61,000 female teachers needed to boost basic education in North ― UNICEF

THE United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), has revealed that over 61,000 female teachers are required to be recruited into the school system to boost basic education delivery in the northern part of Nigeria.

This, according to a report by UNICEF and made available to stakeholders in Abuja, would help tackle the challenge of out-of-school children syndrome, increase girl’s enrolment, retention, completion of basic education and improving girl education outcomes.

UNICEF Consultant, Noel Ihebuzor, presented the findings of the report to stakeholders at a two-day workshop on Thursday, facilitated by UNICEF and National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC).

Recent reports have indicated that Nigeria has over 13.2 million out-of-school children nationwide with high population coming from the North, which the launched UNICEF report said there was a nexus between having more female teachers in schools and reducing this number of school-age children who are not in school.

The report entitled: “Effect of Female Teachers on Girls enrolment and Retention in Northern Nigeria, and C4D Assessment in Basic Education,” also indicated that teenage pregnancy and hawking were major causes of school drop-out among girls in the country.

The report further maintained that engaging more female teachers would help close the gap of the workforce in education and equally help change the behavioural patterns of pupils and positively.

The report which was part of the findings of one out of the two studies conducted by UNICEF in 2018 as part of the Nigeria Girls Education Project, Phase 3 (GEP3), was generated from eight states; Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara, with the aim to improve the attendance of females in schools in the north.

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Ihebuzor, stressed that more female teachers were needed in the rural areas to bridge the gender parity, adding that there were substantial gains from training and hiring female teachers that were forgone because of the current teacher gender composition.

He said: “More female teachers are needed in northern Nigeria rural schools. Our research has unambiguously shown that the mere presence of female teachers has a significant and positive influence of girls educational outcomes.

“Female teachers are shown to not only influence school attendance decision making at the household level, as evidenced by the fact that girls are more likely to enrol in schools with female teachers, as opposed to schools with an all-male teaching staff but also provide a higher quality of learning for their pupils.

“We calculate that rural schools will need to hire about an additional 58,121 females across 17,576 rural schools, and an additional 3775 female teachers across 4,225 urban schools.

“This deficit is much significant in rural schools where on average, each school would have to hire an additional all 3.3 female teachers and urban schools would have to hire on average, less than one additional female teacher to achieve parity on girls enrolment.”

He added, ”The presence of female teachers is a positive influence on parents decision to enrol their girls in school, by implication more girls will come to school, learn better and contribute to growth in society.”

UNICEF education specialist, Azuka Menkiti, disclosed that the aim of sharing the findings with stakeholders was to propel them to take a close look at the policy implications for education and find ways to address the highlighted gaps.

“We are expecting to come up with clear action plans, policy recommendations in what needs to be done to ensure there are strategic programming around the issues that the research has raised,” she said.

The executive secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC), Abba Haladu, said the issue affecting girl-education and women participation need to be addressed.

Represented by the deputy director, planning, John Edu, he urged various stakeholders in the education sector to build a consensus on the need to employ more female teachers.

Meanwhile, the research carried out in Kano, Bauchi, Niger, Sokoto, Oyo, Ebonyi and Bayelsa states under Communication For Development (C4D) Assessment in Basic Education programme, revealed teenage pregnancy as a common problem in the South while hawking for the North.

Presenting the findings of the C4D Assessment in Basic Education, Mr Ogu Enemaku said the research was initiated to address challenges related to issue of access, quality and accountability in education.

He said it was discovered that there are several challenges in the nation’s basic education sector, especially as it relates to the female gender, with erroneous beliefs in some communities that ” investing in girls education is unwise, educated female tough to control and difficult to marry.”

The research recommended an Integrated Quranic Schools in some northern part of the country to boost school enrolment as well as systematic and well-thought steps to further investigate the scope for potential C4D partners in basic education, among others.

Speaking at the event, Teija Vallandingham, GEP3 manager, UNICEF Nigeria, said the researches would go a long way in boosting access and enrolment in the country, adding that the organisation has also been engaging in the training of teachers to ensure quality education.

On his part, the resource person at the event, Dr Noel Ihebuzor, said the presentation of the researches will aid proper policy formulation and improve service delivery in the education sector.

He called on state governments to engage more female teachers as one of the findings revealed that there is a better outcome on learners from female teachers.

“Even the boys say they prefer being taught by female teachers. That will increase access, retention and quality learning,” he said.