1
FACTSHEET
UNICEF Headquarters Public Advocacy 6 May 2014
Education in Nigeria
Out-of-school children
Nigeria has 10 million children out of school
the highest number in the world.
1
Almost one of three primary age children is out
of school, and roughly one of four junior
secondary age children is out of school.
2
Nearly 6.3 million, or 60 per cent, of the 10.5
million Nigerian children out of school children
live in the northern part of the country.
3
Even when enrolled, hundreds of children
especially girls are not showing up for class.
Although girls primary school attendance has
generally been improving, this has not been the
case for girls from the poorest households.
Rural areas are disadvantaged almost
everywhere in the country. Moreover, wealth
and socio-economic status confer a definite
advantage in terms of enrolment, attendance
and completion.
4
Attacks on schools
Prior to 2011, most attacks on schools in the
north had targeted infrastructure and were
carried out at night when schools were empty.
However, since 2012, teachers and school
students are increasingly targeted by militants,
resulting in killings, abductions and threats.
5
Many schools were bombed, set on fire or
attacked by militants in the north and
increasingly militants turned their attention to
students and teachers, according to the Global
Coalition to Protect Education from Attack in
2013. Dozens of school teachers were
murdered, and universities experienced heavy
1
Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013/2014:
[Link]
2
Ibid.
3
UNESCO:
[Link]
[Link].
4
[Link]
[Link].
5
[Link]
[Link]
casualties by gunmen firing indiscriminately
and in some cases also using bombs.
6
From January to July 2013, more than 50
schools were attacked and partially destroyed
or burned down most of them in Borno State
and few in neighbouring Yobe State, according
to Amnesty International.
7
Additionally, the Borno State Ministry of
Education estimated that 15,000 children in the
state stopped attending classes between
February and May as a result of attacks.
8
School teachers appeared to be targeted
specifically, with some 30 reported to have
been shot dead, sometimes during class, from
January to September 2013. A number of
teachers also said they had been intimidated
by Boko Haram elements or subjected to close
surveillance by the group in remote towns in
Borno State.
9
Abduction of school girls April 2014
More than 200 girls have been abducted from
their schools in Chibok Borno State since April
2014. Recent reports have also stated that 8
more girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in
May.
UNICEF calls on the abductors to immediately
return these girls unharmed to their
communities, and for those with influence on
the perpetrators to do everything they can to
secure the safe return of the girls -- and to
bring their abductors to justice.
Action
Such brutal acts of violence are unacceptable.
Attacks on schools deny children their right to
learn in a safe environment and can rob them
of their future. Wherever it takes place,
abduction of children is a crime and illegal
under international law.
10
6
Ibid.
7
Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack:
[Link]
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
10
[Link]
The Nigerian government should urgently take
steps to make sure that the children are
returned to their families unharmed and that
they can continue their education in a safe
environment.
11
Additional resources
UNESCO Institute of Statistics, Data Centre,
Country Profile: Nigeria
[Link]
ountry-
[Link]?code=NGA®ioncode=40540
Education Policy and Data Centre, Country
profile: Nigeria
[Link]
Search for Common Ground: Analysis of the
Situation of Children Affected by Armed
Conflict in the Niger Delta and Northern Region
of Nigeria. This study was completed in 2012
and talks about risks to children in Nigeria.
[Link]
_the_Situation_of_Children_Affected_by_Arme
d_Conflict_in_the_Niger_Delta_and_Northern_
Region_of_Nigeria
Amnesty International: Nigeria: More Than
1,500 Killed in Armed Conflict in North-Eastern
Nigeria In Early 2014. Good overview of nature
of attacks in Nigeria especially by Boko Haram,
[Link]
nigeria__more_than_1500_killed_in_armed_co
[Link]
11
Ibid.