly enrolled by the parents and therefore, special focus should be on increasing awareness of education amongst the parents and communities. Increasing the awareness in the community for education will contribute to a better enrollment rate of the students. Also, a safe learning environment should be provided to the students.
For instance, during the COVID time, it needs to be ensured that the students are able to maintain social distance, handwashes and sanitizers should be made available. By following such safety measures, they can provide the students with a safe environment to continue their education without fear.
UNICEF through its education program is providing support to the Nigerian government to help them achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 which addresses quality education by 2030. For doing the same, proper planning is being carried out and systematic barriers will be identified and addressed.
The objective of this education program of UNICEF includes better access to education, where the students are able to access educational institutions and complete their education and a safe learning environment. In addition to that, it will also focus on empowering the students with the necessary skills and knowledge that can be used for lifelong learning.
The same can be achieved by creating a learning-friendly environment, improving the quality of education and increasing the demand for education by increasing the awareness of it in society. Recently, the Nigerian government contributed to improving the education system of the country during COVID by launching.
