A Chance at Education for 90,000 More Out-of-School Children in Nigeria’s North

School girls in class at a non-formal learning center in Sokoto State Nigeria

Over the last six months, 89,500 out-of-school children in Sokoto and Bauchi states have been provided the chance of an education in both mainstream schools and special non-formal learning centers under the USAID-funded Northern Education Initiative Plus activity, known as the Initiative.

This figure builds upon the approximately 99,000 learners who had already completed the basic literacy program in the 2,200 learning centers that had been established in the two states during the first two years of the activity, for a total of 190,000 students being educated who previously did not have the chance.

On World Literacy Day, we reflect on the combination of factors, including cultural attitudes, lack of educational facilities, and insecurity that affect more than 30 percent of school-aged children in Northern Nigeria who do not have access to basic education, according to UNICEF.

The Nigerian system of education faces additional challenges in the form of inadequately prepared teachers; a lack of quality teaching and learning materials; insufficient funding; and ambivalent support from some parents and communities.

In partnership with the state governments in Bauchi and Sokoto, communities, and civil society organizations, since 2016 the Initiative has trained more than 600,000 students in schools and non-formal learning centers, providing a springboard for children to re-enter the government school system. Some parents have also started to learn how to read and write while assisting their children in the learning process.

“Before the Initiative, Sharifa could neither read nor write,” reports her father, Modi Malami, of Yabo, Sokoto State. “She was not even interested in going to school. But to my surprise, one day Sharifa decided she wanted to learn.” The change in his daughter’s motivation to learn was inspiring.

Seeing his daughter’s renewed interest in learning, Modi started following her progress at the center, and found the time to support Sharifa at home to make sure that she had every opportunity to be educated.

After completing the accelerated six months course (nine hours per week) in basic literacy and numeracy, these young learners will graduate and be mainstreamed into the formal public schools to continue their education. They will write an exit examination to certify that they have completed the basic literacy program thereby providing each one of them an opportunity to further their studies in fourth grade at a formal school.

Last year, 26,000 non-formal center graduates, half of whom were girls, sat for mainstreaming examinations in Bauchi, administered by the Bauchi State Agency for Mass Education, and achieved a pass rate of 91.5 percent. In Sokoto, 26,816 sat for exams with a pass rate of 88.1 percent.

Before it’s finished, the Initiative will reach more than two million children in the two states from grades one through three. The program will also strengthen the states’ ability to provide quality education for the most vulnerable of their children, especially girls, orphans and those enrolled in non-formal schools, focusing on basic reading and math skills.

Using a “whole child, whole teacher, whole school, and whole system” approach, the Initiative addresses critical supply and demand factors that impact learning, teaching, management, parental participation and responsiveness to children’s needs.

Implemented in partnership with top U.S.-based and Nigerian educational organizations, the Initiative builds ownership among federal, state and local education authorities, with the aim to deepen their commitment to quality early grade reading and math instruction and school access.

Overall, the Initiative will train and equip 45,000 teachers and learning facilitators. By equipping teachers with proven early grade reading instruction concepts, techniques, and materials in English and Hausa, they can better prepare students with the skills necessary to carry on their educations.

U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission David J. Young waves to on lookers as he exits a non-formal learning center in Sokoto State Nigeria

Last month, the Initiative unveiled a set of short videos designed to motivate parents and community members to help their children read, encourage safe learning environments, and expand appreciation for the power of education.

“We at the U.S. mission strongly believe that increasing access to education and improving reading skills for children helps build stronger, more cohesive and resilient communities and societies, and will lead Nigeria to a brighter future,” U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission David J. Young said at a special screening of the videos held at the Embassy. “These nontraditional approaches have provided thousands of children the chance to pursue a viable path to quality education. But they could never do it without the support of their respective families and communities.”

U.S. Mission Nigeria

Written by

United States Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria. For official information visit http://ng.usembassy.gov

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