Our expertise
- Gender
- Conflict
- Social Exclusion
- Social Protection
- Governance, Voice and Accountability
- Access to basic services
- Corporate Social Responsiblity
Case Studies>>ESSPIN- Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria
It is estimated that there are between 7 to 9 million children in Nigeria who are out of school. Social Development Direct, as a core partner in the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN), is helping to change this through technical assistance provided directly to state and federal governments. ESSPIN is one of the UK government's largest international development programmes and will support quality basic education reform over a six-year period.
SDDirect's technical assistance is targeted at ensuring access to basic education services as well as equity in educational outcomes. The programme is part of efforts to help countries in the developing world achieve Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Spanning five states - Kwara and Lagos in the south and Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa in the north - ESSPIN aims to create a sustainable education system that benefits all. Building the capacity of state governments so that they are able to provide quality basic education in the future is a core element of the project. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all children are able to attend nine years of basic education and are supported equally to achieve good results throughout these nine years. Working directly with state governments, ESSPIN aims to ensure that reforms continue to be funded with state resources and that governments are held accountable for their continued success.
Statistical evidence varies as to exactly how many children attend school. Registers are not regularly taken and the system has broken down at state level.
Statistical evidence varies as to exactly how many children attend school. Registers are not regularly taken and the system has broken down at state level. The 7 to 9 million estimate is conservative at best. It is clear though that the majority of children out of school are girls. Many of those children who do attend do not do so regularly. Many drop out of school before completing the nine years of basic education, particularly girls. The statistics and information currently available does not give a clear picture as to why children do not attend or why they do not complete. SDDirect's technical assistance is focussed on analysing, explaining and addressing the reasons behind these two fundamental problems in order to help state governments design and implement more effective programmes.
Initial findings
In the first year of programme development, SDDirect's support focussed on two main areas: understanding the demand for different types of Islamic education in the north and the rapid development of private schools catering to poor families in southern urban areas. Poor quality state schools with crumbling buildings and unqualified teachers have led many Muslim communities in the northern states to set up their own Islamiyya schools or to send their children to traditional Qur'anic schools. Similarly in the southern states, particularly Lagos, large numbers of unregistered, small private schools have grown up rapidly, charging low, flexible fees. These are often in slums where there are few state schools. We are currently exploring ways to support these different types of schools in order to achieve the goal of universal basic education.
Gender issues
SDDirect is also exploring gender issues which are preventing girls from attending school as well as examining why both boys and girls don't achieve their full potential and drop out of school. In the northern states, many of the children who do not go to school or who leave school before finishing are girls. Our work with state governments involves identifying extra support which can help eradicate these inequalities. For example, better toilet and water facilities in schools; ensuring a safe and secure environment for girls in class and, working to support communities and families who feel they are not able to send their girls to school. Working closely with the programme's support to improve school quality, we are raising the profile of issues such as inappropriate teacher behaviour towards girls and the need for different management and leadership strategies to promote women teachers and headmistresses, especially in the North.
Gender issues are addressed across the entire education sector reform initiative. This involves ensuring that education plans and budgets reflect the different needs of boys and girls across all states.