INNOVA Research Journal, ISSN 2477-9024  
(
Septiembre, 2016). Vol. 1, No.9 pp. 96-113  
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33890/innova.v1.n9.2016.98  
URL: http://revistas.uide.edu.ec/index.php/innova/index  
Correo: innova@uide.edu.ec  
Primary education in Nigeria at a glance: statistical overview of the subsector  
Resumen de la educación primaria en Nigeria: panorama estadístico del  
subsector  
Andrés Alberto Chávez Eras  
Universidad Internacional del Ecuador, Ecuador  
Autor para correspondencia: anchavezer@internacional.edu.ec  
Fecha de recepción: 30 de Agosto de 2016 - Fecha de aceptación: 28 de Septiembre de 2016  
Resumen  
El siguiente estudio se enfoca en la educación primaria en Nigeria. Primeramente analizaremos los  
antecedentes políticos, económicos y sociales del país. Para con esto, poder tener un mejor  
entendimiento del sistema educativo. Se analizara los problemas con las finanzas, acceso y calidad  
de la educación.  
Palabras claves: sistema educativo; áfrica; calidad educación  
Abstract  
The following study focuses on primary education in Nigeria. First we analyze the political,  
economic and social history of the country. For this, to have a better understanding of the education  
system. problems with finances, access and quality of education are analyzed.  
Key words: education system; africa; quality education  
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Introduction  
Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa, with an estimated 174,507,539 people as  
of July 2013. Within this population, there are over 250 ethnic groups and 500 languages.  
Political Indicators  
Nigeria adopted a new constitution in 1999 that transitioned the country from military  
rule to a civilian government (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013). Now, the Federal Republic of  
Nigeria is a federal constitutional republic similar to the United States, with executive,  
legislative, and judicial branches. General elections are held every four years to choose a  
president (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013). Despite the official government setup, Nigeria’s  
scores on the Democracy Index indicate that the country is still far from functioning as a  
democracy, as seen in Table 1. All scores are out of a possible 10.0 (Philip & Ojeka, 2011).  
Table 1 Democracy Index for Nigeria  
Year  
Rank  
Overall  
Score  
Electoral  
Process and  
Participation  
3.08  
Functioning  
Political  
Political  
Culture Liberties  
Civil  
of  
Government  
1.86  
Participation  
2
2
2
006  
008  
010  
124  
124  
123  
3.52  
3.53  
3.47  
4.44  
3.33  
3.33  
4.38  
4.38  
3.13  
3.82  
3.82  
3.82  
2.92  
3.21  
3.83  
3.21  
Note. From “Democracy and Development: An Appraisal of Nigeria’s Position in the Democracy Index” by C.  
Philip & S. Ojeka, 2011, Research Journal of Finance and Accounting 2(2), p.4.  
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, Nigeria ranks 137 out of 176 countries,  
with a score of 27 out of 100. People perceive the police and political parties to be the most  
corrupted institutions (Transparency International, 2013).  
Economic Indicators  
GDP per capita in Nigeria increased to 1,555.41 (US$) in 2012. However, external debt  
stocks have risen as well. Nigeria was forgiven $30 billion of debt in 2006, but has continued to  
accumulate debt since that time and had external debt stocks of $13,108 billion in 2011 (World  
Bank, 2013).  
In recent years, the amount of aid that Nigeria has received for education has increased  
significantly. As shown in Table 2, the amount received in 2010 was almost five times that  
which was received in 2002-2003.  
Table 2 Total Aid to Education  
Constant 2010 US$ millions  
2
3
002–2003 annual average  
5
2009  
133  
2010  
165  
Note. From EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012: YOUTH AND SKILLS Putting education to work p.402, by  
UNESCO, 2012, Paris: UNESCO.  
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Table 3 shows the facts about the wellbeing of Nigeria’s people. Over half of the  
population lives in absolute poverty, a significant percentage of people live in unsanitary  
conditions, and the life expectancy rate is much lower than that of developed nations.  
Additionally, only half of the population is literate.  
Table 3 Nigeria Poverty Indicators  
Poverty Indicator  
2011  
53yrs  
Life expectancy at birth  
%
%
%
of pop with access to improved water  
of pop with access to improved sanitation  
of pop with access to electricity*  
58%*  
31%*  
51%  
Living in absolute poverty  
Children under 5 underweight  
Literacy  
60.9%*  
26.7**  
50.4%  
72.1%male)  
(
(
50.4% female)  
21% est.  
Unemployment rate  
Note. From Poverty in Nigeria, Noble Mission Organization, 2013 *2010, **2008  
Social Development  
The leading causes of death in Nigeria are HIV/AIDS, lower respiratory infections,  
malaria, diarrheal diseases, and measles, all of which are preventable or curable with the proper  
medicine and education (WHO, 2013). Lack of available and affordable treatments contribute to  
Nigeria’s low life expectancy of 53 years, and the overwhelmingly young population shown in  
Figure 1. Many children become orphans at a young age and are forced to work and support  
siblings, which provides a barrier to participating in education.  
Figure 1 Nigeria Population Pyramid Graph. Adapted from “International Programs - Region Summary - U.S.  
Census Bureau”, 2013, U.S. Census Bureau. Copyright 2013 by U.S Census Bureau Reprinted.  
There have been small but steady increases over the last several years in Nigeria in terms  
of HDI and its components. In 2012, the HDI was 0.47, Health was 0.510, Education was 0.457,  
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and Income was 0.450 (HDR, 2013). As shown in Figure 2, gains in education have been the  
slowest and have leveled off in recent years.  
Figure 2. Trends in Nigeria’s Human Development Report  
2
013 Nigeria” 2013, Human Development Report. (HDR). Copyright 2013 by Human Development Report.  
Reprinted.  
The Education System  
The formal educational system in Nigeria presents various paths that students can take,  
starting with secondary education. At 12 years of age, children start either junior secondary or  
vocational enterprise institutions programs. If they attend the former, they receive a junior  
secondary school certificate upon completion; if they attend the latter, they receive a certificate  
of proficiency. At 15 years of age, students who have received a junior secondary school  
certificate may attend either senior secondary or secondary technical schools programs. Less  
than one-third of students who begin school in Nigeria go on to enroll in senior secondary school  
(Nigerian Education Profile, 2013).  
Then, at age 18, the number of options increases for those students who completed senior  
secondary school and received either a West African senior school certificate or National  
examinations council certificate. However, in order to proceed to a tertiary institution, students  
must pass the Senior School Leaving Certificate; in 2010, 80% of students failed this certificate  
due to inability to pass English and Mathematics, among other subjects (Nigerian Education  
Profile, 2013). Students who are still deficient in some courses do have the opportunity to attend  
classes that will allow them to later matriculate in a university. There are also short certificate  
courses available that are oriented towards the labor market. Students may choose to enroll in  
bachelor programs, college and polytechnic programs, teacher training schools, or the school of  
nursing. Students who complete these programs may also be eligible to pursue further education,  
such as master programs, the higher national diploma, or a doctorate program. There are no post-  
secondary options available for students who complete vocational enterprise institutions  
programs or secondary technical schools programs (see Appendix A and Appendix B for more  
details).  
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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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Families contribute to the cost of education across all sectors. Table 5 shows the amount  
of money that families from varying socioeconomic backgrounds pay for different aspects of  
education, such as fees and books, as well as the percentage of families that pay for each  
category. It is notable that 93% of even the poorest families in Nigeria have to pay some type of  
expenditure for their children’s education. Although primary education is supposed to be  
compulsory and free in Nigeria, almost half of the poorest families are still paying fees just so  
their children can attend primary school.  
Table 5 Expenditures in Primary School, by Level of per Capita Expenditures  
Quintile  
and  
Parent-  
Teacher  
Book  
and  
Room  
and  
Fees  
Uniforms  
Transportation  
Other  
Total  
Indicator  
association  
supplies  
Board  
Amount spent (naira)  
Poorest  
II  
III  
IV  
Richest  
1,193  
1,566  
1,690  
2,403  
5,351  
221  
179  
270  
390  
442  
469  
585  
526  
637  
817  
517  
539  
731  
932  
1,354  
721  
1,169  
1,866  
1,908  
2,999  
1,413  
1,910  
1,376  
1,781  
3,089  
319  
618  
671  
827  
1,590  
1,807  
2,217  
2,671  
3,814  
7,718  
Percentage paying  
Poorest  
II  
III  
IV  
Richest  
Total  
46  
45  
49  
50  
67  
51  
53  
53  
55  
56  
53  
54  
75  
75  
77  
79  
81  
77  
76  
81  
82  
85  
85  
82  
7
8
12  
17  
22  
13  
10  
8
9
14  
13  
11  
28  
30  
34  
40  
44  
35  
93  
95  
96  
95  
96  
95  
Note. From “Nigeria A Review of the Costs and Financing of Public Education” by World Bank, 2008, Human  
Development Unit Africa Region, 2, p.117.  
Teachers in Nigeria are paid different amounts depending on the states in which they  
teach. Table 6 shows that there is a significant gap between these wages, ranging from 151,000  
naira in Kaduna to 518,000 naira in Lagos. This difference equals approximately $2,295 in US  
currency, and shows that teachers in some states make less than one-third of teachers in another.  
Table 6 Average Annual Pay for Public Primary and teachers in SEPER States, 2005/06  
Annual Pay (naira  
thousand rounded)  
As a percent of state per capital  
household expenditure  
As a percent of per capital  
national GDP  
State  
Borno  
Cross  
266  
196  
721  
529  
244  
180  
River  
Enugu  
FCT  
Jigawa  
Kaduna  
Kano  
304  
307  
155  
151  
153  
201  
518  
613  
728  
899  
332  
385  
893  
1,374  
279  
282  
142  
139  
140  
185  
476  
Kwara  
Lagos  
Note. From “Nigeria A Review of the Costs and Financing of Public Education” by World Bank, 2008, Human  
Development Unit Africa Region, 2, p.102.  
Access to Education  
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The enrollment figures for each education sector are shown below in Table 7. Primary  
and secondary education are compulsory in Nigeria; as evidenced in the chart, primary school  
enrollment is quite high at around 83% of the population of children who are primary school age.  
However, the chart indicates that many students drop out before enrolling in secondary  
schooling. Only about 44% of students who enroll in primary education continue on to receive  
secondary education. It is interesting to note the rise in students who enroll in private schools at  
this age. Less than 3% of those students who begin primary education enroll in tertiary  
education.  
Table 7 Education Enrollment by different Sectors  
Education  
Sector  
Age  
Group  
School-age  
population  
Total  
Enrolment in private institutions as % of  
total enrolment - Median  
Enrolment  
2
010  
Pre-Primary  
Primary  
Secondary  
Tertiary*  
3-5  
---  
2,021,000  
20,682,000  
9,057,000  
605,068  
27  
8
22  
7.74  
6-11  
12-17  
18 -  
24,835,000  
20,560,000  
Note. From EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012: YOUTH AND SKILLS Putting education to work p.370, by  
UNESCO, 2012, Paris: UNESCO. And From “Educational Financing Reforms in Nigeria: A Survey-Based Cost  
Implications Analysis for University Education” by S. Akinyemi, I. Ofem, & O. Adebisi, 2012, International  
Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(15) p.162.  
Table 8 shows the average percentage of students who drop out in each grade during the 6  
years of primary education. Dropout percentages are almost 6% higher for male students.  
Table 8 Nigeria Dropout %  
Duration of primary education  
6
Dropout all grades (%)  
Total  
20.1  
Male  
22.7  
Female  
17.0  
Note. From EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012: Youth And Skills Putting education to work p.362, by UNESCO,  
012, Paris: UNESCO.  
2
This data seems to contradict the data presented in the previous table, which shows that  
less than half of the students enrolled in primary education continue on to secondary education.  
One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that a large number of students quit attending  
school upon completion of the primary school years.  
There are fewer girls than boys enrolled in school in all sectors, but the gap decreases as  
the students progress through the education system. In 2010, there were 1,388,191 fewer girls  
enrolled in primary schools, and 359,959 fewer girls enrolled in secondary schools (see  
Appendix D).  
There is a direct correlation between school attendance and socioeconomic status. As  
shown in Figure 3, students from the lowest quintile of socioeconomic background are almost  
three times times less likely to be enrolled in primary school than students from the highest  
quintile, and students between the ages of 12-17 in the lowest socioeconomic quintile are five  
times less likely to be enrolled in secondary school than students from the highest quintile.  
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Appendix E shows more detail about how these inequities are spread across residence, region,  
and gender.  
Primary  
Secondary  
82  
78  
71  
73  
59  
51  
44  
30  
27  
12  
Lowest  
Second  
Middle  
Fourth  
Highest  
Figure 3 Primary and Secondary Net Attendance Ratio, by Economic Status Quintile Note. From Nigeria  
Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) EdData Profile 1990, 2003, and 2008: Education Data for Decision-  
Making. 2011 p.57-58, by National Population Commission (Nigeria) and RTI International, 2011, Washington, DC:  
National Population Commission and RTI International.  
Quality of Education  
Over the last 20 years, there has been an increase in teachers in Nigeria, which has  
resulted in a decreased pupil/teacher ratio, as can be seen in Table 9. This is a positive change  
that can lead to increased quality of education, but it is not enough. The 2010 ratio of 36 students  
per teacher is still quite high.  
Table 9 Pupil-Teacher Ratio  
Teaching Staff  
Pupil/teacher ratio  
1
990  
2010  
574000  
1990  
41  
2010  
36  
4
32000  
Note. From EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012: Youth And Skills Putting education to work p.378, by UNESCO,  
012, Paris: UNESCO.  
2
The percentage of qualified teachers in the workforce varies greatly by state in Nigeria.  
As seen in Table 10, there is an extremely low percentage of qualified teachers working in the  
rural areas of the Federal Capital Territory, whereas a fairly high percentage of teachers are  
qualified in the urban areas of the same region. Jigawa has the lowest overall percentages of  
qualified teachers, while Enugu and Lagos have the overall highest. As shown earlier in this  
paper in Table 6, teachers in Jigawa are among those who earn the least amount of money in  
Nigeria, and teachers in Enugu and Lagos make significantly more. This is an indication that  
students who live in poorer areas are less likely to be instructed by qualified teachers.  
Table 10 Qualified Primary Schoolteachers in Select States, by Location 2005  
Primary  
State and gender  
Rural  
Urban  
Borno  
Female  
41  
30  
47  
34  
Male  
Cross River  
Female  
42  
46  
63  
53  
Male  
Enugu  
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Female  
Male  
66  
61  
82  
69  
FCT  
Female  
Male  
10  
17  
90  
72  
Jigawa  
Female  
Male  
21  
17  
22  
32  
Lagos  
Female  
Male  
66  
53  
69  
53  
Note. From “Nigeria A Review of the Costs and Financing of Public Education” by World Bank, 2008, Human  
Development Unit Africa Region, 2, p.179.  
Nigeria participated in the MLA project in the 1990s along with 21 other Sub-Saharan  
and North African countries. Out of all the participating countries, the primary school students in  
Nigeria received the lowest scores, with an average of 30 percent. A comparison of their scores  
with the rest of the participants is shown in Figure 4.  
Figure 4 Monitoring Learning Achievement in Sub-Saharan and North African Countries in  
1
990s  
Figure 4. Monitoring Learning Achievement in Sub-Saharan and North African Countries in 1990s. Language,  
Literacy, and Learning in Primary Schools Implications for Teacher Development Programs in Nigeria (2007).  
Note: From Africa Human Development Series, The World Bank, 96, p.6 by O. Adekola. Reprinted  
These low scores indicate that Nigeria’s education system is lacking. The students  
performed a full 10% below the next-lowest performing countries, which represents the largest  
gap between any two countries that participated. When the tests were administered again in the  
2
000s, results showed that Nigerian students made some slight improvements in the area of  
literacy, but otherwise continued to perform poorly (see Appendix F for scores from the 2003  
exam). This lack of improvement indicates that the quality of education did not improve much  
over that decade.  
Proposed Focus of Subsector Review & Limitations of Data  
The focus of my subsector review will be the problem of high dropout rates in primary  
education in Nigeria. I am choosing this focus because I have seen from my review that there are  
many factors that contribute to this problem, both stemming from the education system and  
family life, and I feel that there are plausible solutions to many of these issues.  
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Some of the deficiencies in the education system that contribute to this problem are an  
insufficient amount of teachers, a lack of qualified teachers, required expenses that many  
families in poverty cannot afford, and instruction in a language (English) that children do not  
understand. These problems are more complex than they initially appear, and addressing them  
will obviously require collaboration with local stakeholders, but there are several possible ways  
to address these obstacles. These might include policies that would raise teacher salaries and  
provide incentives for teachers to become qualified. It may also be feasible to decrease the cost  
of education for families by eliminating school fees and providing textbooks free of charge.  
Additionally, policies regarding language of instruction could be altered in order to allow for  
more classes to be taught in students’ native languages so that they feel more confident to  
succeed.  
There are issues in Nigerian family life that contribute to the dropout rate as well. The life  
expectancy in Nigeria is only 53, so many children become orphans at a young age and are  
unable to continue their education. Additionally, with over half of the population living in  
extreme poverty, many families need their children to work and are unable to spare this extra  
income by sending them to school. Some possible solutions to these issues include improving  
access to health care and medicine in the country, as well as sanitary living conditions, so that  
the life expectancy can be increased. Also, there could be some changes made to the education  
system that would give poor families financial incentives to send their children to school, so that  
eventually they can become empowered to break the cycle of poverty through their education.  
There is limited data available regarding budgets and finances in Nigeria, so it will be  
difficult to determine how the government can reallocate funds to address the issues that I have  
mentioned in this section. Most of the available data refer only to estimates rather than actual  
figures, and it is therefore unlikely that I will be able to present a clear picture of how the country  
is currently using its funds to support education, health reforms, and families in poverty.  
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Philip, C. O., & Ojeka, S. A. (2011). Democracy and Development: An Appraisal of Nigeria’s  
Position in the Democracy Index. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting, 2(2), 1-6.  
Transparency International. (2013). Transparency International. Retrieved October 18, 2013,  
from www.transparency.org/country#NGA  
U.S. Census Bureau. (2013). International Programs - Region Summary - U.S. Census Bureau.  
Retrieved  
October  
20,  
2013,  
from  
http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/region.php?N=%20Results%20&  
T=12&A=separate&RT=0&Y=2013&R=-1&C=NI  
UNESCO. (2012). EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012: Youth And Skills Putting education to  
work.  
Paris:  
UNESCO.  
Retrieve  
October  
4,  
2013  
from  
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/ 002180/218003e.pdf  
UNESCO. (2013). UNESCO Institute for Statistic. Isced Mappings . Retrieved October 20, 2013,  
from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/ISCEDMappings/Pages/default.aspx  
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World Bank. (2008). Nigeria A Review of the Costs and Financing of Public Education. World  
Bank - Human Development Unit Africa Region, 2, 1-190.  
World Bank. (2013). International Debt Statistics 2013. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.  
World Health Organization (WHO). (2012). WHO Nigeria. WHO African Region: Nigeria.  
Retrieved  
October  
18,  
2013,  
from  
www.who.int/entity/healthinfo/statistics/bodgbddeathdalyestimates.xis  
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Appendix A  
Nigeria ISCED Mapping  
n o i t a r u d l a c i t e r o e h T  
e g a  
e c n a r t n e l a c i t e r o e h T  
n o i t a n i t s e d  
e m m a r g o r p  
7
9 D E C S I  
)
s r a e y n i (  
n o i t a r u d l a c i t e r o e h T  
e g a  
e c n a r t n e l a c i t e r o e h T  
Note. From ISCED MAPPINGS, UNESCO Institute for Statistic, by UNESCO, 2013.  
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Appendix B  
Education System and Qualification Structure  
Note. From The Educational System of Nigeria, by J. Onyukwu, 2012, World Education News & Reviews (WENR)  
Appendix C  
Federal Government and ETF Allocations to Education, 2001-07 real 2006 naira, billions, unless  
otherwise noted  
Indicator  
2001  
2002  
2003  
2004  
2005  
2006  
2007  
Total federal  
education budget  
allocation  
176.6  
150.7  
143.0  
126.4  
168.2  
215.2  
230.6  
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Education Trust  
Fund  
Total federation  
allocation to  
education  
17.7  
31.2  
14.2  
14.2  
24.3  
23.7  
-
-
194.3  
181.9  
157.2  
140.6  
192.5  
238.9  
Total federal  
government budget  
GDP  
1,648.5  
10,082.5  
10.7  
1,748.8  
9,422.4  
8.6  
1,237.1  
11,051.1  
11.6  
1,217.2  
12,214.7  
10.4  
1,430.0  
14,059.9  
11.8  
1627.1  
15,260.7  
13.2  
1,849.2  
16,691.0  
12.5  
a
Total federal  
education budget as  
a percent of total  
budget  
Total federal  
education allocation  
as a percent of total  
budget and  
11.7  
10.2  
12.6  
11.4  
13.2  
14.5  
-
Education Trust  
Fund  
Total federal  
government  
allocation to  
education as a  
percent of GDP  
Total federation  
allocation to  
1.8  
1.9  
1.6  
1.9  
1.3  
1.4  
1.0  
1.2  
1.2  
1.4  
1.4  
1.6  
1.4  
-
education as a  
percent of GDP  
Note. From “Nigeria A Review of the Costs and Financing of Public Education” by World Bank, 2008, Human  
Development Unit Africa Region, 2, p.117.  
Appendix D  
National enrolment in public primary and junior secondary schools over time  
Primary Schools  
Junior Secondary  
Female  
Year  
Male  
Female  
Male  
2
2
2
2
007  
008  
009  
010  
11,086,997  
10,252,000  
10,154,860  
10,215,179  
9,382,398  
8,728,395  
8,663,684  
8,826,988  
1,688,295  
1,899,060  
2,081,305  
2,260,585  
1,310,077  
1,552,018  
1,676,788  
1,864,626  
Note. From Transforming education for girls in Nigeria: Endline research summary report. P.7, by A. Mamedu &  
L. Wetheridg, 2013, Abuja: ActionAid.  
Appendix E  
Primary school net and gross attendance ratios  
Primary net attendance ratios (NAR), gross attendance ratios (GAR), and the gender parity index  
(
2
GPI) for the de jure household population age 5–24, by sex, according to background characteristics,  
008 NDHS  
Background Characteristics  
Net Attendance Ratio (NAR)  
Gross Attendance Ratio  
GAR)  
Female  
Gender  
Parity  
Index  
(
Male Female Total  
Male  
Total  
Residence  
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Urban  
Rural  
75.7  
58.5  
73.0  
52.2  
74.4  
55.4  
101.4  
85.0  
96.7  
73.6  
99.0  
79.3  
0.95  
0.87  
Region  
North Central  
North East  
North West  
South East  
South South  
South West  
Economic status quintile  
Lowest  
Second  
Middle  
Fourth  
Highest  
67.7  
43.5  
46.7  
80.3  
79.3  
90.2  
65.2  
38.0  
35.5  
80.0  
79.9  
78.0  
66.4  
40.8  
41.0  
80.1  
79.6  
79.1  
99.5  
64.7  
68.2  
112.5  
110.7  
105.4  
92.8  
53.3  
48.9  
112.1  
111.7  
101.9  
96.1  
59.0  
58.5  
112.3  
111.2  
103.6  
0.93  
0.82  
0.72  
1.00  
1.01  
0.97  
34.0  
55.4  
73.9  
79.9  
82.1  
26.7  
47.5  
68.1  
76.3  
81.0  
30.5  
51.4  
71.1  
78.1  
81.6  
52.7  
83.8  
106.6  
109.2  
103.5  
40.1  
68.6  
97.1  
103.1  
101.9  
46.4  
76.2  
101.8  
106.1  
102.7  
0.76  
0.82  
0.91  
0.94  
0.98  
Total  
63.5  
58.4  
61.0  
89.8  
80.5  
85.1  
0.90  
Note. From Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) EdData Profile 1990, 2003, and 2008: Education Data  
for Decision-Making. 2011 p.58, by National Population Commission (Nigeria) and RTI International, 2011,  
Washington, DC: National Population Commission and RTI International.  
Appendix F  
UBEC National Assessment of Learning Achievement in Grades 4, 5, and 6 in 2003  
Grade 4  
Grade 5  
Grade 6  
English language  
Mathematics  
Primary Science  
Social Studies  
25  
37  
40  
25  
25  
37  
39  
26  
21  
36  
40  
21  
Note: From “Language, Literacy, and Learning in Primary Schools Implications for Teacher Development  
Programs in Nigeria” by O. Adekola, 2007, Africa Human Development Series, The World Bank, 96, p.7.  
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