Primary School Net and Gross Attendance Rates, Nigeria
Almost two thirds of school age
children in Nigeria attend primary
school. Boys are slightly more likely to
attend than girls.
Primary School Net Attendance Rate
100
80
51
60
%
62% of children ages 6-11 attend
primary school.
57
54
54
61
58
59
65
62
Female
40
Male
20
Both
0
1990
2003
2008
Primary School Gross Attendance Rate
65% of boys ages 6-11 attend school,
compared to 59% of girls.
There has not been much progress in
primary school attendance in Nigeria
in 18 years, with net attendance rates
increasing from 54% in 1990 to only
62% in 2006.
100
89
78
80
%
83
87
74
93
81
84
88
Female
60
Male
40
Both
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Min
Max
20
0
1990
2003
2008
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Many children attending primary school are outside of the official age range. This is reflected in the
difference between net and gross attendance rates. This can have tremendous impact on the
educational infrastructure, the experience in the classroom, and educational planning.
The net attendance ratio (NAR) is the percentage of the official primary school-age population that attends primary school. The gross
attendance ratio (GAR) is the total number of students attending primary school - regardless of age - expressed as a percentage of the
official primary school-age population.
Over-Age, Under-Age, and On-Time Students in Primary School, Nigeria
Only about 20% of primary school students are in the appropriate grade for their age; the on-time
proportion declines in the higher grades.
41% of the male primary school
Over Age
On Time
Under Age
students and 37% of the female
100%
students are over-age.
80%
The percentage of males who are over60%
age ranges from 32% to 48%. The
40%
percentage for females ranges from 29%
20%
to 47%.
0%
F
M
Grade 1
F
M
Grade 2
F
M
Grade 3
F
M
Grade 4
F
M
Grade 5
F
M
Grade 6
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
6
About 40% of primary school students
are younger that the official age for the
grade that they are attending.
The Implications of Over-Age/Under-Age Students
For the system: Both late entry into primary school and grade repetition can cause children to be over-age for
their grade. High repetition rates indicate inefficiency in the education system.
In the classroom: Large numbers of over-age students present a challenge for teachers who must teach a more
diverse group with differing levels of maturity and school preparedness.
Students are considered to be on time if they are at the official age for the grade; over age if they are one or more years older; and under age if they
are one or more years younger.
7
Primary School Net Attendance Rate in Urban and Rural Areas, Nigeria
Primary School Net Attendance Rate
100
Children in urban areas are more
likely to attend school than children
in rural areas.
80
76
72
74
60
60
53
57
%
Female
Male
40
Both
In urban areas, 74% of children of
primary school age attend school,
compared to 57% in rural areas.
20
10
0
Urban
Rural
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Gender disparity appears to be slightly higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
Primary School Net Attendace Rate by Region, Nigeria
There are large regional disparities in primary school attendance in Nigeria.
Primary net attendance is highest in the South East region (81%);
attendance is lowest in the North West region (43%).
Gender disparity is lowest in the South South region and highest
in the North West region.
In 2 of the 6 regions, less than a half of children of primary school
age attends school.
12
Primary School Net Attendance Rate
100
90
82
80
70
69
81
81
80
71
60
40
40
78
50
47
50
75
Female
37
30
Male
20
10
0
North Central
North East
North West
South East
South South
South West
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Secondary School Net and Gross Attendance Rates, Nigeria
Less than a half of secondary school age youth attends school. Males are slightly more likely to
attend than females.
13
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate
49% of youth ages 12-17 attend
secondary school.
100
14
80
Female
60
51% of males ages 12-17 attend school,
compared to 46% of females.
46
%
40
31
Students over or under the official
secondary school age range make up
24% of the secondary school age
population.
21
19
20
36
51
49
15
Male
33
20
Both
0
1990
2003
2008
Secondary School Gross Attendance Rate
Y
Y
Y
Y
100
80
80
60
Secondary school net attendance rates
gradually increased in 18 years from
20% in 1990 to 49% in 2008.
60
%
47
33
40
66
73
Female
54
Male
30
19
20
Both
0
1990
2003
2008
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate in Urban and Rural Areas, Nigeria
There are more youth attending secondary school in urban areas as compared to rural areas.
In urban areas, 64% of children of
secondary school age attend school,
compared to 41% in rural areas.
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate in Urban and Rural Areas
17
100
80
Gender disparity in favor of
males appears to be higher in
rural areas than in urban areas.
62
66
64
60
%
44
37
40
41
Female
Male
Both
20
0
Urban
Rural
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Secondary School Net Attendace Rate by Region, Nigeria
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
67
41
68
66
69
67
69
49
Female
21
North Central
34
28
Male
19
North East
North West
South East
South South
South West
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Secondary net attendance is highest in the South West region (69%); attendance is lowest in
the North East region (25%).
Gender disparity is highest in the North West region and lowest in the South West region.
School Attendance by Age and Sex, Nigeria
Female
The percentage of males
attending school is higher than
females at every grade.
Male
100
90
80
70
60
%
50
For both females and males
the highest attendance rate
is at age 10, 75% and 81%
respectively.
40
30
20
10
0
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Age
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Repetition, Dropout, and Promotion Rates by Grade, Nigeria
Repetition rate ranges from 2% in grade 1 of secondary school to 15% in grade 6 of secondary
school.
Dropout rate is highest in grade 6 of primary school (12%) and lowest in grade 2 of primary school
(0%).
Dropout Rate
Repetition Rate
Promotion Rate
100%
80%
21
60%
40%
20%
0%
Prim G1 Prim G2 Prim G3 Prim G4 Prim G5 Prim G6 Sec G1
Sec G2
Sec G3
Sec G4
Sec G5
Sec G6
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Primary School Completion Rates, Nigeria
The probability of completing primary school is higher
in urban than rural areas and does seem to be
correlated with the wealth of the student's
household.
Primary school completion rates
decreased from 88% in 2003 to 71% in
2008.
Rural
71
2008
65
Urban
86
Wealth quintile 5
87
76
66
88
2003
Both
Male
Female
100
77
Wealth quintile 4
Wealth quintile 3
36
1990
62
Wealth quintile 1
27
20
80
Wealth quintile 2
45
0
97
40
60
80
100
35
0
120
20
40
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
60
80
100
120
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Male
15+
The primary school completion rate is the total number of students attending the last grade of primary school - regardless of age expressed as a percentage of the official last grade of primary school -age population.
Educational Attainment, Nigeria
Males appear to be better educated than women across all age groups.
Among the population aged 15 years old and above, 27% of men and 43% of women have no education.
15% of men and 25% of women who are 15-19 year old have never attended school.
Only 10% of the population aged 15 years old and above have post-secondary education.
Female
O
O
Male
Post-secondary
Secondary completed
Secondary Incomplete
Post-secondary
Secondary completed
Secondary Incomplete
Primary completed
Primary incomplete
No Schooling
Primary completed
Primary incomplete
No Schooling
25
8
30
9
4
34
46
12
5
17
16
38
6
38
7
47
27
11
17
20
18
9
17
64
16
7
7
4
8
66
10
73
84
100
80
60
40
20
20-24
13
55
12
30-34
19
11
35-39
18
10
40-44
17
8
45-49
18
4
50-54
13 3
55-59
11
23 2
60-64
6
7 111
65+
0
4
0
11
27
9
8
5 2
8
4
24
4
3
20
20
21
24
15
3
15
3
19
4
21
4
21
5
26
4
29
6
40
7
22
17
20
8
19
14
16
10
24
12
9
13
29
12
10
25
33
14
7
9
35
19
2 5
16
9
11
25-29
8
16
15-19 1
13
13
17
1
10
22
9
6
55
11
45
7
53
8
64
40
60
80
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
100
%
Female Literacy Rates, Nigeria
Female Literacy Rate, Rural
Female Literacy Rate, Urban
22
Can read
15
Can read
47
Cannot read
Cannot read
53
85
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
85% of women age 15-24 in urban areas can read, compared to 53% in rural areas.
The percentage of women who can read is 32% among women age 45-49 and 68% among women
age 15-19.
Female Literacy Rate by Age
15-49
Literacy Rate of Women 15-24 Years Old by
Grade Completed
54
Prim G7
15-19
Prim G6
68
20-24
55
30-34
45
23
Prim G5
61
25-29
#N/A
46
Prim G4
34
50
Prim G3
35-39
14
48
40-44
Prim G2
42
45-49
32
0
20
11
No schooling
40
60
80
%
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
100
2
0
24
20
40
60
80
100
%
Source: Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
34% of women who completed grade 4 can read and literacy rate increases with level of education
completed.