Nigerian Primary School Enrolment Drops To 39.4 Percent

Ajoke Babareke, Enugu

Current Primary School enrollment figure in Nigeria is now 39.4 Percent.

This is one of the key findings of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey five MICs 5, of 2016 and 2017.

The survey also revealed that 60 Percent of children in school Age are out of school.

MICs also revealed that Northeast with 39.5 percent retains the highest number of out of school Age children while Southeast maintains 7.7 percent,lowest of school age children who are out of school.

According to the survey on enrolment of primary school age in Nigeria, "In urban areas there are about 52% , while in rural area we have 33.7%. The Southeast has the highest enrollment with 60.5%, followed by South West, 56.5%, South South 52.5%,  North central is 48.2%, North west 32.5% while Northeast has the worst enrollment of children with 27.2%"

Earlier at a Media Dialogue, in Enugu State, where the key findings on MICs were discussed, UNICEF Evaluation Expert, Maureen Zubie Okolo said Right Data Interpretation by media practitioners and all stakeholders in Nigeria would form basis of advocacy, fund raising and sustenance of development activities in the country.

Okolo also said Data informs policy decisions and enhance advocacy on priorities and development issues.

A representative of Nigerian Child Right Information Bureau, Olumide Osayinpeju also identified MICs as instrumental to strengthening national statistics.

"The two surveys helps in monitoring and tracking progress of towards national and international development goals" he said.

He emphasized the need to use data figures accurately in the advocacy reports of development partners like UNICEF and other related agencies.

According to him, "this is Paramount to the government of the federation it is to guide against contentious issues"

"Issues of data has become very urgent and important not only to the government of Nigeria but also to key partners and stakeholders" Osayinpeju added.

Speaking on Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey MICs and Demographic and Health Survey DHS, the CRIBs representative emphasized that the two surveys are initiatives designed to assist countries in monitoring human development in general and situation of children and women in particular.