How gender, wealth affect access to education in Nigeria – IMF

By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has highlighted what it describes as substantial inequality in access to education between girls and boys, and between the rich and poor in Nigeria.

The IMF disclosed this in its 2019 economic health check report for Nigeria, published on Monday in Abuja.

It stated that access to education improves as a family gets richer, but gender inequality in education is entrenched and barely disappears for the richest 20 per cent of households.

According to the fund, it is widely accepted that addressing educational gaps results in rapid and large benefits for children, their families, communities and the country more broadly.

While citing a survey conducted by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, the IMF said that “a girl born into a Nigerian family in the poorest fifth of society spends about one year in school; approximately a third of the already limited schooling enjoyed by say, her brother.”

Furthermore, the fund said that it believes that closing gender gaps in education across all income groups can boost GDP by five per cent in one generation and lower income inequality by two-quarter points as measured by the Gini coefficient, a reduction that many countries strive to achieve over decades.

“The government and development partners all recognize that more resources and structural changes are needed to improve access to education and make it more equitable,” the fund stated.

It also emphasized that adequate funding for teachers and schools can help raise the quality of education, asserting that spending beyond the classroom can also yield educational benefits.

The IMF explained further that investments in safe access to water and sanitation facilities will improve health and therefore, learning opportunities for all children while giving an extra boost to school attendance.

“Mobilizing revenue through, for instance, comprehensive VAT reform and improved tax administration will be critical to fund these efforts. Other reforms require few additional resources and are important in shaping priorities,” the fund added.

However, the International Monetary Fund said that passing into law the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and implementing a Children’s Rights Act are examples of legal changes that would put equality of opportunity on the statute books – a move which would have a positive impact for generations to come.