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Federal Government colleges utilized to beryllium parents’ prime for their children and wards arsenic acold arsenic secondary acquisition is concerned. But the plummeting figures recorded successful caller times suggest a precise disturbing pattern, which besides reflects the rot successful the sector, writes IYABO LAWAL.
Numbers bash not prevarication alternatively they exposure the facts. The 71,186 pupils that registered for the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) arsenic captured by the National Examinations Council (NECO), signposts the rot successful the country’s acquisition sector, peculiarly successful the North.
Interestingly, this rot did not conscionable abruptly statesman this year; it has been progressive and agelong successful coming. For instance, successful 2018, 79,878 pupils sat for the NCEE. In 2017, it was 78,378 pupils that took the examination, and successful 2015, 86,365 candidates sat for the aforesaid introspection nationwide. In the twelvemonth 2022, the full fig of pupils that wrote the trial was 71,664, portion successful 2023 were examined 72,744.
Last June, 70,603 candidates reportedly wrote the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) conducted by NECO into the 110 Unity Colleges nationwide successful 599 centres crossed the country.
NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, who reeled retired the details said that 33,335 males and 37,268 females registered for the examination, adding that this year’s registration was little than that of 2023, with 34,064 males and 38,801 females, totalling 72,865.
Data from NECO showed that Lagos State had the highest fig of candidates with 17,751, followed by Abuja with 10,209, and Anambra State with 4,972.
The bottommost 3 states are Bayelsa with 133, Borno with 138; and Gombe with 174, arsenic contained successful the NCEE 3 years’ registration figures by states obtained by The Guardian.
“For the males and females, past year’s registration was higher than this year’s, which could beryllium attributed to truthful galore factors, including economical factor, which is the astir prevalent origin that possibly could hinder this ample registration,” Wushishi said.
Facing north, heading southbound
IN the past mates of years, registration for the NECO-organised NCEE tells a tell-tale. For instance, Adamawa State recorded 154, 184, and 482 candidates successful 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. Within the aforesaid period, Bauchi State recorded 525, 273, and 272; Benue State 635, 905, 949; Borno State 125, 117, 140; Jigawa State 318, 289, 235; Kaduna 622, 619, 638; Kano State 465, 574, 818; Katsina State, 171, 253, 278; Kebbi State 74, 164, 252; Kogi State 295, 344, 295; Kwara State 1,108, 1,299, 1,088; Niger State 1,461, 1,694, 1,629; Plateau State 988, 989, 779; Sokoto State 238, 270, 246; Taraba State 194, 102, 113; Yobe State 311, 392, 489; Abuja 8,623, 9,918, 10,232; Gombe State 194, 236, 176; Nasarawa State 374, 402, 359; and Zamfara State 4,500, 2,091, 4,376.
Cumulatively, wrong these 3 years, that is betwixt 2022 and 2024, bluish Nigeria fielded lone 68,215 candidates for the NCEE.
The Guardian’sanalysis revealed that successful 2022, retired of 71,664, lone 21,375 students registered for NCEE successful the 19 bluish states and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), compared to 50,289 candidates successful the confederate portion of the country’s 17 states.
In 2023, retired of 72,744 candidates who registered for the NCEE, lone 21,115 students came from the bluish region, including FCT. Meanwhile, successful the South, the full tally much than doubled that figure, with registration of 51,629 candidates.
Further findings for 2024 NCEE registration indicated a akin statistical pattern. This year, of the 71,186 candidates that registered for the exam, lone 23,846 candidates came from bluish Nigeria, including the FCT, compared to the 47,340 candidates from the South. Cumulatively, betwixt 2022 and 2024, the confederate portion of Nigeria has produced 149,258 compared to the bluish region’s paltry 68,215.
As reflected successful the plummeting fig of candidates implicit the years, the bluish portion takes the pb successful the humanities investigation of the southward inclination of the stats. All the full tally of the NCEE registrations was substantially aided by numbers from Abuja. The headwinds against improving enrollment into unity schools bash not look similar they volition easiness anytime soon arsenic aggregate problems plague Africa’s astir populous nation.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), One successful 3 children are retired of schoolhouse successful Nigeria, with 10.2 cardinal astatine the superior level and 8.1 cardinal astatine the inferior secondary schoolhouse (JSS) level 1.
At slightest 12.4 cardinal children person ne'er attended schoolhouse and 5.9 cardinal near schoolhouse early. Nigeria’s out-of-school children relationship for 15 per cent of the planetary total. More than 50 per cent of girls are not attending schoolhouse astatine the basal acquisition level, portion 66 per cent per cent of each out-of-school children are successful the North-East and North-West.
Identifying the headwinds
WUSHISHI, the NECO brag attributed the debased registration successful 2024 to economical factors, arsenic the exam assemblage was compelled to hike the registration interest amid unprecedented peacetime economical hardship facing the populace adjacent arsenic millions of parents, particularly successful the North conflict to support their children successful school.
In 2023, the House of Representatives raised a question connected the request to reverse the hike successful schoolhouse fees successful Unity schools amid concerns that the summation would worsen the already atrocious economical lasting of parents and guardians.
The lawmakers besides expressed interest that arsenic a effect of the caller tuition fees, galore would retreat their wards from schools thereby exacerbating the fig of out-of-school children, and the hike’s interaction connected the nation’s wide development.
Kano State, a heavyweight authorities successful presumption of population, which is estimated to beryllium successful the portion of 14 cardinal had measly statistic of NCEE candidates: 465, 574, and 818 successful 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively, compared to Lagos with 19,518, 18,644 and 17,799 for the aforesaid period.
Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of educationEarlier successful March, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had expressed interest implicit the debased enrollment of students into unity colleges successful the North.
Mamman noted that adjacent though the colleges were founded to supply secondary schoolhouse acquisition of precocious standards, astir bluish states are near down successful presumption of filling their quota.
The curate stated this astatine an advocacy and sensitisation sojourn to the Kano State Ministry of Education aimed astatine boosting enrollment successful the colleges arsenic astir states successful the North were debased successful enrollment.
“Kano was the archetypal among bluish states to present specified sensitisation run connected students’ enrollment into unity colleges during which the authorities had higher percentages among its counterparts, but immoderate years back, the enrollment had changed.
“It is connected this premise that the Federal Ministry of Education decided to bring stakeholders, parents, and guardians unneurotic arsenic portion of its mandate to sensitize the assemblage connected the value of prime acquisition successful the lives of our children. It is our tendency that the authorities volition enactment successful place, each the indispensable machinery to assistance those successful the agrarian areas and the little privileged successful the society, who tendency a secondary acquisition that is affordable and of singular standard.”
The Commissioner for Education, Umar Doguwa, said it was imperative to guarantee that the children enroll for the adjacent NCEE, reminding each contiguous that Kano, being the astir populated state, needs to person much children successful school.
“This is wherefore we request assurance and cooperation, particularly from NECO.” Wishes are not horses hence the tame result successful Kano.
Future astatine stake
YEARS ago, immoderate aged students of unity schools successful Nigeria gathered successful Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, to sermon ways of restoring the past glory of these institutions established to beforehand unity and amended knowing among Nigerians from assorted taste groups.
Among the aged students successful attendance were the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), Ayo Joseph, and a erstwhile Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu.
During the meeting, Odinkalu said: “The thought of the unity schools is endangered, partially due to the fact that Nigeria is endangered. We should not instrumentality either the beingness of Nigeria oregon the continuity of the unity schools for granted. But the unity schools were portion of investments successful trying to support Nigeria together. It was a brushed concern that has turned retired to beryllium the best.
“The unity schools person travel to enactment arsenic possibly the biggest concern successful quality improvement and enlightenment connected the ground of coexistence successful our country. Today…. wherever you are looking at, the aboriginal of our state is the question. As products of the strategy that invested successful the aboriginal of this country, we’ve got to instrumentality that seriously.”
Sparse learning infrastructure, insecurity, others ravaging initiative
THE ravages of insecurity (bandits, Boko Haram insurgents, and ISWAP terrorists) and misgovernance (corruption and nepotism) person combined to ruin the ambitious conception of unity schools. Staff members unrecorded successful despair and thatch successful decrepit facilities near for years successful disrepair. With debased morale, amid ubiquitous corruption and nepotism, respective teachers and non-teaching unit person succumbed to searching for greener pastures. When bandits and terrorists raid schools astatine volition with nary information nett for students and staff, respective national schoolhouse doors is near ajar with bare classrooms.
In the past, galore Nigerian parents were acceptable to suffer an limb to get their wards into unity colleges, but today, parents and guardians are looking elsewhere to springiness their children prime acquisition and mushrooming backstage schools jostling for their attraction are getting the precocious hand.
“These issues characterising the acquisition strategy are astatine the backdrop of precocious insecurity successful the North-West, Katsina, and Zamfara States; debased financing; poorly resourced schools; debased teacher competency levels and precocious pupil-teacher ratio, among others.
“Together, these factors pb to debased wide acquisition attainment, hamper societal and economical opportunities for young people, and perpetuate inter-generational cycles of poorness and inequality,” said UNICEF’s Rahama Farah recently.
UNICEF and partners specified arsenic the World Bank, the European Union, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) person collaborated with AGILE and BESDA projects to enactment Katsina State and governments successful the North-West to re-prioritise investments successful acquisition and mitigate against the declining authorities of acquisition successful presumption of access, information and prime of learning outcomes.
In 2021 alone, astatine slightest 25 schools were attacked, straight impacting 1,446 learners and 24 personnel. Seventy-six per cent of the attacks took spot successful the North-West. Kaduna State was the astir often attacked (eight retired of 25 attacks). Katsina State (344 learners), followed by Zamfara State (327 learners), which recorded the highest fig of abductees taken successful a azygous abduction.
Furthermore, successful the 2020/2021 world year, implicit 11,000 schools were closed for 4 months, importantly disrupting the acquisition of 1.3 cardinal children.
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