By Nnenna Eze

As of 2017, Nigeria had the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, according to BBC Africa. There are approximately 10.5 million children who are not attending school, accounting for 47% of the world’s population of out-of-school children. This shocking figure can be attributed to a lack of funds directed toward public schools. A large number of government-funded schools in Nigeria, particularly in rural areas, have ceased operations over the years due to inadequate funding and other factors, leaving children from low-income families with nowhere to go but the streets constituting a nuisance and increasing the poverty margin.

The content of a book holds the power of education, and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

The Public and Private Development Centre visited Kwa primary school Mubi LGA in 2021. In 2017, the notorious terrorist group Boko haram attacked the Mubi community in Adamawa state. Despite the unrest, the people of Mubi have returned to normalcy following a series of terrorist attacks. 

With support from Luminate, The goal of our visit was to track public projects in the school while also improving the school board and teachers’ capacity to effectively engage with their constituency representatives. 

Our findings were rather poignant, the deplorable conditions of the classrooms, the quality of education, the lack of materials, desks, books, and anything a functional school should have was missing. There was no fence around the school to adequately demarcate the school premises from the open field which also had cattle grazing and roaming, the absence of a fence also poses a security threat to both students and staff. Due to the lack of classrooms to accommodate all the pupils, multiple grades were taught in one class learning the same thing, the pupils sat on the floors while the classroom roof was caving in.  

After our visit, we shared our findings with the Universal Basic Education Board and requested an urgent intervention to address the dilapidating state of the school.

Over 56,000 abandoned projects are littered across Nigeria, and PPDC has consistently improved the quality of education across various states in Nigeria over the years. Our ongoing monitoring and advocacy have resulted in the compilation of abandoned projects. Students at St Benedict’s nursery and primary school Ayede Ekiti felt safer in 2021 when their abandoned school fence was finally completed as a result of our advocacy.

To counter the alarming number of abandoned school projects, there is an urgent need for amplified monitoring and advocacy by CSOs. 

The Public and Private Development Centre is currently playing a critical role in reducing the number of abandoned school projects in Nigeria. By conducting community needs assessments to identify the most pressing education-related issues in the community, involving the community in the procurement process, and partnering with local organizations to train and build their capacity to monitor and evaluate projects and create a sustainable impact, and advocating for policy change This includes calling for increased government funding for education and reforms to improve the quality of education. 

PPDC is creating sustainable solutions that improve the quality of education for Nigerian children. Our goal is to ensure that every child in Nigeria has access to quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background.