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needs (including the blind/visually impaired, hearing/speech impaired and mentally
challenged) is producing some positive attitudes toward provision of education for them. Some
of the major challenges in the delivery of education to children with special needs include:
limited number of special needs schools, lack relevant equipment in the available schools;
limited number of private providers and very high school fees charged by the available ones
(over $55.40 is charged per term), high cost of establishing special needs schools (UBEC, 2015).
3.4.3. Assessment of Learning Outcomes
A review of basic education reform by DFID's Education, Data Research and Evaluation in
Nigeria (EDOREN) in 2016 concluded that there is no nationally-representative evidence on
changes in learning outcomes at the basic education level is lacking and the country also lacks a
standardized and regular learning assessment system for basic and senior secondary education
level. Although the FME and its agencies conduct some assessment using primary and JSS pupils’
samples but their data are not reliable (EDOREN, 2016). Thus, data for this report is not unified
and have been drawn from different surveys that either did not originally set out to assess
provision of quality of education for the poor but simply included education as part of a broader
survey (e.g. NDHS) or used varying indicators that are note inclusive and reliable. Also, some
donor supported projects like DFID-funded Education System Support Programme in Nigeria
(ESSPIN) and USAID-funded Northern Education Initiative (NEI) conducted some assessments
in one or more states, which are also used in this report. It is pertinent to note that there exists
Basic education Certificate Examination (BECE) taken at the end of the nine years basic
education level (third year of the Junior Secondary School) but these are responsibilities of
respective states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); for the 108 secondary
schools that are managed by the Federal Government and special schools such as Armed Forces
Secondary Schools, the National Examination Council (NECO) conducts the BECE for them. Up
to 18 subjects are offered at the BECE level and are examined of which candidates expected take
a maximum of ten subjects, including English and Mathematics. Results of these examinations
were not accessible at the time of the study for comparison, hence only the senior secondary
certificate examination results have been included.
3.4.4. Major Trends in Education Statistics
Educational access over time across geopolitical zones
Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) report particularly highlights how various costs, such as
Parent Teachers Association (PTA) fees, exam fees, food, books and other supplies constitute an
extra burden for poor households (NPC & RTI, 2016). The NEDS data also shows that economic
reason ranks very high as reasons for dropping out of school, which is represented by direct
financial cost (18%) and labour needs of the family (21%), a combination of which gives 39%.
For those that dropped out of school, economic reason also ranked highest among factors that
caused them to drop out; monetary cost of education (23%) and households’ labour needs (15)
topped the list. Poor school quality also ranked 15% (NPC & RTI, 2016).
There has been a historical gender and regional gaps in educational access, completion and
outcomes in Nigeria across all levels of education and across different economic quintiles. The
2015 Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) shows that there has been increasing school
enrolment over the years. In 2015, up to 68% of primary school-aged Nigerian children were
enrolled in primary school, which suggests an increase from 61% in 2008, about 60% and 51%
in 2002 and 1990 respectively. At the secondary school level, a noticeable increase has also been