Equity in Primary and Secondary Education: Findings from Nigeria.

Overview & Synopsis

Eighty parents and teachers were interviewed in Nigeria to identify attitudes toward inequities in access to education that may be related to high population growth and weak economic growth. Children from poor families and Muslim girls are underenrolled in Nigeria. The interviewees acknowledged the continuing underenrollment but did not think it was due to a lack of personal initiative or was in any way appropriate for these groups. They described the value of education for these children and thought that their enrollment in education was likely to increase. No specific suggestions were made for means to insure such an increase. A comprehensive approach to helping families move out of poverty was rejected because of its cost and the demands of the general population for services such as better water quality and road improvements. (Contains 17 references.) (Author)