INVESTIGATION: How Poverty, Shambolic Public Education System Keep the Number of Out of School Children Rising in Niger State

Mariam Biliaminu, 12, dropped out of school at primary four in November 2023. Her mother, Aisha, explained to this reporter that she withdrew the child from school because, as a single mother of four, she needed to cut her expenses. She needed Mariam to stay home and help look after her younger siblings because her school was far from their house.

 “My decision was because I feel the younger ones should go to school, and since she’s the oldest amongst them, she would be able to assist and take care of her siblings when I am not around,” Mrs Biliaminu said.

“My husband had abandoned me and my children here at Madallah, and I have been the one catering for them. Things are hard. I clean people’s homes and fry Awara very early in the morning for children and workers to buy.”

She said Mariam spent N400 on transportation daily and another N100 for food at school.

Bilikisu Iliyas, known to her neighbours as Ummuh Fridaus, You  The seven-year-old was a primary one pupil at LEA primary school under Bosso L/G of Niger state until the Boko Haram insurgency became a threat to the area.

In July 2023, Mrs Iliyas relocated with Hauwa and her younger brother, Sheriff, to Suleja to live with a relative who works as a bricklayer after losing her last son who happens to be Hauwa and Sheriff parent to road accident while their mother stayed back at Bosso.

After the incident, the two children were enrolled in a public primary school in Suleja to further their studies. 

“When they both resumed school, Hauwa was supposed to be in primary 2, but since she did not finish the session at Bosso, she remained in class one,” Mrs Iliyas said. “Her brother is in the nursery class.

“After a week, Hauwa started complaining about her torn uniform, but I was not paying attention until the hole became big. When I saw it, I asked her about it, and she said they sit on the bare floor in the classroom. Her writing materials, including the school bags, were always missing. 

“I told my neighbour to go with her to school, and she returned to tell me Hauwa does not have a chair to sit in the classroom. She asked about the school bag, but the teacher in charge gave no response. I had to stop her from going; when it is time, she will decide what to do. For now, she keeps my company at home.” 

Out-of-school children

A United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) 2023 report shows an increase in the number of out-of-primary school children between 6-14 years in Niger State.

Per the report, 42% of female children in the state are out of school compared with 39% of their male counterparts. 

Meanwhile, the United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF) advised that access to primary education is a basic right for every child. Education for girls reduces early marriage, increases earning potential, and empowers decision-making, leading to stronger economies and less inequality.

An investigation by this reporter into the state’s primary education system shows that poverty, negligence, poor remuneration of teachers, and poor condition of the learning environment are some of the factors contributing to the growing number of out-of-school children at the primary school level in Niger State.

Dilapidated Classrooms, Insecure Learning Environments

Visits to some primary schools show that the school environments are not conducive to learning. The classrooms are dilapidated and need tables and chairs. In many schools, pupils sit on bare floors to learn.

At Awwal Ibrahim Primary School, Suleja, the classrooms are too few for the population of pupils, and the available ones are not conducive for teaching and learning.

The school premises are not secured, resulting in school property and important documents being regularly stolen.

“The school is facing many challenges from inadequate facilities and insecurity,” the headmaster, Mohammed Sani Aliu, told the reporter. “Important items, including the first aid box and textbooks, were stolen from my office by unknown people since the school is not protected.

“All these have affected the enrollment of pupils in school. Some left the school because their parents felt the school environment was unsafe for learning. I sometimes come to the school early to secure it since we have no security officer there.”

He said the school currently has 689 pupils, including 360 males. The pupils are crammed into the 13 classrooms in the school.

At LEA Primary School Madalla, over 800 pupils use 12 classrooms. Some classrooms do not have enough chairs, so some pupils sit on other pupils’ lap during classes.

The school headmistress, Hadiza Bala, said the number of pupils increased during the federal government’s school feeding programme, but many stopped attending schools after the programme stopped. She added that most of the classrooms were in bad condition, and some pupils had fainted from heat due to the congestion of classrooms.

“There are 24 blocks of classrooms, but 12 are in bad condition. We have reached out to the appropriate authorities on the condition of our classrooms, but the classrooms have not been renovated,” Mrs Bala said.

She lamented that “Some of the pupils sit on bare floors to attend classrooms. There is a limit to where they can sit in the classrooms because some of the ceilings are worn out, and to avoid cases of injuries, we had to demarcate their sitting positions.

She noted that “The children’s punctuality was about 99% during the school feeding programme. Parents bring their children to school during that period, but since it stopped, their punctuality has reduced as some loiter around the school environment to hawk their goods.

Besides decreasing punctuality, the LEA Primary School, Madalla lacks restrooms.

“We have no toilets in the school. The ones we have are bad and have been locked. Pupils defecate around the school environment, and we teachers pay to defecate,” the Headmistress said.

 Inadequate Workforce, Poor Salaries

In many of the schools visited, there were insufficient teaching staff. While the government recruited some of the available teachers, others were recruited by the Parent Teachers Association (PTA). 

The Federal Ministry of Education data shows that Niger State has the fifth highest number of primary school teachers in Nigeria. 

Yet, the state has not met up with the UNICEF benchmark of a 20:1 pupil-to-teacher ratio.

However, Niger State pupil per classroom record as of 2018 shows it is better than the country median of 46 and mean of 49 pupils per class. 

This was 5 years ago.

Now, at Hassan Dallatu Model Nursery/Primary School, under the Suleja Local government Area, there were 2,224 pupils and 36 teachers. The ratio of pupils to teachers is about 63:1 in the school.

“There are lots of challenges in the school that have to do with lack of manpower and underpayment of staff,” the school’s headmaster, Abdulrahman Ala, said. “We had to discuss this with the parents, and we were able to employ some people with ND and SSCE to teach these children because we have no money to recruit capable hands.

“Through its PTA, the school employed five teachers, each paid between N8000 and N10,000. Despite the pupils’ population, only two toilets are available for teachers and pupils in the school.”

Education Falls Amid Poor Funding

Over the years, the annual budget of the state Ministry of Education increased until 2024. In 2021, N20.4 billion was allocated to the Ministry and N26.6 billion in 2022. In the next fiscal year, N36.6 billion was allocated, but the amount reduced to N30.9 billion in 2024.

The reduction in the budgetary allocation this year is despite the Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index (NMPI) data that shows that Niger State has the 10th highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

According to UNICEF, children living in emergency and fragile settings, including refugee children, have lower chances of completing primary school. 

Gender also plays a role. For girls who grow up in poor households in low-income countries, only two-thirds of them are estimated to complete primary school. Girls are more likely than their male peers to have never attended or dropped out of primary school.

Expert Reacts

A public health expert, Mercy Ironbar, speaking on the importance of education, especially for the girl child, said there should be equal opportunities for both genders. When the parents or the society lack the essentials for quality education, the government should ensure that the children’s right to quality education is met.

“The essence of education can never be over-emphasised. If girls aren’t educated, they tend to be dependent on men. Society has already made it look like women are second-class citizens and inferior to men.

“Not being educated puts women three steps back. If you do research now, you will also realise that Gender-Based Violence is most prevalent among the uneducated; they do not even know their rights. In the future, inequality will only be higher than it is if we continue to have less educated women,” Mrs Ironbar said.

 “The government can partner with organisations to raise awareness of the need to empower the girl child and sponsor research on this issue to understand the root causes more. The government should give scholarships to students in primary school and fund activities that encourage learning behaviour among girls,” she added.

Teacher Union Leader Speaks, Government Official Mum

The Chairman of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in Niger State, Adamu Akayago, told the reporter that the poor condition of schools is one of the factors contributing to the number of out-of-primary-school children in the state.

“Most of our schools in Niger State are in a sorry state. About 80% of these schools are in bad condition, and no parent will want his/her child to attend such schools. Aside from the classroom conditions, teachers are underpaid, and it’s impossible to underpay teachers and expect maximum discharge of duties from them.

“We have been advocating for a better condition of primary school education because the educational foundation matters in the life of children who intend to grow and succeed,” Mr Akayago said. 

However, the state’s commissioner for education, Hannatu Jibrin Saliu, when contacted, refused to speak with the reporter. 

Support for this report was provided by the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID).