formative evaluation of united nations … evaluation nigeria final.pdfnations girls’ education...

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FORMATIVEEVALUATIONOFUNITEDNATIONSGIRLS’EDUCATION

INTIAITVE

COUNTRYREPORT‐NIGERIA

Final Report

July 2011

FOR: United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI)

BY: CHRISTIANA OKOJIE

Formative Evaluation of UNGEI – Nigeria country report

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Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 4

List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................... 6

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 9

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 16

1.1. Background and Purpose of Evaluation ................................................................ 16

1.2. Aims and Objectives of the Evaluation .................................................................. 16

1.3. Scope of the Evaluation at country level ............................................................... 17

1.4. Structure of this report ................................................................................................ 19

2. Evaluation Process and Methodology ........................................................................... 20

2.1. The Inception/Preparation Phase ............................................................................ 20

2.2. Key Activities Undertaken during Preparation Phase ........................................... 20

2.3. The Logic Model ......................................................................................................... 21

2.4. Data Collection Methods .......................................................................................... 22

2.5. Sampling Frame .......................................................................................................... 23

2.6. Data Collection Instruments ..................................................................................... 24

2.7. Field Work ..................................................................................................................... 25

2.8. Data Analysis ............................................................................................................... 26

2.9. Methodology Limitations ........................................................................................... 27

3. Context – Country background, education sector ..................................................... 28

3.1. Country Background .................................................................................................. 28

3.2. Nigeria’s Education Sector ....................................................................................... 28

3.3. Girls’ Education in Nigeria ......................................................................................... 29

4. Establishment and Evolution of UNGEI at Country Level ............................................. 32

4.1. Establishment of NGEI ................................................................................................ 32

4.2. Structure and Membership of NGEI ......................................................................... 34

5. Findings with Respect to UNGEI Outcomes ................................................................... 39


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5.1. Outcome 1 – Policies Promoting Girls’ Education and Gender Equality are in Existence .................................................................................................................................. 39

5.2. Outcome 2 - Best Practices in Facilitating Girls’ Education and Gender Equality are Known and Institutionalized. .......................................................................... 44

5.2.1. Before NGEI: ..................................................................................................................... 44

6. Overall Assessment of the Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency of NGEI Partnership .................................................................................................................................. 57

7. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 63

8. Lessons learned .................................................................................................................. 69

ANNEX 1: ABBREVIATED TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR FORMATIVE EVALUATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE (UNGEI) .......................................................... 74

ANNEX 2: BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................. 78

ANNEX 3: UNGEI FORMATIVE EVALUATION – COMPOSITION OF THE REFERENCE GROUP 85

ANNEX 4: LIST OF PERSONS INTERVIEWED AND SELECTED PARTICIPANTS AT FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 88

ANNEX 5: TIMELINE OF UNGEI EVENTS ........................................................................................ 93

ANNEX 7: COMPLETED EVALUATION FRAMEWORK ............................................................... 103

ANNEX 8: NIGERIA LOGIC MODEL .......................................................................................... 108

ANNEX 9: EDUCATION STATISTICS .............................................................................................. 109

ANNEX 10: SUMMARY OF PROGRESS TOWARDS MDGs TARGETS ....................................... 112


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List of tables and figures

Table 1- Key Strategies and Activities of UNGEI ....................................................................... 37

Table 2 - Pre and Post-NGEI Policies/Initiatives ......................................................................... 39

Table 3 - Outcome 1: Expected Outcomes and Indicators .................................................. 41

Table 4 - Outcome 2 – Indicators and Progress Made towards Achieving Outcome 2 .. 45

Table 5 - Pre and Post-NGEI Partnerships for Girls’ Education in Nigeria ............................. 50

Table 6 - Features of NGEI Partnership ....................................................................................... 57

Figure 1 - Gender Parity Index and Net Attendance Ratios .................................................. 30

Figure 2 –Structure of the UNGEI Partnership ............................................................................ 34


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Acknowledgements The evaluator will like to thank:

All the members of the NGEI National Technical Working Group for their time and cooperation in editing the field instruments and completing the Nigerian Evaluation Framework; I wish to thank the following members who in addition gave individual interviews as partner organizations – Mrs Stella Okafor, Deputy Director Special Education, Federal Ministry of Education; Mrs Felicia Onibon, the CEO of Change Managers International; Ms Rose Effiong, National Coordinator of Society for Empowerment and Self Reliance; Ms Chioma Osuji, Program Officer of CSACEFA; and Hajia Maryam Idris Othman, the National President (Amirah) of FOMWAN. My gratitude also goes to the following; Ms Margaret Yau of the T.Y, Danjuma Foundation, Ms Azuka Menkiti of ActionAid Nigeria and Chair of the NGEI Technical Working Group, Mallam Ibrahim Suleman and Mrs Doyin Orugun both of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Abuja.

All the members of the Niger State NGEI Technical Committee; Mrs Naomi Maiguwa, the GEP State Projects Coordinator; Mr Garba Yahaya, The Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the Ministry of Education (and Chair of the Technical Committee); Mrs Esther Sule, the Deputy Provost, Niger State College of Education and her staff; Prince J. Aliyu Gwam, the Deputy Chairman, Paikoro Local Government; Mrs Ramatu Haruna, Education Secretary, Paikoro Local Government and all other staff of the Local Government; all the members of the School Based Management Committee and Women’s Association of Gwam Primary School. I also wish to thank: partner NGOs for their cooperation: Mrs Lois Kolo the Vice Chairman of Niger State CSACEFA, Mrs Laiatu Danladi, Acting Coordinator of WRAPA, Niger State; Hajiya Fatima Farouq, Chair Technical Committee of Life Rehab, Minna; Hajia Aishatu Lemu (Jnr), Amirah, FOMWAN, Niger State; and the Principal, Women’s Day College, Minna. I also wish to thank, Alhaji Jibrin Isah, the Secretary, Niger State Universal Basic Education Board and his staff for their cooperation.

Mrs Saratu Yinusa, Education Specialist, UNICEF Bauchi Office; members, Bauchi NGEI Technical Committee; Dr Ibrahim Alabura Abubakar, Chairman, Bauchi NGEI Technical Committee; Mrs Halima Jibril, GEP State Project Coordinator, Bauchi State; The Program Officers of the following partner NGOs: RAHAMA, Women Empowerment Initiative, FOMWAN, Women Development Association for Self Sustenance, and the Development Exchange Centre. My thanks also go to the SBMC of Ajiyari Primary School, Darazo Local Government Area; the Provost and Principal Officers of College of


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Education, Azare; Alhaji Abdullahi Dabo, the Chairman Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board and his Directors; and Alhaji Mohammed Anwal Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Education. My special thanks go to His Royal Highness, Usman Bilyaminu Othman, the Emir of Dass for welcoming the Evaluation Team to his Palace, and for his support for NGEI.

The following for facilitating the evaluation exercise: Dr Alice Akunga, Chief of Education, UNICEF Abuja, for her passion for the NGEI and support for the evaluation; Ms Joy Eli and Ms Chinwe Obi, both of UNICEF for logistic arrangements; Dr Almustafa Danjuma, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Field Office, Bauchi for his contribution to the finalization of the field instruments; and Alhaji Usman Sani Muhammad, GEP Consultant, FME, Abuja who supported the consultant during the field trips. I also wish to commend all NGEI partners for their enthusiasm for the project given that their contribution is voluntary. My appreciation also goes to all reviewers of the draft report for their comments, including: Dr Almustafa, PME Specialist, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office; Dr J Awotunde of UNICEF Office, Abuja;

Finally, I wish to thank UNICEF Nigeria for giving me the opportunity to carry out this assignment.

Christiana Okojie

National Consultant


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List of Acronyms AGEI African Girls’ Education Initiative

AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

CAPP Community Action for Popular Participation

CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women

CMI Change Managers International

CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child

CSACEFA Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All

CSO Civil Society Organization

DEC Development Exchange Centre

DFID Department for International Development

ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development

EFA Education for All

EGBENN Enhancing Girls’ Basic Education in Northern Nigeria

FAWEN Forum for African Women Educationists in Nigeria

FCT Federal Capital Territory

FGD Focus Group Discussion

FGN Federal Government of Nigeria

FME Federal Ministry of Education

FOMWAN Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria

GCE General Certificate of Education

GEP Girls’ Education Project


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HIV Human Immune Deficiency Virus

IDP International Development Partner

IECD Integrated Early Childhood Development

JSS Junior Secondary School

LGA Local Government Area

LGEA Local Government Education Authority

M & E Monitoring and Evaluation

MDG Millennium Development Goal

NCCE National Commission for Colleges of Education

NEI Northern Education Initiative

NER Net Enrolment Ratio

NERDC National Educational Research and Development Council

NGEI Nigeria Girls’ Education Initiative

NGO Non Governmental Organization

NPE National Policy on Education

SAGEN Strategy for Acceleration of Girls’ Education in Nigeria

SBMC School Based Management Committee

SESER Society for Empowerment and Self Reliance

SESP Strategic Education Sector Plan

SESOP Strategic Education Sector Operational Plan

SSS Senior Secondary School

SUBEB State Universal Basic Education Board

TOR Terms of Reference

TWG Technical Working Group


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UBE Universal Basic Education

UBEC Universal Basic Education Commission

UN United Nations

UNESCO United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNGEI United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative

UNICEF United Nations Fund for Children

USAID United Nations Agency for International Development

WEIN Women Empowerment Initiative of Nigeria

WODASS Women Development Association for Self Sustenance

WRAPA Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative


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Executive Summary I. Introduction

The UNGEI was launched in Dakar in 2000 by the then UN Secretary General Kofi Anan. It was domesticated in Nigeria as the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative and was formally inaugurated in May 2005 although it was preceded by two initiatives with the same objective of promoting girls’ education in Nigeria – the African Girls’ Education Initiative (2001-2003) and the Strategy for the Acceleration of Girls’ Education in Nigeria (2003). Since then, NGEI has been formally launched in some states and operational in some others. This is the report of the formative Evaluation of the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative- a domestication of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) in Nigeria. The report documents the achievements of the initiative, summarizes lessons learned, highlights some of the strengths and weaknesses of NGEI, and suggests some recommendations to strengthen the Initiative and upscale it to the rest of the country.

2. Evaluation Objectives and Methodology

The formative evaluation of UNGEI is to explore the extent to which the UNGEI partnership is achieving its intended outcomes at country level, and the extent to which the global efforts are contributing to the effectiveness and efficiency of the UNGEI partnership. The evaluation is anchored on a common monitoring and evaluation framework, which highlights the following outcomes:

policies that promote girls’ education and gender equality are in existence;

best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality are known and institutionalized; and

UNGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality.

The evaluation set out to determine if and how NGEI has added value to country-level results in girls’ education. Since it is always difficult to attribute results to only one source of inputs, actions or actors, to the extent possible, the evaluation sought to outline NGEI’s contribution to overall results through a contribution analysis. Contribution analysis focuses on identifying changes that took place, and how different inputs contributed to the changes.


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Evaluation Methodology

The methodology involved the preparation of an Inception Report which included a documentary review of available information on girls’ education in Nigeria and records on the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative as well as preparation of field instruments. Data was collected through formal desk review, interviews of key informants as well as Focus Group Discussions and direct observations of activities of beneficiaries. The Nigerian Evaluation Framework and the Nigerian Logic Model were prepared to guide the evaluation questioning. Field work in Nigeria consisted of interactions with the National Technical Working Group in Abuja, as well as field visits to two states where the NGEI is fully functional – Bauchi and Niger States. Targeted were governance bodies of NGEI at national and state levels, partner organizations (NGOs) as well as beneficiaries (who have also become partners) such as School Based Management Committees, Women’s Associations, and traditional and religious leaders. Field work took place between May 8th and May 31st, 2011.

3. Country Context

The 2005 National School Census revealed a Net Primary Enrolment Ratio of 83.7%, with a male Net Enrolment Ration (NER) of 87.01% and a female NER of 81.3% (UNICEF, 2008), suggesting that a substantial proportion of children of primary school age are not enrolled in school. There are also substantial geographical and gender disparities in access between the southern and northern parts of the country. The gender disparities against girls are highest in the northern parts of the country.

Underlying causes of gender gaps in education include: ignorance and lack of awareness of the value of girls’ education, widespread poverty (over half of Nigerians live below the poverty line), inadequate school infrastructure (classroom space, furniture, water, toilets, etc), cultural and religious biases (preference for boys, misinterpretation of religious tenets, sending girls to hawk to generate money which will be used to buy kayan daki, the furniture and other utensils the girl will take to her husband’s home, etc), early marriage and teenage pregnancy, etc. UNICEF Nigeria and other development partners have partnered with the governments (Federal and states) to promote girls’ education in Nigeria and various girls’ education initiatives aimed at enhancing girls’ enrolment and completion rates have been implemented in Nigeria.

4. Establishment and Evolution of NGEI

The formal domestication of NGEI was declared at a stakeholder’s meeting in May 2005. The partnership model of NGEI is that of collaboration between Development


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Partners, the Federal Ministry of Education and government agencies (such as the Universal Basic Education Commission), Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders such as School Based Management Committees, traditional and religious leaders, communities, parents and pupils. The First Ladies at national and state levels (wives of the President and State Governors) were brought in as patrons to accord political recognition to the partnership. While UNICEF was to coordinate development partners, the FME is expected to drive the process while CSOs were to contribute their various competencies to help promote girls’ education in Nigeria. A Technical Working Group of nine members was set up to manage the process. It was decided to use the northern states where gender disparities in education were widest and where UNICEF was already implementing the Girls’ Education Project as entry points for NGEI into states. NGEI was officially launched by the former First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua, in Bauchi on the 28th of March, 2008. Since then, NGEI has been formally launched and is fully functional in four states, namely, Bauchi, Niger, Katsina and Sokoto States. It is functional in about nine other Northern states. At the state level, there is a Technical/Steering Committee to manage the partnership. Key strategies and activities at each level are: advocacy/sensitization to policy makers, traditional/religious leaders and communities; inauguration of state chapters; capacity building for advocacy and identification and documentation of best practices; resource mobilization; and documentation and dissemination of best practices for promoting girls’ education.

5. Findings with Respect to UNGEI Outcomes

Outcome 1: Policies promoting girls’ education and gender equality are in existence

Various education and gender equality policies were already being implemented before NGEI such as the National Policy on Education, the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act (2004), the National Policy for Women (2000), etc. Nigeria had also ratified or signed various international agreements and Conventions relating to the rights of women and children, education for all, etc. Since NGEI, the expected outputs for Outcome 1 have been produced, the National Gender in Basic Education Policy (2007) and Implementation Guidelines (2007) have been developed. The Policy was used as input in the development of Strategic Education Sector Plans in several states. The Child Rights Act has been domesticated in several states, including Niger State. Policies to reintegrate girls after


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pregnancy/marriage have been adopted (Bauchi) or strengthened (Niger) in states. Scholarship programs to train female teachers, etc, have been introduced. Some of these changes were a result of NGEI inputs such as policy dialogue with policy makers, sensitization of communities on the benefits of girls’ education, and inputs by state patrons of NGEI (wives of State Governors) who spearheaded NGEI activities in their states. Outcome 2: Best Practices in Facilitating Girls’ Education and Gender equality are known and Institutionalized

Since pre-independence days, a number of best practices to address girls’ education had been adopted in Nigeria, such as all-girls’ secondary schools, scholarships for girls, etc. However, they were not recognized or documented as good practices. Since NGEI, the two expected outputs for Outcome 2 have been achieved – good practices are now being documented and disseminated, and the capacity of state partners to identify and document best practices has been developed through training. Various NGEI partners are routinely documenting and disseminating good practices which are shared during joint meetings of the national and state partners. Overall, policy decisions targeting girls’ education in Nigeria are informed by knowledge of good practices. NGEI inputs have included policy dialogue and training through capacity building workshops. The documentation and dissemination are implemented efficiently and at no additional costs since they are inbuilt into the NGEI process, this is important since NGEI has no supporting funds of its own.

Outcome 3: Facilitation by NGEI of an Effective Partnership for Girls’ Education and Gender Equality

Before NGEI was formally inaugurated, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) had partnered with development partners to address education issues in Nigeria. The AGEI and SAGEN were examples of such partnerships, but they were of specific durations only. At a non-governmental level, the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association (FOMWAN) and the Civil Society Action Committee on Education for All (CSACEFA) have been actively involved in promoting education issues. However, these collaborations were not as broad-based as the NGEI which involves a wide range of stakeholders.

The three expected outputs for Outcome 3 have been produced: NGEI has developed TORs, guidelines and work plans which are being implemented; NGEI partnerships have been formed at national and state levels; and capacity of national and state partners


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have been strengthened for gender mainstreaming. NGEI is functioning at the national level and has been formally launched and is fully functional in four states, and operational in nine other states. However, states in the southern part of Nigeria have not been integrated.

6. Overall Assessment of the Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency of NGEI Partnership

The NGEI partnership has the elements of an ideal partnership – inclusiveness, joint governance, pooling of resources and common vision and goals. One of its main strengths is the involvement of large groups of stakeholders and the pooling of their competencies to achieve their objectives.

7. Conclusion

The conclusion assesses some of the partnership’s activities and achievements:

1. NGEI has made significant progress towards achieving the three outcomes of UNGEI.

2. Through NGEI structures, NGEI has been able to promote female education, enrolment and completion rates are increasing.

3. To what extent can these changes be attributed to the NGEI partnership? Would these changes have taken place without NGEI? One may conclude that while all the changes cannot be attributed to the NGEI partnership alone, NGEI has been a catalyst and has accelerated the pace of change in attitudes toward female education. According to a stakeholder, “the key is in the coordination of efforts addressed at tackling constraints on female education. There would have been changes without NGEI, but not in a coordinated manner”. The efforts are now channeled through the partnership. Instead of CSOs making discordant noises as activists, they are part of a stakeholder group which meets with policy makers and other relevant groups to promote female education. It has generated momentum among communities, parents and policy makers with respect to girls’ education.

4. Relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of NGEI: The Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative is relevant in the Nigerian context because it compliments Nigeria’s efforts to meet the MDGs 2 and 3 and Education for All (EFA) goals of achieving universal access to basic education and reducing gender gaps in education. It is effective because it has contributed to: adoption of gender-sensitive education


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policies and plans; increases in female enrolment, attendance and completion rates; and reintegration of pregnant and married girls into schools. Its activities which are focused mainly in the northern parts of the country where gender gaps in education are widest have had significant impacts. Its activities are also implemented in an efficient manner because they are built into the programs of partners, its implementation strategies are therefore cost-effective.

8. Lessons Learned

Lessons include:

Partnership of policy makers, Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders enhances the adoption of gender sensitive education policies and programs.

Sustained advocacy to policy makers, traditional and religious leaders as well as continuous mobilization of stakeholders contributed to increase in school enrolment and retention of girls at all levels of education.

The involvement of champions for girls’ education in the persons of state First Ladies during sensitization visits to communities had a positive impact on promoting girls’ education.

9. Recommendations

1. Sustaining NGEI

Structures in place (School Based Management Boards, Women’s Associations, etc) should be strengthened.

NGEI should engage in advocacy to all states to domesticate the National Policy on Gender in Basic Education and integrate its provisions into their state education sector plans.

2. Dissemination of NGEI activities

To ensure proper record keeping and dissemination of its activities within the country, The National Technical Working Group should have a Secretariat (an equipped office of its own) which should be domiciled either at CSACEFA (the present secretariat) or at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). A full-time NGEI Desk Officer should be engaged to run the NGEI Secretariat on a day-to-day basis.

3. Scaling up NGEI to other states


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NGEI should pay an advocacy visit to the First Lady to be Grand Patron of NGEI, target the First Ladies’ Forum to encourage them to include girl’s education issues on their agenda, and strengthen relevant CSOs to push NGEI agenda in states. State Technical Committees should also reach out to wives of LGA Chairmen to promote NGEI at the local level.


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Introduction

1.1. Background and Purpose of Evaluation Research on female education in many countries has shown that educating girls and women is critical to economic development. Female education creates powerful poverty-reducing synergies and yields several inter-generational gains. For developing countries, where women represent an untapped source of human capital for development, policies to reduce gender gaps in access to education can yield economic and social benefits that accrue to individuals, families and the society at large. Education is also important because it can help to eradicate poverty and hunger. Given the benefits of female education, it is important to promote equal access to education by boys and girls.

The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) was launched in April 2000 at the World Education Forum in Dakar by the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Member nations of the UN were challenged to adopt this initiative at country level. In response to this, UNICEF introduced the idea of UNGEI to Nigeria in 2004. The Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF organized a stakeholders’ meeting on the 6th of May 2005 to deliberate on how girls’ education can be promoted in Nigeria in order to achieve the MDG3 goal of achieving gender parity in education. The meeting gave birth to the Nigeria Girls’ Education Initiative (NGEI) which was established in Nigeria in 2005 in fulfillment of her obligation to inform partners about NGO’s activities on girls’ education and to disseminate lessons learnt. NGEI is one of the main strategies designed to address the gender gap in education in Nigeria. It was mandated to provide stakeholders with a platform for action and to galvanize stakeholders’ efforts to get girls into school, remain in school and complete schooling. Since then, NGEI has been launched in a number of states and has engaged in various activities at national and state levels to actualize UNGEI objectives. The evaluation of NGEI is part of a formative evaluation of UNGEI in selected countries and regions.

1.2. Aims and Objectives of the Evaluation The purpose of the formative evaluation of UNGEI is to establish the extent to which the UNGEI partnership is achieving its intended outcomes at country level, and the extent to which the global and regional efforts are contributing to the effectiveness and efficiency of the UNGEI partnership. The evaluation is anchored on a common monitoring and evaluation framework, which highlights the following key outcome areas of UNGEI:

policies that promote girls’ education and gender equality are in existence;


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best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality are known and institutionalized; and

UNGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality.

The overall evaluation of UNGEI covers the global, regional and country level engagement by UNGEI. Four countries were selected for detailed case studies: Egypt, Nepal, Nigeria, and Uganda (a fifth country, Ivory Coast, had to withdraw from the evaluation because of security concerns). At regional level the evaluation focused on East Asia and the Pacific. The evaluation also included a comprehensive mapping of the UNGEI Partnership in all participating countries, as well as data collection and interviews with global stakeholders. This report reflects the findings of the Nigeria country study only. A separate overall evaluation report pulls together the findings from the evaluation as a whole. It is anticipated that the formative evaluation will help UNGEI:

Define the key elements that make a strong partnership for girls’ education; Validate outcomes to be achieved in each country in order to move forward

the girls’ education and gender equality agenda in education; Collect empirical baseline data in the countries and regional partnerships

participating in the evaluation, against which progress in future evaluative works can be measured;

Map the status of UNGEI partnerships in all countries and regions; and Map the governance structure and administrative components of the UNGEI

partnership at the country/regional and global levels.

1.3. Scope of the Evaluation at country level The Nigeria country evaluation documents how the Girls’ Education Initiative has interacted with and contributed to Nigerian education processes and how this has impacted, or is expected to impact on girls’ education and gender equality in education. Thus, the country evaluation will:

Document what key changes have taken place in girls’ education and gender

equality over time in the three outcome areas of UNGEI. Identify where and in what ways UNGEI has made a specific contribution or

enhanced the contribution of others. Provide evidence of the outputs and outcomes of these interventions. Finally, assess the relevance, effectiveness and outcomes of NGEI’s interventions

as well as their sustainability.


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The evaluation also maps the UNGEI partnership, its governance and administrative structure, operational mechanism, and its contributions to gender-responsive changes in the Nigerian education sector. The evaluation is expected to provide the following :

Examples of how NGEI inputs have contributed to national policies that promote

girls’ education. Examples of best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality. An assessment of how NGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’

education and gender equality. A validated draft of the monitoring and evaluation framework with

documentation of activities undertaken to validate it. Evidence based conclusions and recommendations.

This requires identifying what key changes have taken place in Nigeria with respect to girls’ education and gender equality since NGEI was formed in Nigeria and how NGEI contributed to these changes or enhanced the contribution of others. It also requires an assessment of the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of NGEI’s interventions as well as the impacts and sustainability of the changes. The evaluation will seek to determine if UNGEI has added value to country-level results in girls’ education. Since it is always difficult to attribute results to only one source of inputs, actions or actors, to the extent possible, the evaluation will try to outline UNGEI’s contribution to overall results through a contribution analysis. Contribution analysis focuses on identifying changes that took place, and how different inputs contributed to the changes. The logical steps to determine the contribution of UNGEI are as follows:

What was the context like before NGEI – what was happening at level zero? What changed in the context over time (from before NGEI until today)? What did NGEI do (taking into account inputs from the global/regional/country

levels)? What inputs – (training, workshops, policy, evaluations, etc) were provided by

others? What were the outcomes? What was the added value of NGEI to the changes that took place in terms of

the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of NGEI’s inputs (for country, regional and global level)?

How sustainable are the changes that were brought about?


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Thus as emphasized in the Evaluation Guide, the following key steps were involved: Comprehensively mapping the situation at level “0” (before NGEI) Examining what changed in the environment. Documenting inputs by stakeholders. Documenting changes. Determining the distinctive contribution of NGEI

It should be noted that the last step is crucial and requires undertaking a contribution analysis. Rather than examining what changes took place and assuming that because changes took place and NGEI was present, NGEI must have contributed to the changes, contribution analysis goes further to construct a plausible story of influence, examining to what extent and in what ways NGEI contributed. Because this is a formative evaluation it is important that this assessment not only looks at outcomes but also at processes and structures that have been put in place and how these influence or may influence future outcomes.

As stated in the Evaluation Terms of Reference, the self-evaluation examined only activities/results that have been undertaken or achieved through collaborative efforts by the formal partnership (NGEI). Activities related to one or two partners only and which take place outside the NGEI partnership arrangement, e.g., an international organization funding an activity implemented by the Ministry of Education or a local Non Governmental Organization (NGO), were excluded from the evaluation.

1.4. Structure of this report This report is divided into nine chapters. Chapter one describes the scope and objectives of the evaluation while chapter two discusses the methodology. Chapter three presents the country background and a description of the education sector in Nigeria. Chapter four, traces the establishment and evolution of the UNGEI which was domesticated in Nigeria as the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative (NGEI). Chapter five analyzes progress made towards the achievement of the three UNGEI outcomes of interest by NGEI in Nigeria and this showed that significant progress has been made for all three outcomes. In chapter six, the key features of the NGEI partnership are highlighted and a SWOT analysis of the partnership is described. Chapter seven presents the conclusions of the evaluation while Chapter eight discusses lessons learned from the evaluation around girls’ education and gender equality, lessons for the NGEI partnership and for UNGEI globally. Chapter nine highlights some recommendations based on the evaluation findings.


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2. Evaluation Process and Methodology This chapter outlines the evaluation process and methodology. It discusses the various phases of the evaluation, the activities that took place, the role of the logic model in the evaluation process etc.

2.1. The Inception/Preparation Phase The preparation phase for the Nigeria country evaluation started with the participation of the Nigerian Evaluation Team at the Orientation and Planning Workshop for the Formative Evaluation of UNGEI, in Cairo, Egypt, from 23rd – 27th January 2011. The workshop brought together members of the UNGEI evaluation team including: national, regional and international consultants, UNGEI focal points (FP), evaluation managers at country and regional levels, as well as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) staff from headquarters (HQ) and members of UNGEI’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) working group (See Annex 3). The purpose of the workshop was to ensure a common understanding of the objectives of the UNGEI Formative Evaluation, and to ensure familiarity by the evaluation team with the proposed methodology, evaluation framework, evaluation tools and products.

At country level the evaluation was guided by a local reference group (see Annex X for a list of reference group members). The Reference Group provided inputs in to the evaluation process, and reviewed the various products (inception report, draft report and final report).

The evaluation began with a preparatory phase. The main output of this preparatory phase was the Inception Report which provided a detailed outline of the evaluation methodology and approach, and highlighted issues emerging from the preliminary desk review. The country inception reports were circulated in April 2011, thus meeting the requirement that they should be available at least ten (10) days before the primary data collection work in the country started. This allowed for inputs from country level (Country Reference Group and Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists) and global stakeholders (international consultant).

2.2. Key Activities Undertaken during Preparation Phase Focus during this stage was on documentation review and fine-tuning of the evaluation methodology and drafting of field instruments. The key activities undertaken during this phase were:

Study of the overall Evaluation Guide. Familiarization with the literature on girl’s education in Nigeria.


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Reading of country documents on the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative (NGEI)

Production of summary findings on NGEI – formation, membership, structure, achievements and challenges.

Identification of information gaps and key issues which require review and/or verification during field work.

Finalization of sampling frame and list of respondents (stakeholder map). Identification of activities to be reviewed. Preparation of data collection instruments – finalization of Nigerian Evaluation

Framework and Logic Model, drafting of interview schedules and focus group discussion guides.

Finalization of activity plan and time lines. Meetings with Country Reference Group/Technical Working Group to discuss

evaluation methodology, examine field instruments and discuss arrangements for the field work.

Preparation of Inception Report.

The preparatory work commenced in February 2011 on return from the Orientation Workshop for Evaluation Consultants in Cairo. Documentation on girls’ education in Nigeria and on NGEI activities were sent to the National Consultant from the UNICEF Office in Abuja in February. The process ended with a five-day period by the consultant at the UNICEF Office in Abuja during which the findings of the document review, evaluation plan and draft field instruments were discussed with members of the NGEI National Technical Working Group. For purposes of the evaluation, the existing NGEI National Technical Working Group served as the Evaluation Reference Group. Inputs were also obtained from UNICEF Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists and relevant staff (who made the time to send their comments).

2.3. The Logic Model A key tool for the evaluation was the Nigerian Logic Model (see Annex 8), which is a modification of the UNGEI Logic Model provided in the Evaluation Guide. The model explains how the partnership expects to work, as well as the theory and underlying assumptions. It links outcomes (short and long-term) to activities (the results chain) and to the vision and goals of the partnership. It is important because it explains how NGEI expects to reach UNGEI’s goals. An important part of the evaluation is to assess to what extent the expected outcomes are being achieved. The following outcomes were defined:

Expected Outcome 1: Policies promote girls’ education and gender equality.


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Expected Outcome 1.1: National Policy on Gender in Basic Education is utilized in the development of Strategic Education Sector Plan (SESP) and Strategic Education Sector Operational Plan (SESOP).

Expected Outcome 1.2: Gender sensitive education plans implemented and improving education for girls.

Output 1.1: National Policy on Gender in Basic Education developed. Output 1.2: Guidelines for the implementation of the National Policy on Gender

in Basic Education developed. Output 1.3: Manual on gender sensitive planning developed.

Expected Outcome 2: Best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality are known and institutionalized.

Expected outcome 2.1: Implementation of gender sensitive education programs informed by knowledge of good practices.

Output 2.1: Good practices documented and disseminated. Output 2.2: Partners’ capacity in documentation of good practices enhanced.

Expected Outcome 3: NGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality.

Expected outcome 3.1: NGEI partnerships are operational at national and state levels.

Output 3.1: TORs and Guidelines for NGEI implementation developed. Output 3.2: Partnerships at national and state levels are formed. Output 3.3: Capacities of partners strengthened in gender mainstreaming.

2.4. Data Collection Methods Data collection methods included:

Formal desk review, Interviews of key/elite informants – members of NGEI Technical Committees and

key CSO partners at national and state levels, Collection of primary data through interviews and/or focus group discussions

with important groups of beneficiaries, Direct observations of activities of beneficiaries (for example, female students in

their classrooms).


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The desk review produced quantitative and qualitative information which were used as baseline information complemented data from interviews and field visits. Desk review involved:

Review of gender issues in the education sector. Review of partnership documents and activities, challenges faced, etc.

2.5. Sampling Frame NGEI is a partnership of organizations from the UN family, governments, civil society and the private sector, as well as communities and families Thus the primary stakeholders from whom data was collected included:

1. Members of the UN family – UNICEF. 2. Government agencies – Federal and state Ministries of Education, the Universal

Basic Education Commission and State Universal Basic Education Boards, National commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and state Colleges of Education.

3. Civil society organizations – key CSO partners at national and state levels such as The Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Change Managers International Network, Life Rehab Foundation, Women’s Rights and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), etc.

4. Beneficiaries of the program such as School Based Management Committees, Mothers’ Associations, Girls’ Clubs, etc.

5. Others identified by UNICEF Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and NGEI Steering Committees at the state levels such as traditional rulers.

The list of organizations and individual respondents who were interviewed and with whom Focus Group Sessions were held is shown in Annex 4. Questionnaires and FGD guides were prepared for use in data collection.

At the preparatory meeting in Cairo, it was decided that NGEI activities at the national level and in two states should be examined, they are Bauchi and Niger States. These two states were selected partly because the NGEI partnership has been active in both states and they represent 50% of states where NGEI is fully functional. The other two states where NGEI is fully functional are Sokoto and Katsina States. It was also decided that at the state level, one Local Government Area should be selected in each state. However, during the field work, in Niger State, the state capital and another LGA (Paikoro) were visited, while in Bauchi State, three LGAs outside the state capital were visited – Dass, Azare and Darazo LGAs. This was partly due to the wider dispersion of educational institutions in Bauchi State. Officials of the State education agencies (State


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Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board), State NGEI Technical Working Group, and the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) were interviewed. One community was selected in one of the Local Government Areas (LGA) and one school in the selected community was visited. In the selected schools, Focus Group Discussion sessions were held with Mothers’ Association/Girls’ Clubs and the School Based Management Committee (SBMC). Discussions were also held with traditional/religious leaders (who are members of SBMCs) in communities visited. While the two selected states did not represent non-performing states, given the time constraint, it was felt that little will be gained by visits to states where there was no functioning NGEI body, especially as the desk review had identified some of the reasons for non-participation of such states – focus of NGEI on Northern states where gender gaps were widest, lack of capable NGOs in several states to provide technical support for the process, lack of political will by First Ladies in these states to drive the process after the national launching, etc. Some information about some of the states that were not included in the field visits was obtained from documentary reports. More detailed information could not be obtained from these states because of non-response to the emails and text messages sent to the contact persons on the list provided to the consultant.

2.6. Data Collection Instruments

The UNGEI Evaluation Framework, modified for the Nigerian context (see validated framework in Annex 7) was used to obtain detailed information from partnership members – NGEI Technical Working Groups at national and state levels. In addition to this, short interview and FGD schedules were developed for the following with questions derived from the main framework. The questionnaires were to identify partners’ contributions to girls’ education in general and to the partnership, their perceptions about the impacts and effectiveness of the partnership as well as the challenges to the partnership:

A short interview schedule for education agencies - Ministry of Education/Universal Basic Education Commission/State Universal Basic Education Board/Local Government Education Authority officials.

A short interview schedule for partners – International Development Partners (IDPs) and CSO officials - to identify their roles and contributions to the partnership as well as ascertain their views on the relevance and achievements of NGEI.


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A short interview schedule for foundation members of the partnership to track the evolution of the partnership.

FGD schedules for traditional/religious leaders, School Based Management Committees, Mothers’ Associations and Girls’ Clubs/Education Movement.

2.7. Field Work The data collection process lasted three weeks, from Monday 8th of May to Tuesday 31st of May, 2011. During the first week, the consultant met with members of the National Technical Working Group in Abuja. Separate meetings were held with officials of the Gender and Education unit of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Universal Basic Education Commission, and program officers/Directors of selected partner Civil Society Organizations. The second week was spent in Niger state. The consultant held meetings with the State NGEI Steering Committee, officials of the State Ministry of Education, the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, and the State College of Education. The Consultant visited Paikoro Local Government Area and held discussions with members of the School Based Management Committee and Mothers’ Association at the Gwam Primary School and with the Girls’ Club of Gwam Secondary School. Discussions were also held with partner Civil Society Organizations in the state. The third week was spent in Bauchi State where the consultant held meetings with the State NGEI Technical Committee and Civil Society groups in Bauchi. The consultant also visited three Local Government Areas. In Darazo Local Government Area, the consultant held discussions with the School Based Management Committee (SBMC) and Mothers’ Association of Ajiyari Primary School. The evaluation team also visited the State College of Education at Azare in Azare Local Government Area. In Dass Local Government Area, the team paid a courtesy call on the Emir of Dass, an important partner of the Bauchi State NGEI. The trip to Bauchi State ended with debriefing sessions to the Chairman of the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board and the Permanent Secretary of the Bauchi State Ministry of Education. The Consultant returned to Abuja to interview the Chair of the National Technical Working Group on the 31st of May. During the field trips to the LGAs and schools in the two states, the evaluator was accompanied on the field visits by members of the State Technical Committees, Local Government officials as well as the GEP Consultant at the Federal Ministry of Education. They were also in attendance during the focus group sessions and interviews and assisted with translations. All the meetings were arranged by the Technical Committees. UNICEF Desk Officers at the Local Government Secretariat and Education Secretaries (who were also observers during the FGD sessions) enlisted the assistance of SBMC


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Chairmen and Secretaries to assemble members of School Based Management Committees and Women’s Associations. This report combines elements from field visits and the desk review.

2.8. Data Analysis The following steps were involved in data analysis which was primarily field note-based in addition to the documentary analysis.

1. Thorough review of field notes to familiarize the consultant with the key trends in data collected.

2. Classification of data into categories relating to major themes of interest to the research report as follows: a. The NGEI partnership with sub-headings: governance structure, activities,

achievements/effectiveness, strengths, weaknesses/challenges, relevance and sustainability.

b. Scaling up NGEI to other states. c. The three UNGEI outcomes – policies promoting girls’ education, best

practices and the partnership. d. Recommendations for improved performance, sustainability of NGEI

Most of the beneficiaries did not really know about NGEI or what it means, so focus was on summarizing:

Their roles in promoting girls’ education in their communities. Key issues/challenges in promoting girls’ education. Changes in female enrolments and attendant problems emerging from

increased enrolments – infrastructure, teachers, over-crowding, etc, in their community.

For the field observation, the field team went round the facilities provided and had brief interactions with some of the students to find out how they were faring and to listen to their complaints – about infrastructure facilities, management of their programme, etc. These provided basis for some of the threats to the achievements of NGEI.

1. Summary of information from various group discussions/interviews according to the thematic categories identified above.

2. Interpretation and summary of data under each category, identifying similarities and differences.


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2.9. Methodology Limitations The major limitation of this evaluation is that coverage was limited as it focused on the national chapter and only two states where the NGEI partnership was already functional for reasons explained earlier. States where NGEI was not fully functional were excluded due to time constraints and the size of the country and lack of NGEI personnel on ground. There are 36 states in Nigeria. Furthermore, the field trips had to be delayed because of post-election riots which involved the two selected states - Niger and Bauchi States. Similarly in the two states, the political tensions as well as long distances between communities, limited the number of communities which could be reached. The distance to one of the locations (College of Education, Azare) was over 200 kilometres from the state capital Bauchi. Thus in effect, the evaluation is a report of best practices for promoting NGEI in Nigeria. It highlights some of the factors which can be replicated in other states to promote female education and NGEI. A minor limitation is that other team members had to translate to the evaluator, although this is not believed to have affected the findings significantly. The desk review was constrained by poor record keeping. The earliest available minutes for any meeting of the Technical Working Group was for May 2006. No reports of activities were maintained or available to the consultant, and many documents had no dates, especially those prepared before the official launching in 2008. It was therefore not possible to identify activities completed since the inception of NGEI. Reliance was on the memories of some foundation members who could not remember exact dates of activities. Reports of state activities were also poorly kept (only a few power point presentations at meetings by some states were available to the consultant). The consultant did not see any annual reports prepared at both state and national levels. It was also not possible to obtain information from other states because contact persons did not respond to the consultant’s emails to provide information about their NGEI-relate activities.


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3. Context – Country background, education sector This chapter provides brief background information on the country, as well as a succinct overview of the education sector and the progress towards girls’ education and gender equality. Key issues affecting girls’ education and gender equality are highlighted.

3.1. Country Background Nigeria is located at approximately between Latitudes 4o and 140 north of the Equator and between Longitudes 20 2’ and 140 30’ east of the Greenwich Meridian. To the north, it is bordered by the Republics of Niger and Chad, to the east by the Republic of Cameroon, to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by the Republic of Benin. The surface area of Nigeria is approximately 923,770 square metres. About 35% of this land mass is arable.

Nigeria has a population of about 140 million persons (Population and Housing Census, 2006). It is divided into 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, and 774 Local Government Areas. For administrative purposes, it is divided into six geo-political zones, namely, North-West, North-East, North-Central, South-South, South-East, and South-West Zones. The population is made up of over 350 ethno-linguistic groups with two major religions – Islam and Christianity.

3.2. Nigeria’s Education Sector Nigeria recognizes that education is a fundamental human right and is signatory to the major conventions protecting the rights of women and children. The legal framework for education in Nigeria is the National Policy on Education (NPE) adopted after the 1969 National Curriculum Conference. It was first published in 1977, and revised in 1981, 1998 and 2004 and 2008. A major feature of the NPE is the 6-3-3-4 system, which provides for a six-year primary education - three years of junior secondary school (JSS), three years of senior secondary school (SSS), and four years of tertiary education. Universal Basic Education (UBE) was integrated into the National Policy on Education in the 2003 revision. The Compulsory, Free, Universal Basic Education Act 2004 and Other Related Matters provides for universal access to education at all levels – basic, post-basic (senior secondary), tertiary, non-formal, technical and vocational and special needs groups of youth and adults (FME, 2008). Primary and junior secondary education constitute basic education that is free and compulsory. Basic education also incorporates early childhood care and development (ECCD).

Education is placed on the concurrent legislative list in the 1999 constitution. Therefore, the responsibility for the management of education rests with all three tiers of government (Federal, State and Local), all are involved in the delivery of education.


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According to the constitutional provisions, the main responsibilities of the Federal Government in basic education are in the realm of policy formulation, coordination and monitoring. Direct control by the Federal Government is mainly at the tertiary level. To carry out its mandate, the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) is structured into eight departments and three statutory units. The state ministries of education have similar structures to those of the FME with minor variations determined by peculiarities of each state. Although the FME has overall responsibility for formulating, harmonizing and coordinating policies and monitoring quality in service delivery in the education sector, the ministry is advised in the discharge of these responsibilities by the National Council on Education (NCE), the highest policy-formulating body on educational matters. It is composed of the Federal Minister of Education and the State Commissioners for Education (FME, 2003, 2005). Various regulatory and implementation agencies and commissions have been established to implement the NPE. The Federal Ministry of Education interfaces with its twenty-one parastatals for the purpose of supervision, through its operations and service departments. These parastatals are grouped into four major groups based on their functions. At the state level, educational parastatals such as State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB), State Mass Education Agencies, State Post-Primary Education Boards, Teaching Service Commissions, school management boards, State governing councils of tertiary institutions and scholarship boards are in place with responsibility for teachers’ recruitment and deployment, remuneration, welfare, discipline and disbursement of funds. Some of them also ensure the regulation and supervision of state level educational activities. Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs) are directly in charge of education at the local government level (FME, 2003, 2005).

3.3. Girls’ Education in Nigeria

The 2005 National School Census revealed a Net Primary Enrolment Ratio of 83.7%, with a male NER of 87.01% and a female NER of 81.3% (UNICEF, 2008), suggesting that a substantial proportion of children of primary school age are not enrolled in school. There are also substantial geographical and gender disparities in access between the southern and northern parts of the country. While there have been improvements in girls’ enrolment over the years, a study by UNESCO and UNICEF measuring exclusion from primary education showed that more than 4 million girls aged 4-11 years do not attend school in Nigeria. It was also noted that progress in girls’ enrolment and


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attendance will have to be twice as rapid as it is now if Nigeria is to meet the millennium development goal of achieving gender parity in education by 2015. The gender disparities against girls are highest in the northern parts of the country.

Figure 1 - Gender Parity Index and Net Attendance Ratios

Underlying causes of gender gaps in education include: ignorance and lack of awareness of the value of girls’ education, widespread poverty (over half of Nigerians living below the poverty line), inadequate school infrastructure (classroom space, furniture, water, toilets, etc), cultural and religious biases (preference for boys, misinterpretation of religious tenets, sending girls to hawk to generate money which will be used to buy kayan daki,- the furniture and other utensils they will take to their husbands’ homes, etc), early marriage and teenage pregnancy, etc. Efforts are being made to address these factors through various gender sensitive policies and programmes to promote girls’ access to education, including through the contributions of NGEI.

UNICEF Nigeria and other development partners have partnered with the governments (Federal and states) to promote girls’ education in Nigeria and various girls’ education initiatives aimed at enhancing girls’ enrolment and completion rates have been implemented in Nigeria. Before NGEI, a number of initiatives to address girls’ education have been implemented or are ongoing in Nigeria all of which embodied the ideals of


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UNGEI. They include the African Girls’ Education Initiative, the Strategy for Acceleration of Girls’ Education in Nigeria and the on-going Girls’ Education Project. The girls’ education initiatives - SAGEN, SAGEN Plus and AGEI - were developed in line with the:

1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) domesticated as the Child Rights Act (2003),

1976 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),

Education for All (EFA) goals, and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially the education targets:

o MDG2 on achieving Universal Primary Education (UPE), and o MDG3 on gender parity and empowerment of women, and o MDG6 on combating HIV/AIDS and other endemic diseases by 2015.

In addition to these initiatives, several NGOs both individually and/or under the umbrella of the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) have been engaged in activities and policy dialogue with government agencies to promote education for all and girls’ education in particular in Nigeria. These include the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), the Forum for African Women Educationists in Nigeria, Change Managers International Network (CMI), ActionAid Nigeria, and CSACEFA (Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All), which was set up in 2002 after NGOs attended the UN Education Summit in Dakar in 2000. However, despite the different pre-NGEI initiatives to address gender gaps in education in Nigeria, several challenges persist especially with regards to retention, completion and transition rates of girls. There was lack of commitment to implement effectively existing national policies and international conventions which addressed education issues, especially at the state government levels where policies are implemented. There were gaps between implementation by federal and state governments, especially if state governments did not buy into or domesticate policies developed at the federal level. Furthermore, most policies were generic in nature and targeted both boys and girls with girls often losing out during implementation. NGEI sought to address some of these deficiencies.


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4. Establishment and Evolution of UNGEI at Country Level This chapter provides an overview of the establishment and evolution of the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative (NGEI). It outlines the objectives and structures that make NGEI function, describes its various levels of operation, and outlines its key strategies and activities. A fuller assessment of NGEI’s achievements and challenges will follow in chapters V and VI which deal with the evaluation’s findings.

4.1. Establishment of NGEI Although the ideals of UNGEI were already entrenched in the preceding girls’ education initiatives discussed earlier, the formal domestication of UNGEI was declared at a stakeholders’ meeting in May 2005. Before this, Nigeria had been represented at the Global Action Meeting in Brasilia in 2004. Under the auspices of UNICEF and the Federal Ministry of Education, a number of line ministries and CSOs (some of whom had participated in earlier girls’ education initiatives), attended this meeting where they were invited to be partners in the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative. Thus UNGEI was domesticated as the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative in Nigeria. The partnership model of NGEI is that of collaboration between Development Partners, the Federal Ministry of Education and government agencies (such as the Universal Basic Education Commission), Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders such as School Based Management Committees, traditional and religious leaders, communities, parents and pupils. The First Ladies at national and state levels (wives of the President and State Governors) were brought in as patrons to accord political recognition to the partnership. While UNICEF was to coordinate development partners, the FME is expected to drive the process, and CSOs were expected to contribute their various competencies to help promote girls’ education in Nigeria and engage in policy dialogue with policy makers. A Technical Working Group was set up to manage the process with representatives from UNICEF, Federal Ministry of Education, Universal Basic Education Commission and CSACEFA. The NGO partners who are all members of CSACEFA, were selected on the basis of their potential to contribute to the promotion of girls’ education in Nigeria. It was decided to use the northern states where gender disparities in education were widest and where UNICEF was already implementing the Girls’ Education Project as entry points for NGEI into states. NGEI was officially launched by the former First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua, in Bauchi on the 28th of March, 2008. According to NGEI, its vision and mission are as follows (NGEI undated2; NGEI, 2009b): Vision: The Vision is to become “a nation where all children in Nigeria have equal access to quality education at all levels”.


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Mission: NGEI mission is “to ensure quality of life for all girls in Nigeria through quality education where gender disparity and all inhibiting factors to girls’ education are completely eliminated.” Objectives/Goals of NGEI: The main objective of NGEI is to encourage government and CSOs to intensify support for girls’ education and share good practices to promote girls education. The goal of NGEI is to narrow the gender gap in primary and secondary education and to ensure that by 2015, all children complete primary schooling, with boys and girls having equal access to all levels of education. This will contribute towards progress in Nigeria’s efforts to achieve MDGs 2 and 3 as well as EFA goals. It aim is to be a catalyst in creating a girls’ education partnership for the promotion of girls’ education.

Terms of Reference were developed to spell out the roles of national and state Technical Working Groups. However, roles and responsibilities of individual partners are not documented. While the concept of NGEI partnership appeared hazy to many of the stakeholders interviewed (especially to those outside the governance structure), many stakeholders, especially the implementers, agreed that NGEI provides a platform for close collaboration on girls’ education.

“NGEI is a forum to give girls’ education a loud voice”

“It is a program to give strength/impetus towards enrolment, retention and transition of girls”.

“It is a collaboration between government and organized bodies concerned with and interested in girl child education”

“It is like an advocate for female education. It is used to sensitize villagers to send girls to school”.

“It is an umbrella of all efforts to address constraints on girls’ access to education.”

“It is more of an advocacy tool”.

“It is a body that can coordinate all girls’ education activities. With NGEI in place, many voices come together to push for action concerning girls’ education”.

“It leads to better organization of activities, better coordination and therefore, more progress”


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Thus while many stakeholders are not too clear about what the NGEI partnership involves, they could see the translation into activities and outcomes in the name of NGEI. Thus it was clear that there was need for better information about UNGEI and NGEI among stakeholders.

4.2. Structure and Membership of NGEI

The NGEI partnership operates at two levels – the National level and the state level. At meetings held during the National launching of NGEI in Bauchi in March 2008, it was decided that: at the state level, NGEI should be domiciled either at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) or the State Ministry of Education. The First Lady of the state was to assist in equipping the NGEI Secretariat.

Figure 2 –Structure of the UNGEI Partnership

National Level: NGEI National Technical Working Group (TWG).

Members: UNICEF, Federal Ministry of Education (FME), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Civil Society Organizations

Committees: Advocacy, Information and Communication, and Fund-Raising

State Level: State NGEI Steering Committees

Members: State Ministry of Education, SUBEB, Line Ministries, Civil Society Organizations, Children’s ad Women’s representatives, School Based Management Committees, Local Government Education Councils (Education Authorities), Traditional and religious leaders, and the Media


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4.2.1. UNGEI at National Level As show in the figure above, the national level partnership consists of a Technical Working Group which manages the partnership. It is made up of:

a. IDPs – UNICEF (the only IDP member) provides the anchor, the direction for UNGEI activities. It coordinates development partners’ contributions to the promotion of female education in Nigeria, in particular, the World Bank and DFID which support girls’ education and gender equality programs in Nigeria. UNICEF has co-chaired national NGEI meetings with FME and CSACEFA. It has also funded capacity building on gender-sensitive advocacy and budget tracking, and funded the mapping of good practices in Nigeria.

b. The Federal Ministry of Education as the official partner drives the NGEI process. UNICEF supports NGEI through funding support for girls’ education activities by the FME.

c. Civil Society Organizations under the umbrella of the Civil Society Action Committee on Education for All (CSACEFA) provides the Secretariat for NGEI. The Chair of the National Technical Working Group has usually been a non-government partner. The present chair is the ActionAid representative on the TWG.

The TWG initially comprised about nine members, including a few committed CSOs actively involved in girl’s education activities. The number has been increased recently to bring in more partners. There are three sub-committees: Advocacy, Information/Communication, and Fund-Raising Sub-Committees. According to its operational guidelines (NGEI, 2009b), the national level Technical Working Committee is to:

o Coordinate all activities relating to girls’ education on behalf of the Forum. o Review and document state reports and updates for dissemination. o Conduct monitoring and evaluation of NGEI activities at all levels. o Conduct advocacy, networking and collaboration with stakeholders.

As the UNGEI Secretariat, CSACEFA is expected to: coordinate all NGEI activities, follow up activities with appointed sub-committees, disseminate information at all levels, develop and maintain NGEI data base, convey and issue notice of meetings, develop and circulate draft agenda, liaise with states NGEI for reports on behalf of NGEI national TWG, and coordinate capacity building activities.


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4.2.2. UNGEI at State Level

While about nine northern states were reported to be part of the NGEI partnership, documentary evidence available to the consultant shows that NGEI has been officially launched only in four states – Bauchi (March 2008), Niger (November 2009), Katsina (June 2009) and Sokoto (May 2010) States. Other states where NGEI activities are taking place are: Plateau, Gombe, Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States. Contacts have also been made with Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos States which prepared plans to launch NGEI in their states but no action has been forthcoming since NGEI was launched at Bauchi in 2008. They are often invited to the twice yearly Joint Meetings of NGEI National Technical Working Group and state chapters.

Since policy implementation is at the state level, the partnership is more broad-based at the state level, membership of the Steering Committees cuts across different stakeholders in the state. In the two states visited (Bauchi and Niger States), as well as documentary evidence from the other two states where NGEI has been officially launched (Katsina and Sokoto States), the partners are as listed in Figure 4.1.

In Bauchi, Niger and Katsina States, NGEI was launched by the State First Ladies (wives of state governors). NGEI is domiciled in the Ministry of Education in Niger State, with the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics as Chairman and an Assistant Director of the Department as NGEI Desk Officer and Secretary of the 22-member Steering Committee. In Bauchi, the secretariat is domiciled at the State Universal Basic Education Board, and was equipped by the State First Lady. It has a 22-member Technical/Steering Committee. In Katsina State, NGEI has a 25-member Committee with an office at the Governor’s Office courtesy of the First Lady of the state Hajiya Fatima Ibrahim Shema. In Sokoto State, NGEI is domiciled in the Ministry of Women Affairs which also organized the launching ceremony, it has a 25-member Technical/Steering Committee. UNICEF Desk Officers (Ministry staff assigned to handle UNICEF-supported projects) at the Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Boards as well as the Girls’ Education Project Special Projects Coordinator at the state level are members of State NGEI Technical/Steering Committees.

Key roles of State Steering Committees are to: Develop strategies for and embark on advocacy, sensitization and mobilization

for the promotion of girls’ education. Accelerate the implementation of girls’ education activities and women

empowerment.


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Identify, document and replicate good practices on Girls’ Education at state level.

Give quarterly reports and updates to the national TWG. Conduct budget tracking, monitoring and evaluation of Girls’ Education

activities.

Terms of Reference (TORs) have been developed for national and state level Technical Working Groups. At its inauguration, members were told that NGEI is not supported by any funds and they should therefore look inwards. They were to integrate NGEI principles into their own individual organizations’ programs. They were as much as possible to project the girls’ education initiative at every opportunity with the aid of the media.

Table 1- Key Strategies and Activities of UNGEI

Strategies Target Groups/

Beneficiaries

Expectations Activities

Advocacy/

Sensitization

Policy makers at national/state levels

Traditional/religious leaders, communities, parents and pupils.

Encourage them to adopt NGEI and to inaugurate state level NGEI.

Integrate gender concerns into education sector plans and budgets.

Advocacy visits to states/Local Government Areas, Traditional and religious leaders, communities.

Policy dialogue with state education officials.

Advocacy training workshop supported by UNICEF.

Radio and Television Phone-in shows, drama and documentaries on benefits of girls’ education.

Inauguration of NGEI state chapters

States Promotion of NGEI principles at the state levels.

Launching of state chapters ( states)

Identification of stakeholders and development of plans for establishment of functional NGEI state chapters

Capacity Building National and State NGEI chapters

Development of capacity to document best practices

Capacity building for

Training workshops and Joint Meetings of National TWG and state chapters supported by UNICEF


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Strategies Target Groups/

Beneficiaries

Expectations Activities

advocacy Participation at UNGEI International Workshops (Global advisory Committee meetings).

Resource Mobilization

Government, donors, corporate bodies and individuals

To generate resources for NGEI activities and reduce dependence on UNICEF

NGEI Week proposed to reach different stakeholders to raise funds

Lobbying officials to include budget for NGEI in state budget (Niger State).

Documen-tation/Dissemination of best practices

Policy makers, community and religious leaders, community, parents.

Dissemination of best practices for promoting girls’ education

Research on best practices to promote girls’ education in selected states.

Documentation of best practices in newsletters (GEP2 Newsletter in Niger State), and in reports and human interest stories (Bauchi State).


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5. Findings with Respect to UNGEI Outcomes This chapter presents the substantive findings of the evaluation for the three outcome areas of UNGEI. In discussing each of these outcome areas the evaluation follows a contribution analysis approach by consecutively: i) outlining the situation with respect to the outcome area before UNGEI, ii) describing the situation today, iii) assessing the impact of the changes that took place; iv) identifying the inputs and contribution of NGEI to the area, and v) making an assessment of the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the NGEI’s involvement.

Table 1 above shows the key activities implemented by NGEI partners at national and state levels. Similar activities are being carried out at both the national and state levels, but with different target groups.

5.1. Outcome 1 – Policies Promoting Girls’ Education and Gender Equality are in Existence

5.1.1. Before NGEI

Table 2 shows pre- and post NGEI domestic education policies in Nigeria

Table 2 - Pre and Post-NGEI Policies/Initiatives

Pre-NGEI Post-NGEI Policies

National Policy on Education – NPE (1977, 1981, 1998, 2004)

National Gender Policy (2007)

National Policy for Women (2000)

National Gender in Basic Education Policy (2007) and Implementation Guidelines

Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act (2004) and other Allied Matters.

State Strategic Education Sector Plans - SESPs (2008/2010)

Child Rights Act (2003) Strategic Education Sector Operational Plans – SESOP- (2008/2010)

African Girls’ Education Initiative (AGEI)

National Education Road Map (2008)

Strategy for the Acceleration of Girls Education in Nigeria (SAGEN)


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As shown in the table above, various education and gender equality policies were already being implemented. In addition, Nigeria had also ratified or signed various international agreements and Conventions relating to the rights of women and children, education for all, etc. Some of these agreements and conventions are:

o Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified in 1991) and domesticated as the Child Rights Act (2003).

o Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1985).

o African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990 and ratified in 2000).

o The Millennium Development Goals (2000).

o The Education for All (EFA) Declaration and Plan of Action (2000).

Both the MDGs (MDGs 2 and 3) and the EFA Goals (3, 4 and 5) emphasized access to education by all with emphasis on the promotion of gender parity in education. However, the education policies in Nigeria were however generic and targeted all children of school age. Despite all these policies and initiatives, education statistics, and various reviews of the education sector (FME, 2003, 2005), had revealed that millions of children were out of school and that wide gender gaps in education still exist.

Similarly, in response to agitations to integrate gender concerns into development processes, (especially after the Beijing Conference), a National Policy for Women was adopted in the year 2000. Earlier on, in 1989, the National Commission for Women was set up at the national level while similar bodies were established at state levels. In 1995, the Commission was upgraded to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (at state levels, the Commissions were also upgraded to State Ministries of Women Affairs).

5.1.2 Changes After NGEI The expected outputs for Outcome 1 are:

National Policy on Gender in Basic Education developed.

Guidelines for the Implementation of the National Policy on Gender in Basic Education developed.

Manual on gender sensitive planning developed.


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The expected outputs for Outcome 1 have been delivered. As shown in Table 3, the National Policy on Gender in Basic Education has been developed, as well as its Implementation Guidelines. They have been disseminated to states. More copies are being produced for wider dissemination. However, the policy has not been domesticated by states, and some stakeholders see this as a limitation on its implementation at state level. It should also be made available to the public (in libraries, bookshops, etc) and not only to government officials. A manual for integrating gender into state development plans was produced and disseminated in 2006 by the National Planning Commission. Gender concerns were integrated into state development plans as well as into Strategic Education Sector Plans which were produced in about 20 states (in both the northern and southern parts of Nigeria) between 2008 and 2010, with technical and funding support from UNICEF.

Table 3 - Outcome 1: Expected Outcomes and Indicators

Expected outcomes Indicators Whether outcome achieved

Gender in Basic Education is utilized in development of Strategic Education Sector Plans (SESP) and Strategic Education Sector Operational Plan (SESOP).

National policy frameworks that support girls’ education.

Policy was utilized in the preparation of Strategic Education Sector Plans

Gender sensitive education plans implemented and improving education for girls.

Increased budgets allocated to girls’ education.

Provisions of policy and sector plans have been integrated into 2010 education budget and funds allocated.

The expected outcomes listed above have been achieved:

a. The Gender in Basic Education Policy was used as an input into the development of State Strategic Education Sector Plans (SESP) and the Strategic Education Sector Operational Plan (SESOP).

b. Strategies identified in the Policy and in the education sector plans are being integrated into education budgets.


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c. The Child Rights Charter was domesticated as the Child Rights Act in Nigeria in 2003. Since NGEI, several states have also domesticated it and are implementing its provisions. For example, in Niger State, the Act was domesticated in April 2010. Summaries of the provisions relating to forced marriage and child withdrawal have been circulated to schools and SBMCs. A legal adviser was seconded from the State Ministry of Justice to process all reported cases of withdrawal of girls, including prosecuting them in court after dialogue has failed.

d. The Universal Basic Education Commission (represented in the NGEI Technical Working Group) is promoting the Child Friendly School program through its grants to State Universal Basic Education Boards. All new schools or renovation of schools must be gender-friendly – separate toilets for boys and girls, provision of furniture and learning materials, water, etc.

e. As a result of increased provision of school spaces for girls, and women, and financial support (scholarships at secondary schools and Colleges of Education), the budget for girls’ education has increased. In Niger State, the government provided five million Naira for NGEI Steering Committee in 2010 to support its activities.

5.1.3 Impact of Changes

As a result of policy changes favouring girls’ education, there has been increase in enrolment and completion rates for girls. The transition rates to Junior Secondary School has also increased, and the gender gap has improved (See Annexe 9). Figure 2 suggests that improvements were better among the more well-off households and thus the need for scholarships to improve school attendance. Many married women have also seized the opportunities to go back to school after marriage.

5.1.4. Contribution by NGEI Contributions by NGEI partners into policy changes have included:

Policy dialogue with policy makers and sensitization of religious and traditional leaders, parents, and girls has led to increased awareness of the importance of girls’ education. This has generated a demand for increased school places which has to be met by policy makers.

The participation of officials of Ministries of Education at federal and state levels as NGEI Technical Working Group/Steering Committees in NGEI activities has enhanced their abilities to influence policy-decision-making and integrate NGEI


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decisions into their Ministries programs and budgets (for example, promotion of Mothers’ Associations in Federal Unity School).

Inputs from state patrons of NGEI in the person of State First Ladies (wives of governors) who have championed girls’ education, have facilitated the adoption of gender - friendly education policies. For example, the First Ladies in Niger (Hajiya Jummai Babangida Aliyu) and Bauchi (Hajiya Aisha Isa Yuguda) States have been at the forefront of advocacy and sensitization campaigns to Local Government Areas, traditional and religious leaders and to government (policy makers) in their respective states. For example, the First Lady of Bauchi State led the NGEI team for policy dialogue with government to replicate the Girls’ Education Program in the fourteen LGAs which were not included in GEP1. Her Office is represented on the state NGEI Steering Committee by one of her assistants. The First Lady of Niger State through her NGO called Life Rehab Foundation, spearheaded activities leading to the launching of NGEI in the state.

Civil Society Organizations individually and collectively as members of CSACEFA and NGEI Steering Committees, have also contributed to the adoption of gender sensitive policies and programs. CSACEFA is usually invited to meetings of the Nigeria Education Council, one of the highest education policy-making bodies in the country. Similarly, the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) is usually invited to meetings where decisions concerning Muslim women are made, especially since religion is used as an excuse for denying girls access to education in the northern parts of the country. The Women Rights Advancement and Protection Agency (WRAPA) provides free legal services to girls who are being threatened with withdrawal or forced marriage in Niger State.


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5.1.5 Assessment of Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency of NGEI Inputs into Policy Changes

The activities of NGEI partners in advocating for policy changes to address girls’ education in particular are very relevant as they are complementing efforts by government to meet the MDGs and EFA goals. They are also effective because they are achieving the desired results of increasing female enrolment and completion rates and reducing the gender gap in education in Nigeria.

5.2. Outcome 2 - Best Practices in Facilitating Girls’ Education and Gender Equality are Known and Institutionalized.

5.2.1. Before NGEI: A number of best practices to address female education had already been adopted since pre-independence days by both government and missionary societies.

1. All-girls’ colleges by government: Both the federal and then regional governments had introduced all-girls’ schools such as Queen’s College Lagos (federal), Queen’s School, Ede (Western Region), and Queen’s College Enugu (Eastern Region). The Federal Government also introduced the Federal Government Colleges (Unity Schools) in the 1970s. Of the 104 Unity Schools, 38 were all girls’ schools while only two were all boys’ colleges, the remaining were mixed schools.

2. All-girls’ schools by missionary bodies: Missionaries also introduced all-girls’ secondary schools – Queen Amina College Zaria (Catholic), Baptist Girls College, Agbor, etc. However, most of them were fee-paying although many regional governments offered scholarships to bright students – both males and females.

3. Financial support for girls’ education: Some regions had special scholarships to promote girls’ education, for example, in the former Northern Region, scholarships were given to girls for their Higher School Certificate/GCE Advanced Level studies as well as for their university education. However, only few girls qualified for these scholarships.

Although institutionalized by education agencies, these good practices were not identified or documented as such.

5.2.2. Changes After NGEI

The expected outputs for Outcome 2 are:

Good practices documented and disseminated


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Partners’ capacity for documentation of good practices developed.

The expected outputs have been produced: Good practices have been documented and are being disseminated:

1. Documentation: NGEI (national) commissioned a study in 2005 to document good practices in selected states. The findings were disseminated at a Stakeholders Workshop in 2007. Arrangements are now being made to publish the report which has been delayed. At present, state Steering Committees routinely identify and document good practices that have been integrated into polices to promote girls’ education by government and other agencies.

2. Publication of good practices: The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (2010) has released a publication on good practices for promoting girls’ education in Nigeria.

3. Dissemination: GEP2 Newsletters (Niger State) have disseminated some good practices from the Girls’ Education Project (GEP). Similarly, ActionAid Nigeria (a partner organization) in its Newsletter Maishela has documented good practices from its Enhancing Girls’ Basic Education in Northern Nigeria (EGBENN) project in selected northern states.

4. Capacity building for identifying good practices: The National TWG organized a training workshop for state personnel to enhance their capacity to identify and document good practices.

Good practices are shared during NGEI TWG/Steering Committee joint meetings which are held twice yearly and at state level meetings. They are also shared during meetings of FME with state Ministry of Education officials. Table 4 below shows progress made with respect to the indicators identified for Outcome 2.

Table 4 - Outcome 2 – Indicators and Progress Made towards Achieving Outcome 2

Expected Outcome

Indicators Progress made

Implementation of gender sensitive programs informed by

Financial incentives to reduce barriers in education

Several states give financial incentives to reduce barriers to education. For example, in Niger, Bauchi and Katsina States, there is free education for all children up to Senior Secondary or university level. The Niger State government


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Expected Outcome

Indicators Progress made

knowledge of good practices

also pays examination fees for the Senior Secondary School examinations – West African School Certificate and NECO.

Measures for safety of girls going to school.

The Child Rights Act makes provision for safety of girls going to school.

In Bauchi State, school girls in school uniform have free bus rides to school in the state capital.

Measures against sexual harassment and violence

The Child Rights Act provides for measures against sexual harassment. It was domesticated in Niger State in 2010.

Schools with separate toilets

Schools are being renovated and separate toilets for boys and girls are provided. In Niger State, out of the 2900 primary schools, about 1000 have toilets.

Gender responsive materials, curriculum and teaching materials

In November 2010, UNICEF held a workshop to review learning materials used in schools for their gender responsiveness.

Teachers and school managers trained in gender equality

Training workshops have been organized for members of School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) under the Girls Education Program. SBMCs must include the Head Teacher and Women.

Programs supporting girls’ re-entry to school after pregnancy

The Universal Basic Education Act provides for re-entry of girls to school. In Niger State, the “Second Chance” program provides for re-entry of girls/women to school.

5.2.3. Impacts of Changes

Several best practices have been institutionalized by education authorities. Policy decisions targeting girls’ education in Nigeria are now informed by knowledge of good


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practices which serve as lessons learned for states with persistent gender gaps in education. Good practices for promoting girls’ education have been integrated into education sector policies and plans. The inclusion of education policy makers as members of NGEI Technical Committees has facilitated their knowledge of good practices and their integration into policies and plans.

Box 1: Good Practice 1 - Female Teachers’ Training Scholarship Scheme The National Certificate of Education (NCE) Teachers’ Scholarship Scheme was initiated under the GEP Program. It is aimed t increasing the number of female teachers to serve as role models in rural communities where female enrolment in basic education is low. Under the scheme, young women are admitted into a three-year NCE program. Each student received a stipend of N50,000 per year for their upkeep from their sponsors. On completion they are to return to their communities to teach. The scheme commenced in 2008/2009 academic year. The scheme is now in its third year. Sponsors include UNICEF (50 students per year under the GEP Program), while the others are sponsored by the state governments (through the State Universal Basic Education Board), Local Government Authorities, and NGOs (Life Rehab Foundation in Niger State). In Bauchi State, about 721 girls are beneficiaries of the scholarship and are students at the College of Education Azare. In Niger State, 978 beneficiaries are enrolled at the College of Education, Minna, with 512 sponsored by Local Government Authorities after advocacy by the state NGEI. Stakeholders commend the program because it will produce female teachers who are very few especially in Northern states. Secondly they believe that the recruit and train method is more likely to improve teacher retention in rural communities instead of recruiting teacher after they have completed the NCE program, as many of such teachers leave as soon as they get better jobs.


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Box 2: Good Practice 2 - Second Chance Program for Married Women The “Second Chance” program provides opportunity for married women who were forced to withdraw from school for marriage or as a result of teenage pregnancy to return to school. The program is for those who have completed Primary education. While the program has existed in Niger State since the late eighties, it was only introduce in Bauchi state in 2008 after NGEI advocacy. A Married Women’s College has been established in each Emirate in Bauchi State. In Niger State, the program has been expanded from one Women’s Day College per Emirate to one per Local Government Area after NGEI advocacy. The program has enabled many women to access secondary education. At the Women Day College Minna, established since 1991, but expanded since 2006. About 1,516 students were enrolled at both Junior and Senior Secondary School levels. In addition to formal education, skills acquisition programs were also available at the school. Some of the classrooms have as many as 80-90 students. In Bauchi, about 200 students are enrolled at the Married Women’s College, Bauchi. The women have embraced the opportunity as some of them have been challenged by their husbands marrying younger educated women. Tuition is free in the schools. This is a good practice that should be adopted in many other states to enable older women to access secondary education.

5.2.4. Contributions by NGEI

The contributions of NGEI have included:

Advocacy and policy dialogue with education agencies: In Niger State, NGEI advocacy on the need for programs for girls forced to drop out as a result of pregnancy or early marriage led to the increase in the number of Women’s Day Colleges from one per Emirate to one per Local Government Area. Policy dialogue in Bauchi State led to the introduction of Married Women’s Colleges in each of the six Emirates in the state.

Sensitization about the importance of girls’ education: Sensitization around the inauguration of NGEI in Niger State led to the introduction of scholarship schemes for all children. The scholarship scheme was initially to be for girls only, but there was protest at the discrimination against boys.


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Organization of training workshops for partners: Training workshops were supported by UNICEF to train state partners on how to identify and document good practices. The training workshop (no date provided) was however a long time ago (to facilitate the study of best practices commissioned in 2005), there is need for more workshops to train current members on how to identify best practices.

Dissemination during NGEI Workshops: Good practices are disseminated at NGEI meetings which hold four times yearly. Two of the workshops (joint meetings of national and state committees) are rotated between partner states to which members of NGEI Steering Committees in states are invited.

Training workshops for school managers: Workshops have been held for School Based Managements Committees on school management and promotion of gender equality in access to education. CSACEFA (partner) has facilitated some of the workshops.

5.2.5. Assessment of Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency of NGEI Contribution

Although some good practices have preceded NGEI in Nigeria, they were not recognized as such and they were not documented for dissemination. With sensitization by NGEI on the need to document and disseminate them, in NGEI partnership states, best practices, human interest stories (case studies) are now being routinely documented and disseminated during meetings. The documentation and dissemination are implemented efficiently and at no additional costs since they are inbuilt into the NGEI process. This is important since NGEI has no supporting funds of its own. These ideals of NGEI have been built into individual and collective activities of NGEI partners. Dissemination has also been effective as these good practices serve as lessons learned for other states with wide gender gaps which may want to adopt/adapt these practices in their own environment. These good practices have contributed to the increase in female enrolment rates in the northern states. They were also effective in the pre-NGEI period in reducing the gender gaps in the southern states.

How sustainable are these good practices? An increasing number of states, especially in the northern parts of Nigeria, are adopting these good practices. Several southern states and the Federal Government adopted some of these good practices in the past to address gender gaps in education. Thus the changes are sustainable, though availability of funds for education will influence the rates at which they are institutionalized by individual states. However, it is necessary to publish and disseminate good practices to education stakeholders all over the country.


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5.3: Outcome 3 - Facilitation by NGEI of an Effective Partnership for Girls’ Education and Gender Equality.

5.3.1. Before NGEI:

Table 5 - Pre and Post-NGEI Partnerships for Girls’ Education in Nigeria

Pre-NGEI Post-NGEI

African Girls’ Education Initiative (AGEI)

Inauguration of NGEI in 2005

Strategy for Acceleration of Girls Education in Nigeria

Formal launching of NGEI in Bauchi in 2008

Girls’ Education Project NGEI Bauchi – March 2008 Federation of Muslim Women

Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) – since formation in 1985

NGEI Niger – November 2009

Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) – formed in 2000 to address education issues

NGEI Katsina – June 2009

NGEI Sokoto – May 2010

Operational but not formally launched in ten states - Borno, Kano, Jigawa, Lagos, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Nassarawa, Plateau and Benue States.

Table 5 above summarizes initiatives/partnerships to promote girls’ education pre- and post NGEI, they have been described in an earlier section. However, the girls’ education initiatives - AGIN and SAGEN were of short durations, while FOMWAN and CSACEGFA were not as broad-based as the NGEI which involves a wide range of stakeholders.

5.3.2. Changes After NGEI

The expected outcome for Outcome 3 is that NGEI partnerships are operational at national and state levels.

As shown in a preceding section and table 5 above, NGEI is fully functional at the national level and in four states. It is operating in some other states, but there was no documentary evidence (available to the consultant) that NGEI has been launched or


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that a Steering Committee is in place in these states, although they submitted plans to set up NGEI chapters as far back as 2009. The limited number of strong CSOs in these states, lack of political will or lack of interest in the primary issues of concern (female enrolments and attendance) may have hindered progress in launching NGEI in more states. As some stakeholders pointed out, you need someone who is passionate about an issue to drive it. Limited funding for the National Technical Working Group to intensify advocacy to these states is also a factor.

The partnership is very functional in those states where they have been formally launched. They have engaged in various in activities such as:

Sensitization campaigns to communities, traditional and religious leaders (including Emirs);

Policy dialogue with policy makers;

Listing of girl child hawkers in Bauchi State; etc.

In Katsina and Niger States, efforts have been made to establish Local Government chapters of NGEI. Girls’ Education Committees have been set up in some of the Local Governments in Niger State (for example, Paikoro LGA where a female is the Local Government Education Secretary). Women’s associations have been formed in primary schools, while in some secondary schools, Girls’ Clubs have been formed (Gwam Day Secondary School in Paikoro Local Government Area).

Progress towards Outcome 3

The expected outputs for Outcome 3 are:

1. TORs and Guidelines for NGEI implementation developed.

2. Partnerships at national and state levels are formed.

3. Capacities of partners strengthened in gender mainstreaming.

The three expected outputs have been delivered as analyzed below:

TORs and Guidelines: Although these were difficult to retrieve, TORs and guidelines have been developed at both the national and state levels. Operational and membership guidelines and TORs for states were developed during the national launching in Bauchi in March 2008. The membership should be inter-sectoral and accommodate all stakeholders in the state. The Technical Committee is to partner with state government while the civil society (CSACEFA) is to serve as the lead technical advisor. The roles and


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responsibilities of partners were also agreed upon during the national launching of NGEI in Bauchi (NGEI, 2008c).

The National Technical Working Group meets twice a year (at UNICEF Office) and holds two Joint Meetings of the National Technical Working Group and State chapters in partnership states. State Technical Committees hold quarterly meetings. Joint meetings are to appraise state and national chapter work plans, examine strategies, share good practices and identify challenges in the promotion of girls’ education. State chapters are expected to bring reports of their activities to the meetings.

TORs and guidelines were reported in various minutes of meetings held by the national TWG, there was no copy of any MOU available. There is need to prepare a comprehensive brochure or document describing guidelines and TORs for easy reference.

Partnerships are formed at national and state levels/Number of active organizations:

As shown in 5 partnerships have been formed at national and state levels. The key partner organizations at the national level are: CSACEFA, Change Managers International Network, The Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), the Forum for African Women Educationists of Nigeria (FAWEN), ActionAid Nigeria, Society for Empowerment and Self Reliance (SESER), and NAWENO. A few NGOs which were invited from states (non-NGEI states) at the early phase of NGEI no longer participate in NGEI meetings because of reasons of distance and inadequate funds, Such NGOs can be used to spearhead formation of NGEI chapters in their states.

In Niger State, key partner NGOs are: the Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), National Council of Women’s Societies, and the Life Rehab Foundation, and CSACEFA (state chapter). There are few active NGOs working on educational issues in the state. All are members of the state NGEI Technical Committee and were collectively involved in the sensitization visits to the Local Government Areas and communities. They also integrate NGEI ideals into their individual organizational activities. The Life Rehabilitation Foundation for Women (founded by the state First Lady), spearheaded the launching of NGEI in the state. It has also awarded scholarships to 40 female students as part of the Female Teachers Training Scholarship Scheme in the state. WRAPA offers free legal services to girls threatened with forced marriage or withdrawal from school. FOMWAN which has branches in 35 states has established primary and secondary schools nation-wide with emphasis on girls’ education. It also organizes an Annual Education Summit on girls’ education


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In Bauchi State, in addition to various line ministries and official agencies such as the Adult and Non-Formal Education Agency, key NGO partners are: FOMWAN, Women Empowerment Initiative of Nigeria (WEIN), Community Action for Popular Participation (CAPP), Women Development Association for Self Sustenance (WODASS), Development Exchange Centre (DEC), and RAHAMA Women Development. The Office of the First Lady is also represented in the Technical Committee.

Although several key stakeholders groups have been invited to be partners, the partnership has excluded the academic and intellectual community working on gender equality and education issues.

Capacities of members strengthened for gender mainstreaming

The capacity of partners for gender mainstreaming has been strengthened through participation at gender training workshops:

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has organized a number of gender budgeting workshops for its own staff as well as for budget officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) organized several gender training and gender budget workshops for various stakeholders – line Ministries, the media, NGOs, etc, by itself and through the National Centre for Economic Management and Administration (NCEMA).

As part of the GEP, UNICEF has supported training programs for School Based Management Committees on school management from a gender perspective and the importance of girls’ education.

The Joint Meetings of the National Technical Working Group and state chapters of NGEI also provide opportunities for strengthening members’ capacity for gender mainstreaming.

The capacities of GEP Consultants and Gender Desks from UNICEF, the Gender Education Unit of Ministries of Education and Universal Basic Education bodies for gender mainstreaming have been developed.

Thus many of the members of the Technical Committees and NGOs have had opportunities to participate in gender training workshops at one time or the other and built their capacities for gender mainstreaming. However, partners at state levels require further capacity building in advocacy, development of work plans and fundraising. At the national level, capacity needs to be enhanced in leadership skills,


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workshop methods and strategic planning through workshops as well as study tours for members of Technical Working Groups.

Collaboration between and degree of satisfaction by member organizations

Joint work plans are drawn up annually by Technical Committees (since 2008) and discussed during the Joint Meetings of national and state chapters of NGEI. At the state level, a joint work plan developed by the Technical Committee outline priority issues, key activities to be implemented, responsible partners, target groups, timeline, expected outputs and outcomes, and required resources. At the national level, due to its smaller size, activities are assigned to committees or individuals based on the competencies of partner organizations. They are expected to integrate into their organization’s ongoing programs since there is no budget for NGEI. At the national level, UNICEF has provided funding and technical support for NGEI’s meetings and some activities (such as advocacy/monitoring visits to state chapters) introducing them in under the budget for GEP activities. In Niger State, the Ministry of Education provided a budget of five million Naira for NGEI activities in 2010 while SUBEB supports NGEI meetings (refreshments, etc). In Bauchi State, the Technical Committee has dialogued with government agencies to mainstream NGEI’s planned activities into their budget, for example, the Married Women’s Colleges by SUBEB and the Ministry of Education.

Participation in the partnership is voluntary as no member is disciplined for not executing an activity or not turning up at meetings. At the national level, because of its smaller size, activities and meetings of the Technical Working Group have often been rescheduled due to members’ involvement with their primary assignments in their organizations. However, the organizations are willing to participate in partnership activities because they fit into their own objectives and programs. Partners have been very committed and willing to give their time and energy all for the cause of promoting girls’ education in their states. During state awareness campaigns, members of Technical Committees travelled over long distances in difficult and sometimes dangerous terrains to get the message of girls’ education to the grassroots.

Most of the reservations about the partnership were expressed at the national level where some partners complained about the lack of a proper structure and haziness of NGEI at the national level, inadequate specification of roles and responsibilities of NGEI Technical Working Group members/officers, life span of the TWG, etc. Lack of a “structure” and legal status will make it difficult for NGEI to obtain independent funding. NGEI appeared to be better defined at the state level where roles and responsibilities of partners were outlined in the work plans and there was a Desk Officer for the Technical Committee.


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Links with Regional and Global UNGEI

Relationship between NGEI and the Regional Office are relatively weak. The UNICEF Regional Focal Office maintains relationship with the country partnership in the following ways:

NGEI work plans are forwarded to the Regional Focal Office for their inputs. Progress reports are also sent to the regional office.

In 2009, the education specialist at the Regional Office visited Nigeria to facilitate the Joint Meeting of national Technical Working Group and state Steering Committees which was held in Kaduna. The vision and objectives of UNGEI were explained to participants. During the visit, the Focal Person accompanied members of the NGEI Technical Working Group on advocacy visits to different stakeholders.

The Regional Office organized the UNGEI E4 Conference in Dakar where NGEI was represented.

However, it appears that the communication between NGEI and the Regional Focal Office was directly to the UNICEF Nigeria office. As a result, members of NGEI Technical Working Group are not aware of the UNGEI Regional Office or what support they can expect from the Regional Office. It may be necessary for the Regional Focal Person to maintain a direct contact with the NGEI Secretariat so that the NGEI Secretariat can interact directly with the office.

Similarly, links with the global partnership appear to be limited to participation of representatives of NGEI at global meetings.

5.3.3. Impacts of the Changes

Overall, one may conclude that functional partnerships have been established in Nigeria at national and state levels, especially in those states where NGEI has been formally launched and is fully functional. The NGEI partnership is more visible at the state levels where plans and policies are implemented. However, states in the southern part of Nigeria are yet to be integrated into the NGEI, Available records show that only Lagos State had been contacted, but there has been no development since then.


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The evaluation finds that progress has been made towards the achievement of the three UNGEI outcomes. The NGEI partnership is fully functional at the national levels and in some states in the northern parts of Nigeria.


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6. Overall Assessment of the Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency of NGEI Partnership

6.1. Key Features of NGEI Partnership

There are various definitions of a partnership. A working definition of a partnership is “a collaborative relationship between entities to work toward shared objectives through a mutually agreed division of labour” (World Bank, 1998, cited in Axelrod, 2001). A partnership is also defined as “a group of organizations whose members commit to an agreed purpose and shared decision-making to influence an eternal institution or target, while each member maintains its autonomy” (Raynor, 2010). It is also seen as “an arrangement for pooling and managing of resources and mobilization of competencies and commitments by public, business and civil society partners to contribute to a goal” (IIEP, 2010). Given these definitions, to what extent does the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative partnership model meet the global definitions of the ideal partnership? This is described in the table below.

Table 6 - Features of NGEI Partnership

Features of a Partnership

Key Features of NGEI Partnership

Inclusiveness NGEI Partnership is inclusive - all relevant education stakeholders were invited to be partners. The NGEI partnership model is a collaboration of development partners, education policy-makers (Ministries of Education and their agencies), Civil Society Organizations, traditional and religious leaders, parents and the female students (Girls’ Clubs). However, the academic community has not been involved as partners.

Multiple levels of activities

NGEI operates at multiple levels – its activities target stakeholders at the national and state levels and at the local level (in communities).

Common Goals/Vision

NGEI partners share a common goal and vision to promote girls’ education in Nigeria. These have been identified and agreed upon in its operational guidelines.

Pooling of NGEI partnership consists of different organizations with different


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Resources competencies which are pooled. Joint work plans assign responsibilities to partners based on their human and other resources. This is important since NGEI has no budget of its own.

Joint Governance

NGEI partnership is managed by a technical Working Group at the national level and State Steering Committees at the state level. Their roles and responsibilities are spelt out in the Terms of Reference (TOR).

NGEI therefore has all the features of a partnership. How effective and efficient is the NGEI partnership? This analysis is done by identifying the strengths and weakness, as well as the opportunities and threats facing the NGEI partnership using the SWOT analysis.

6.2. Strengths of NGEI Partnership

The stakeholders identified the strengths of the NGEI partnership as follows:

A key strength is that NGEI is its relevance to the Nigerian context. It addresses issues which are priority policy concern in Nigeria – achieving the MDG and EFA goals to which Nigeria is signatory.

Collaboration between different organizations with different competencies to participate in campaigns for girls’ education with resulting synergy. These include time, human resources, expertise, etc.

The establishment of structures which can sustain NGEI ideals – School Based Management Committees, Women’s Associations, Girls’ Clubs, NGOs with interest in promoting female education.

Success in promoting gender mainstreaming in education sector and state plans and budgets. It was difficult in the past to get gender issues into budgets and plans.

Coordination and better organization of girls’ education-related activities by NGEI partnership.

Pressure by NGEI partners on the bureaucracy to address girls’ education concerns. “You can ignore a lone voice, but not a chorus of voices”.

Mobilization of support for girls’ education among traditional and religious leaders, communities and parents.


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Efficiency in the use of resources as partner organizations integrate NGEI ideals and activities into their own programs thus making implementation cost-effective.

The overall result has been a positive impact on girls’ education - increase in enrolment, retention and completion rates for girls in school.

6.3. Weaknesses of NGEI Partnership

Identified weaknesses include:

Lack of a budget to support NGEI activities leading to non-execution of activities in work plans. For example, the National Technical Working Group had to roll over its 2010 Work plan to 2011, and as at the time of the evaluation, little had been done.

Lack of time by partners because of concentration on the primary activities of their organizations. This affects attendance at meetings and implementation of activities.

The voluntary nature of the partnership affects the level of commitment by partners. Some partners were more enthusiastic than others. This may be due to lack of an MOU detailing roles and obligations of individual partners.

Lack of documentation (dedicated newsletter or brochure) about NGEI and its activities. Information about NGEI is only available in minutes of meetings (some of which are undated) which are available only to members of the Technical Working Groups. As a result, many stakeholders in education outside the governance structure do not know about NGEI and UNGEI.

The absence of strong NGOs with national spread is a limiting factor (FOMWAN is the nearest to this with presence in 35 states). Many NGOs operate in only one or a few states. CSACEFA is not very strong in several states.

Lack of a dedicated desk officer at the national level who can be a focal point for information and data about NGEI. Although CSACEFA is the secretariat, the Program Officer who covers NGEI meetings has her own schedule of work. Lack of a full time Desk Officer who can organize records, data bases, and coordinate NGEI activities at the national level and link with states between meetings makes it difficult to obtain data and information about NGEI. Documents used for the evaluation were provided by UNICEF.


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6.4. Opportunities for NGEI Partnership

There are many positive factors which can promote the sustainability of NGEI as a partnership and build on its achievements:

Political will to promote gender issues. There is a pro-gender atmosphere in Nigeria. There is presently a lot of agitation for 35% representation of women in government. To achieve this, women have to be prepared through education.

There is a favourable policy environment for NGEI to function. Gender is being mainstreamed into sector and state wide as well as national plans in Nigeria.

The presence of development partners and other education initiatives (such as the Northern Education Initiative and the Emirates Education Foundation in Niger State) which complement NGEI activities.

6.5. Threats to NGEI Partnership

Some of the success factors have also created threats for the future of NGEI and sustainability of achievements, they include:

Fear of cooption by First Ladies: States where NGEI has been launched and is active are those where the First Ladies have been very supportive – Niger, Katsina and Bauchi. The First Ladies have been at the forefront of activities to promote girls’ education. Thus the question is whether NGEI should be independent of the First Ladies or whether it should be seen as their ‘pet’ project. This is a matter for concern as it has its disadvantages and advantages. What if the succeeding First Lady is not interested in NGEI?

Inadequate infrastructure: Sensitization has generated high demand for school places by parents and husbands for primary and junior secondary schools, married women’s (second chance) colleges, non-formal education opportunities for adult women, etc. Growth in facilities has to keep pace with increase in demand. Several schools are overcrowded, with inadequate facilities (classrooms, hostel accommodation at Colleges of Education for trainee teachers, etc). Lack of facilities can result in poor performance or lead to rejection of children by schools for lack of space, and this may discourage parents and husbands from sending their daughters/wives to school. Some female trainee teachers were withdrawn from the program at the Azare College of Education in Bauchi State as a result of poor hostel accommodation.


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Economic empowerment of women: Mothers keep their daughters away from school because they need them to earn additional incomes for the family. Women need to be empowered so that they can keep their children in school.

Persistence of the kayan daki (trousseau) practice whereby daughters/parents have to raise the money with which to buy various furniture and other utensils (beds, televisions, refrigerators, etc) to take to their husbands’ homes when they get married. Girls from poor homes may be forced to drop out of school to hawk goods to raise the money. This practice can be counter–productive to the success of NGEI in enhancing transition to secondary schools and higher levels of education.

Widespread unemployment: Education should translate into decent jobs. If jobs are not available on graduation, parents may be reluctant to send their children to school. Assurance of automatic employment for graduates of the Female Teachers Training Scholarship Program was a factor enhancing its popularity with the rural recipients. They are to return to their communities to teach for at least two years and serve as role models.

6.6. Complementary Education Initiatives

A few initiatives which promote education and complement NGEI activities are briefly described below. Some of them target girls directly (e.g, the scholarship scheme), while others benefit both boys and girls through improved learning environments.

1. Emirates Education Foundation

In Niger State, each of the eight Emirates has an Emirate Education Foundation. Contributions come from indigenes who pay an annual levy as well as friends of the Emirate. The State Government gives a matching grant to Emirates that have raised an appreciable amount. The funds are spent on educational activities – renovation and construction of class room blocks, school furniture and boreholes, award of scholarships, registration of students for examinations, etc. In 2007-2008, the Emirates Education Foundation raised and spent a total of N295,921,149.65 on education projects, in 2010, the Emirates raised about N200 million for education projects (Niger State Ministry of Education). The Emirates have been sensitized about the importance of girls’ education.

2. Northern Education Initiative


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The Northern Education Initiative (NEI) is aimed at improving education in Bauchi and Sokoto States. It focuses on improvement in teacher quality, data, girls’ education as well as building capacities for education sector planning. RAHAMA is one of the NGOs assisting in implementing the initiative which is supported by USAID. The initiative supports the vulnerable children in Tsagaya (Integrated Quaranic) schools. School materials are provided for children under this initiative – school uniforms, books, sandals, etc. It also supports skills acquisition by the children. Girls are provided with wrappers and hygiene packs. The NEI pays the Mallams in Tsagaya Schools N5,000 monthly, the basic education teachers are paid N7,500, while craft teachers are paid N2,000 monthly.

3. Ward Development Project in Education

Niger State has a Ward Development Program implemented through Ward Committees. Each of the 274 wards in the state is given the sum of N1,000,000 monthly to be spent on ward development activities by the Ministry of Local Government. Of this, N100,000 must be spent on education. The money is spent on construction and renovation of classroom blocks and furniture, science laboratory, repair of boreholes, etc. This grant complements wards’ self-help efforts. As they remarked, they now acknowledge that school development is not a government affair alone.

4. Ambassador’s Girls’ Scholarship Scheme

The Ambassador’s Girls’ Scholarship is part of the US President’s African Education Initiative Program. It started in 2002, and FOMWAN was one of the NGOs chosen to implement the program in Nigeria. The program commenced in 2005/2006, and the target groups were school-age children that were not in school as well as orphans, girls affected by HIV/AIDS, street children in refugee camps and disabled children. Two Local Government Areas each in four states were included - Nassarawa, Niger, and Ogun States and the Federal Capital Territory. The program was initially for girls only but boys were later included, the program which was extended by two years will end in 2010/2011 academic year Key NGEI partners are involved in these initiatives. State Ministries of Education oversee all the initiatives, while Civil Society Organizations assist in implementing some of the activities – the Scholarships program and the Northern Education Initiative.


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7. Conclusions

This chapter uses findings from previous chapters to summarize the NGEI partnership, its activities and achievements.

7.1. NGEI’s Activities and Objectives

The key objectives of NGEI are to encourage government and CSOs to intensify support for girls’ education and share good practices to promote girls’ education with the overall goal of narrowing the gender gap in primary and secondary education. In this respect, NGEI is to:

o Coordinate all activities relating to girls’ education on behalf of the Forum. o Review and document state reports and updates for dissemination. o Conduct monitoring and evaluation of NGEI activities at all levels. o Conduct advocacy, networking and collaboration with stakeholders.

The evaluation finds that the NGEI partnership has made significant progress in actualizing some of its objectives as stated above. It is coordinating activities relating to girls’ education in states where it is operational. It is however limited to the northern states where gender gaps in education remain high. Southern states which have moved towards gender equality in access to basic education have not shown much interest in the partnership. While NGEI reviews state reports during joint meetings, they have not been disseminated outside the governance structure of NGEI. It has had limited success in monitoring NGEI activities at all levels mainly due to lack of funding. It has succeeded in conducting advocacy and collaboration with stakeholders – government, communities, religious and traditional leaders, etc.

7.2. Progress Towards Achievement of UNGEI’s Expected Outcomes

The three UNGEI expected outcomes are:

1. policies that promote girls’ education and gender equality are in existence; 2. best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality are known and

institutionalized; and 3. UNGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender

equality.

Policies that promote girls’ education and gender equality are in place: Since NGEI partnership was established, policies targeted at promoting girls’ education and


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gender equality have been developed. The National Gender in Basic Education Policy and the National Gender Policy were approved in 2007 after stakeholder workshops which involved NGEI partners as participants to review the drafts. The strategies to address female education concerns have been integrated into state education sector strategic plans.

Best practices are known and institutionalized: Good practices are being routinely identified and documented. An increasing number of states in northern Nigeria have institutionalized good practices for promoting girls’ education in their education programs. The Ministry of Women Affairs (2010) published a compendium of good practices for promoting girls’ education from the experiences of different states, while the NGEI partnership is in the process of publishing a report of a study of good practices in six selected states that it commissioned in 2005. The report was presented at a stakeholder workshop in 2007.

NGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality: The NGEI partnership has been effective in those states where it has been launched – Bauchi, Niger, Katsina and Sokoto States. It has brought all relevant stakeholders into the state Steering Committees and coordinated efforts of different stakeholders to promote female education. Partner organizations have been very committed and have integrated NGEI activities into their programs. Each partner examines the work plan and identifies how its organization can contribute to implementing the activities in the work plan. However, there is limited information about NGEI beyond members of the Technical Working Group. There is need to disseminate their activities to all stakeholders. Furthermore, the impact is also greater at the state level where education policies and programs are implemented. Inadequate funds and time have limited the activities of the national Technical Working Group. Improved funding will enable the national body to better monitor NGEI activities at the state level. The academic community is yet to be involved in the partnership.

This, NGEI has made significant progress towards achieving the three UNGEI outcomes. Sine NGEI, education policies and plans have become more gender friendly. God practices have been documented and are being institutionalized in northern states where gender gaps in education remain high. The NGEI partnership has been effective in mobilizing stakeholders to promote female education. The overall result is that over the years, female enrolments, retention and completion rates have increased.

7.3. Promoting Girls’ Education in Nigeria


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Through NGEI structure, partners have been able to promote female education in the northern states where the partnership is functional. Factors which have contributed to increased female enrolments include: awareness raising campaigns by state Technical Working Committee members to communities, traditional and religious leaders, parents, etc; the use of School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to raise awareness about female education and participate in school development; house-to-house campaigns by female members of the SBMCs, the participation of state First Ladies in spearheading NGEI’s campaign for girls’ education, etc. Mothers, who have been encouraged to form Women’s Associations, have been sensitized about the importance of female education. As they reported, “women have been cheated in the past, now they too should benefit from education so that they too can become Local Government Chairmen and participate in decision-making”. The result has been an increase in female enrolments, classrooms have become overcrowded. Even old women (some with eight children) have enrolled in adult literacy classes they pointed out, with female members of SBMCs showing the way (The consultant asked some of the women [Women’s Association of Gwam Primary School] to demonstrate what they learnt in adult classes – arithmetic, writing, etc, and they were very proud of their achievements and eager to show off).

7.4. Contribution of NGEI to Changes around Girls’ Education

The findings of this report have shown that since NGEI was established in 2005, the following changes have taken place around female education, especially in states with wide gender gaps in education:

Adoption of gender sensitive education policies and plans at the national and state levels.

Increase in female enrolments, attendance and completion rates leading to continued decline in gender gaps in education, especially at primary school level.

Improvements in transition rates from primary to Junior Primary School by girls.

Increase in the adoption of best practices for promoting girls education by education authorities in states with wide gender gaps in education.

Greater understanding of gender issues and willingness to integrate gender concerns into education sector, state and national policies and plans by policy makers.


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To what extent can these changes be attributed to the NGEI partnership? Would these changes have taken place without NGEI? It should be noted that female enrolment has also improved in states where NGEI partnership is not operational. One may conclude that while all the changes cannot be attributed to the NGEI partnership alone, NGEI has been a catalyst and has accelerated the pace of change in attitudes toward female education. According to a stakeholder, “the key is in the coordination of efforts addressed at tackling constraints on female education. There would have been changes without NGEI, but not in a coordinated manner”. The efforts are now channeled through the partnership. Instead of CSOs making discordant noises as activists, they are part of a stakeholder group which meets with policy makers and other relevant groups to promote female education. That is, all stakeholders, including the beneficiaries, become part of problem identification and the solution and not hindrances. NGEI partners have played a key role in breaking down several of the barriers to female education especially in the northern parts of Nigeria where negative attitudes have persisted over time. Other initiatives have also contributed to the improvements in girls’ education.

Furthermore, many of the activities appear to some stakeholders to be an extension of the Girls’ Education Project (GEP) activities (a DFID supported project being managed by UNICEF). A stakeholder (Bauchi) identified the Girls’ Education Project as the turning point in girls’ education in the northern parts of Nigeria. Thus there is confusion in some stakeholders’ minds and they find it difficult to distinguish between the two (GEP and NGEI). Since NGEI was introduced into states via those states where GEP is being implemented, what has happened is that through NGEI advocacy, states were sensitized to adopt good practices from the GEP to increase girls’ access to education. For example, replication of GEP1, extension of the Female Teachers’ Training Scholarship Scheme (GEP2 supports 50 female students per state, while states which buy in support additional students), community sensitization, etc, are such examples. NGEI Technical Committees are also supported by GEP Consultants, GEP Desk Officers, GEP Special Projects Coordinators, UNICEF officers, etc. It is in this sense that NGEI is a catalyst. It has generated a momentum among communities, parents and policy-making with respect to girls’ education.

7.5. Views of Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries who have become partners – members of School Based Management Committees (which include the Village Head, religious leader, head teacher, the head boy and head girl, fathers and mothers as members), women’s associations, and female students, were all very pleased with the ongoing changes. According to the women:


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“In the past, only men made the decisions, now women want to be part of decision-making, women are better decision makers. Our eyes are now open”.

“When the education team came last time, there were more men. When the Education Secretary (a female) arrived, everyone stood up, this was because she is educated. Today, there are more women in the team, out of six people at the high table, only one is a man. A woman is leading the team.” (male member of the SBMC).

The female students are also happy at the opportunity to be in school. They have heard of the saying, ‘what a man can do, a woman can do better’. To do anything better than a man, girls must be educated.

The community members praised the SBMC members for their commitment to promoting girls’ education, especially the female members, who sensitized mothers. Every available opportunity was used – marriage and child-naming ceremonies, market places, etc. The SBMCs will help to promote sustainability of the girls’ education movement. The beneficiaries however emphasized the need to increase and improve educational infrastructure to meet the increased enrolments by both girls and women (adult literacy programs). This observation was passed on to the education officials who were observers during the sessions.

7.6. Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency of NGEI

The Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative is relevant in the Nigerian context because it contributes to Nigeria’s efforts to meet the MDGs 2 and 3 and Education for All (EFA) goals of achieving universal access to basic education and reducing gender gaps in education. Nigeria is signatory to both agreements and is implementing policies to achieve these goals. NGEI complements these efforts. It is effective because it has contributed to: adoption of gender-sensitive education policies and plans; increases in female enrolment, attendance and completion rates; reintegration of pregnant and married girls into schools. Its activities which are focused mainly in the northern parts of the country were gender gaps in education are widest have had significant impacts. Its activities are also implemented in an efficient manner because they are built into the programs of partners, its implementation strategies are therefore cost-effective.

7.7. Relationship with Regional UNGEI

Although the regional education expert came t Nigeria in 2009 to facilitate the joint meeting of national and state Technical Committees, relationship between NGEI Secretariat and the Regional Office are relatively weak. While NGEI sends progress reports and work plans to the regional office, communications appear


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to be routed through the UNICEF contact person and not to the NGEI Secretariat. As a result, many members of NGEI Technical Working Group are not aware of UNGEI Regional Office or what support they can expect from the office. It may be necessary for the Regional Focal Person to also have direct contact with the NGEI Secretariat so that the Technical working Group can interact directly with the regional office.

7.8. Relationship with Global NGEI

With respect to global UNGEI, some members of the Technical Working Group/Committee have participated at Global Advisory Committee Meetings at Brasilia (2004), Burkina Faso (2009), and Paris (2009). Only the report for the 2004 meeting was available. NGEI has also sent reports of their activities to UNGEI headquarters. Since no annual reports were shown to the consultant, it was not clear whether these reports are only sent on demand in response to questionnaires from UNGEI Secretariat. These were not available to the consultant from the NGEI Secretariat (the consultant accessed two reports/profile of NGEI from the UNGEI website).


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8. Lessons learned

This chapter presents lessons learned for girls’ education and gender equality and for the UNGEI country and global partnerships.

8.1: Overall lessons around girls’ education and gender equality.

Sustained advocacy to policy makers, traditional and religious leaders as well as continuous mobilization of stakeholders contributed to increase in school enrolment and retention of girls at all levels of education.

School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) and Women’s Associations are good mechanisms for promoting female education.

Partnership of policy makers, Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders enhances the adoption of gender sensitive education policies and programs.

The recruit and train method for employing teachers is a better way of recruiting female teachers than recruitment after training. Retention of teachers is likely to be higher than when already trained teachers are recruited. This is because such teachers may have opted for teacher out of frustration (unable to secure a preferred job or admission to University).

The “second chance” program which allows girls who dropped out of school because of forced withdrawal for marriage or pregnancy, to return to school (Women’s Day Colleges) is a good way to promote female education.

8.2: Lessons for NGEI partnership.

The use of female role models during the sensitization campaigns in rural communities, for example, a female Education Secretary/GEP Consultants, who can use themselves as examples of the benefits of female education, has a positive effect on young girls who aspire to be like them.

The involvement of state First Ladies in spearheading the sensitization campaigns on the benefits of female education to communities, Emirates and Local Government Areas and advocacy to government is a key factor in changing attitudes towards female education and enhancing the release of funds by government to fund NGEI activities.


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Inadequate provision of infrastructure to meet increase in demand for school places can have a negative effect on the achievements of the partnership.

8.3: Lessons for UNGEI globally.

There is need to strengthen the links between the country partnerships (Secretariat) and UNGEI regional and global offices. Most of the NGEI partners are in the dark about the existence and roles of the Regional Office partly because communication is between the UNICEF country and regional offices.

UNGEI may need to expand its scope by including issues such as quality of education and gender issues in secondary education in its agenda. Focus of UNGEI on gender equality in basic education is partly responsible for lack of interest by southern states of the country in the NGEI partnership since most of them have achieved or are near achieving gender equality at the basic education level.


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9. Recommendations

This chapter suggests recommendations for sustaining NGEI, and upscaling the partnership to states which have not shown enthusiasm for the partnership.

9.1. Sustaining the NGEI

While all the changes around girls’ education cannot be attributed to NGEI, the NGEI partnership has generated momentum around girls’ education in Nigeria, it has made impacts which should be sustained. Already, structures have been put in place that can help to sustain NGEI in the states where it is fully functional – School Based Management Committees, NGEI Technical Committees, Women’s Associations, etc. Gender-sensitive policies and sector plans have already been developed. It is recommended that:

The NGEI National Technical Working Group should intensify advocacy efforts to national and state education agencies to promote the establishment of these structures where they do not exist and strengthen them where they are already functional. They should be encouraged to add issues of female education to their agenda, especially in states where the NGEI partnership is not on ground.

The NGEI Technical Committees at national and state levels should engage in advocacy to all states to domesticate the National Gender in Education Policy to integrate critical challenges to female education in their respective states. Alternately, states which have not yet done so should be sensitized to develop and implement gender-sensitive education sector plans.

The TWG should build the capacity of relevant NGOs (members of CSACEFA) to provide technical support for NGEI in their states.

9.2. Monitoring/Dissemination of NGEI Activities

The Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative has generated a lot of information about its activities, conducted research, documented some good practices, etc. However, most of this information is only available in minutes of meetings, power point presentations, which are only available to partners. Furthermore, most of the information is available from UNICEF Office and not from NGEI Secretariat (CSACEFA). The consultant was not shown any annual reports of activities, reports of joint meetings of the national and state chapters, etc. (The consultant saw only one report of a joint meeting of national and state chapters at Haske Hotel Minna). As a result, very few people outside the membership of NGEI Technical Committees are well informed about the partnership


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and its activities. The Secretariat should be a repository of information/data about NGEI, it is therefore recommended that for improved record-keeping and easy access to information about NGEI:

The National Technical Working Group should have a Secretariat (an equipped office of its own) which should be domiciled either at CSACEFA (the present Secretariat), or at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), or the Federal Ministry of Education.

A full-time NGEI Desk Officer should be engaged to run the NGEI national Secretariat on a day-to-day basis to provide a focal/reference point for national NGEI activities.

A profile of NGEI should be prepared for dissemination to inform Nigerians about what NGEI stands for.

NGEI Desk Officers at national and state levels should build an institutional memory for all NGEI activities and documentation - TORs, guidelines, etc.

NGEI should compile and disseminate innovative good practices for promoting girls’ education in Nigeria.

9.3. Scaling Up UNGEI to Non-participating States

The focus of UNGEI is on promoting gender parity in basic education. As a result, states in the southern part of the country have not shown enthusiasm about NGEI, NGEI activities are therefore limited to states in the northern part of the country where gender gaps in education are still wide. NGEI has been launched in only four states and is operational in another nine states. To address this and make it a truly Nigerian initiative which covers majority and preferably all the states, it is recommended that:

The NGEI TWG should pay an advocacy visit to the present First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, to be the Grand Patron of the NGEI, and if possible re-launch the NGEI with focus on the southern parts of the country in order to bring in states where NGEI is not functional.

The TWG should also target The First Ladies’ Forum, a meeting of the wives of the President and State Governors and encourage them to include girls’ education matters in their agenda as well as spearhead the establishment/sustenance of NGEI in their states. State Technical Committees should target wives of Chairmen of LGAs to promote adoption of NGEI at the LGA levels.


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CSACEFA should undertake research in non-participating states to identify critical girls’ education challenges which can be used for advocacy to such states to launch NGEI. Alternatively, NGEI Technical Working Group can submit a proposal to funding agencies and engage Education Faculties to conduct this research in non-participating states.

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs which has not been actively involved at the national level should be brought on board, as girls’ education is a gender issue. It should link up with State Ministries of Women Affairs to join the partnership in order to promote female education in Nigeria.

9.4. Expanding Funding Sources

NGEI has no separate budget for its activities. Inadequate funds have been a major constraint on the implementation of activities on the work plans of national and state chapters. NGEI should not be seen as a UNICEF affair, relying on financial support of UNICEF for all its activities. NGEI Technical Committees should seek for funds from other sources. It is recommended that:

NGEI Technical Working Group should organize fund-raising activities or write proposals to funding agencies for support to implement its activities. This has been on its work plan and should be implemented. Special project accounts can be created for such funds.

The Federal Ministry of Education, State Ministry of Education, the Universal Basic Education Commission and State Universal Basic Education Boards, should create a budget for NGEI activities and maintenance of their Secretariats in their own budget proposals.

9.5. Broadening the Scope of UNGEI

UNGEI’s focus is on promoting gender equality in basic education. Most of the southern states of Nigeria have achieved or nearly achieved gender parity at this level. They are more concerned with gender parity at secondary and higher levels. It is therefore suggested that:

UNGEI should broaden its scope to include quality of basic education as well as gender issues in secondary and higher education.


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10.

ANNEXES

ANNEX 1: ABBREVIATED TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR FORMATIVE EVALUATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE (UNGEI)

Purpose of Assignment:

The overall purpose of the evaluation is to explore the extent to which the UNGEI partnership is achieving its intended outcomes at the country level, and the extent to which the global efforts are contributing to the effectiveness and efficiency of the UNGEI partnership.

Major Tasks to be accomplished by the Consulting Institute:

The consultant will be responsible for the professional conduct of the evaluation in accordance with the terms of reference, the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation1 and the UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluation2, and will;

Assist in setting up reference group for stakeholders in consultation with UNGEI focal points and/or UNICEF education officers;

Customize, review and validate data collection tools, (questionnaires, interview questions and protocols);

Collect data and process; Design and facilitate consultative workshops and meetings and write workshop

reports; Prepare country reports - draft and final reports, and develop PowerPoint

presentations; and, ensure that the evaluation manager is regularly informed of the progress of the evaluation and possible causes of delays and issues to resolve.

In detail, the evaluation will provide answers to the following:

1 http://www.uneval.org/papersandpubs/documentdetail.jsp?doc_id=22

2 http://www.unevaluation.org/documentdownload?doc_id=100&file_id=547


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Outcome 1 – Policies promote girls’ education and gender equality

a. What does the UNGEI partnership at the country level look like? (This is a more in-depth description of the country partnership, formed from desk review and in-country, also answering the questions of whether there are TORs for the partnership, whether there is an annual work plan, and the process that is typically undertaken to come up with an annual work plan for the partnership.)

b. Is there agreement among partners about the proposed UNGEI results framework?

c. Does the UNGEI coordination mechanism and activities of partners at the country level contribute to national policies promoting girls’ education and gender equality?

d. What constitutes the full UNGEI country-level partnership)? This macro-level mapping of the partnership will ask the following questions for the national partnerships not participating in the exercise: Is there a formalized partnership with TOR? Is there an agreed annual work plan (AWP)? If so, (a) describe the partnership's main activities and (b) Are the AWP results reported annually to the UNGEI Regional Focal Point?

Outcome 2 – Best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality are known and institutionalized Country partnerships:

a. Does the country partnership have access to best knowledge, policies, and practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality from sources attributable to the partnership?

b. What effort has the partnership made to ensure that this knowledge is applied? c. Do we need to know what results may have emanated from these applications/

the possible long term projection of the trend?

Outcome 3 – UNGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality

Country partnerships:

a. What is the added value of UNGEI (i.e., what are some of your achievements that were made possible as a result of working under the partnership)?

b. How effectively does the country coordination mechanism promote measuring and achieving results?

c. Does the country coordination mechanism work in a manner that enhances the effectiveness of UNGEI?- (effective practices, gaps and constraints)


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Methodology / information sources

The evaluation study will be mainly a mixed-method study which seeks to describe the baseline for UNGEI work and judge it against evaluation criteria. Data will be collected from multiple sources: a formal desk review, interviews of key/elite informants, interviews and/or focus groups of important groups of beneficiaries, self-administered surveys and direct observations of activities with beneficiaries wherever possible. Where opportunity occurs, the evaluation methodology will also examine the possibility of doing a comparison to organizations working in gender in the education sector but not participating in the partnership, and/or interview them to determine their perceptions. The evaluation will also conduct a secondary analysis of existing data.

PAYMENT

1st payment (30%) – After submission of workshop report, accepted finalized methodology and data collection instruments and inception Report: The Inception report, detailing evaluation activities, will include the purpose, objectives, scope, methodology and timeline, of the evaluation. The inception report will present preliminary findings from the desk review and present the revised TOR, work and travel plans, methodology, proposed interview lists, visits to, and structure for the final report. The inception report will be 15-20 pages, including the TOR and work plan, and will be presented at a formal meeting of the in-country reference group. The payment will be made equivalent of 11 days work, by 31st March 2011. 2nd payment (70%) – After submission of Evaluation Report: The final evaluation report will include:

1. Concrete examples of how national policies promote girls’ education and gender equality as a result of UNGEI inputs

2. Examples of best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality and proposals of how they can be popularized and institutionalized

3. An assessment of how UNGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality in participating countries/region

4. The revised and validated draft of the monitoring and evaluation framework, with documentation of activities undertaken in each country to validate it.

5. Clear, evidence-based conclusions and recommendations to be considered by the GAC. The evaluation report will not exceed 80 pages, including the executive summary and appendixes. Appendixes will include the TOR, description of methodology, list of background materials used, list of people interviewed, PowerPoint presentations, and workshop materials. The payment will be made equivalent of 32 days work, by 5th June, 2011.


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Tentative Schedule: For major evaluation activities, estimated to be completed within a period of 5 months. The expected timeline and will be finalized after consultation with participating countries/region.

Figure 1: Proposed timeline for evaluation (indicative, for planning purposes only)

Task Person days

start finish

PLANNING

1. Participate in the orientation workshop and draft and review questionnaires for the evaluation

5 days 22/01/11 28/01/11

2. Adapt and finalize methodology and data collection instruments (and in country desk reviews)

5 days 07.03.10 11.03.11

3. Present inception reports 1 day 14.03.11 25.03.11

DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS

4. Conduct primary data collection activities (interviews, surveys, etc.)

15 days 04.04.11 22.04.11

5. Conduct data analysis and develop first draft of country report

15 days 25.04.11 13.05.11

REPORTING

6. Submit and present final country reports to country reference group, review and finalize report

2 day 16.05.11 27.05.11


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ANNEX 2: BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Bubaram, A, 2009, “Presentation of Girls’ Education Programme Support to the Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative”, 18th -19th May, Hamdala Hotel, Kaduna, Network for Integrated Rural Advancement, Damaturu, Yobe.

CSACEFA, undated, “Report on Good Practices, Summary”, CSACEFA Report.

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Effiong, R., and A. Adegbesan, 2010, “Report of Advocacy Visit, 11th -14th October, 2010”.

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FOMWAN, 2010, “A Concept Paper on Baseline Survey of FOMWAN Educational Institutions in Nigeria” August, 2010.

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Menkiti A, and K. Babatunde, 2008, “Giant Strides of EGBENN – Uprooting the Challenges of Girls’ Education”. Enhancing Girls’ Basic Education in Northern Nigeria (EGBENN) Project, ActionAid International , Nigeria and OxfamNovib.


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Menkiti, A., 2009, “Review of Preview Meeting, 18th -19th May 2009”. Hamdala Hotel, Kaduna.

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NGEI Plateau State, 2009, “Plateau Action Plan for Establishment of NGEI Plateau and Priority Issues to be Addressed, 2009 -2013”.

NGEI Sokoto State, 2009, “Sokoto State NGEI Chapter Establishment – Action Points and Issues”.


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NGEI Zamfara State, 2009, “Zamfara State Action Plan for NGEI from 2009 – 2010”.

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NGEI, undated4, “Key Issues Expected of Various Persons”.

NGEI, undated5, “Proposal for the Launch of Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative (NGEI) in Nineteen Northern States”.

NGEI, undated6, “Guidelines for NGEI Advocacy Visits”.

NGEI, undated7, “Report on Community Participation in the Gambian Education System”.

NGEI, undated8, “Nigeria Girls’ Education Initiative”.

NGEI, undated9, “Mothers’ Association – Detailed Concept”.

NGEI, 2004, “Report of the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) Global Advisory Committee Meeting, Brasilia, Brazil, 6 – 7 November, 2004.

NGEI, 2005, “A Report on Good Practices in Girl Child Education in Six Selected States”. NGEI and CSACEFA in collaboration with UNICEF.

NGEI, 2006, “NGEI TWG Meeting”, 3rd and 4th May, 2006.

NGEI, 2008, “Way Forward at the NGEI Technical Session During the Bauchi State Chapter Launch”, 29th March 2008.

NGEI, 2008b, “Key Issues Agreed at the NGEI State Chapter Launch in Bauchi – NGEI Mission and Vision”.

NGEI, 2008c, “NGEI Meeting on Roles of Partners Agreed at the NGEI/UNICEF Ad Hoc Committee Meeting”, 10th April, 2008.

NGEI, 2009, “Minutes of NGEI Pre-Meeting of TWG”, 7th May, 2009, FME Abuja.

NGEI, 2009a, “Minutes of the NGEI National Meeting”, 17th – 20th June, Hamdala Hotel. Kaduna. Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States, NGEI Takeoff and Monitoring Plan.


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NGEI, 2009b, “Minutes of NGEI Technical Working Group”, 29th October – 1st November, UN House, UNICEF Office, Abuja.

NGEI, 2009c, “Progress Report of the UNGEI National TWG, NGEI Meeting”, December 7th – 12th, 2009.

NGEI, 2009d, “Outline of Activities for NGEI Technical Working Group, July – December, 2009”.

NGEI 2009e, “National NGEI Work Plan 2009”.

NGEI, 2009f, “NGEI Mission and Vision”, Technical Working Group, October, 2009.

NGEI, 2010, “Joint NGEI Meeting”, Haske Hotel, Minna, 23rd -24th March, 2010.

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NGEI, 2010e, “Report of the Communications/Media Committee”.

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Obaji, C.N., 2005, “UNGEI - Nigeria’s Experience with Girls’ Education and Linkages with Action on Adult Female Literacy to Impact in Poverty Alleviation”. UNGEI.

Okojie, C.E,E, O. Chiegwe, and E. Okpokunu, 1996, “Gender Gaps in Access to Education in Nigeria”, Report Submitted to FAWE, Nairobi.

Okojie, C.E.E., 2004, “ Gender and Education as Determinants of Household Poverty in Nigeria”, in Rolph van der Hoeven and Anthony Shorrocks (eds), Perspectives on Growth and Poverty, United Nations University Press/World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER), 2003.

Onibon, F., 2009, “Nigeria Girls’ Education Initiative”, CSACEFA Presentation at NGEI Meeting, Hamdala Hotel, Kaduna, 17th – 20th April, 2009.

Raynor, J (2009), “What makes an Effective Coalition? Evidence-based Indicators of Success” commissioned by the California Endowment.

Tembon, M., and L. Fort (eds), 2008, Girls’ Education in the 21st Century – Gender Equality, Empowerment and Economic Growth. The World Bank, Washington DC.

UNDP, 2009, Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results. UNDP, New York.

UNESCO, 2008, Global Monitoring Report 2008 – Education for All by 2015, Will We Make it? UNESCO, Paris, Oxford University Press.

UNESCO, 2010, Global Monitoring Report 2010 – Reaching the Marginalized. UNESCO Publishing, Oxford University Press, Paris.

UNESCO, 2010a, “Education Counts: Towards the Millennium Development Goals”. Paris France, UNESCO ED-2010/WS/44.

UNGEI, 2010, UNGEI at 10 – A Journey to Gender Equality in Education. UNGEI, New York.

UNGEI, 2010a, “Equity and Inclusiveness in Education: A Guide to Support Education Sector Plan Preparation, Revision and Appraisal”. UNGEI Fast Track Initiative, A Global Partnership to achieve Education for All. April, 2010.

UNICEF, 2004, Strategies for Girls’ Education. UNICEF, New York.

UNICEF, 2007, “The Nigerian Child – Education: Bridging the gap for Girls”. UNICEF Newsletter, Vol.1, Issue 1, Oct – Dec. 2007.

UNICEF, 2007a, “Nigeria Information Sheet – Girls’ Education” UNICEF Nigeria Country Programme, September.


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UNICEF/FME, 2007, “Assessment of Violence Against Children at the Basic Education Level in Nigeria”. Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF.

UNICEF, 2008, “Promoting Girls’ Education: The Experience of Nigeria”. United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), Information by Country – Nigeria Newsline. UNICEF, Abuja.

UNICEF, undated, “Education Data Base for 36 States: 1999 -2007”. UNICEF, Abuja.

UNICEF, undated, “Girls’ Education in Nigeria”.

Universal Basic Education Commission, 2005, The Compulsory, Free, Universal Basic Education Act, 2004 and Other Related Matters. UBEC, Abuja.

Universal Basic Education Commission, undated, “UBE: A Flagship Programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria”. UBEC Abuja.

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Ya’U, M.G., 2010, “Mothers’ Associations”, Nigeria Girls’ Education Initiative Technical Working Group.


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ANNEX 3: UNGEI FORMATIVE EVALUATION – COMPOSITION OF THE REFERENCE GROUP S/N

NAME ORGANIZATION/AGENCY

1 Ms Rosemary Effiong National Coordinator, Society for Empowerment and Self Reliance

2 Mrs Larai S. Ahmed Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria

3 Alhaji Mohammed Sani Usman

Girls’ Education Project (GEP) Consultant, Special Education Division, Federal Ministry of Education

4 Ms Anna Barks Madziga Programme Manager, NAWENO, Abuja

5 Ms Adelola Adegbesan Coordinator, FAWEN, Abuja

6 Ms Felicia I. Onibon President/CEO, Change Managers International Network, Abuja

7 Ms Chioma Osuji Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All, Abuja

9 Ms Josephine Kanu Forum for African Women Educationists of Nigeria

10 Ms F.Y. Paiko Gender Education Branch, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

11 Ms N.T. Kpalobi CEO Gender, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

12 Ms H.T. Abdu Assistant Director, Gender Education Branch, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

13 Ms S.E. Okafor Deputy Director, Special Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

14 Ms. F.O. Adeola Assistant Director, Gender, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

15 Ms O.P. Oshiba CEO Gender, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja


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16 Ms R.U. Johnsons EO Gender, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

17 Ms Azuka Menkiti Programme Officer (Education) Actionaid Nigeria, Abuja

18 Ms Doyin Orugun Gender Desk Officer, Universal Basic Education Commission, Abuja

19 Ms Loretta Ogbobilea Assistant Director, Special Needs Education and Services Branch, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

20 Dr Alice Akunga Chief, Education, UNICEF Office, Abuja

20 Dr Danjuma Almustafa Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Field Office, Bauchi State.

21 Mr Yinka Atoyebi Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant, UNICEF, Abuja

FIELD TEAMS – NIGER AND BAUCHI STATES

BAUCHI STATE

NAME DEPARTMENT/AGENCY



2. Hajiya Halima Jibril GEP State Projects Coordinator, Bauchi State

3 Dr Ibrahim Alabura Abubakar

Chairman, Bauchi NGEI Technical Committee

4 Ms Felicia Isaiah Odu Development Exchange Centre

5 Mr Umar Sani UNICEF Desk Officer, Bauchi State Ministry of Education, Bauchi

6 Prof Christiana E. E. Okojie National Consultant

NIGER STATE


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2. Mrs Naomi Maiguwa GEP State Project Coordinator, Niger State

3 Hajiya Aishatu Bawa Head Teacher, Representing FME

4 Ms Ramatu Haruna Education Secretary, Paikoro Local Government Education Authority

5 Prof Christiana E. E. Okojie National Consultant

PARTICIPANTS AT CAIRO WORKSHOP, JANUARY 2011

1 Dr Alice Akunga UNICEF, Abuja

2 Mrs Stella Okafor Deputy Director, Special Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

3 Dr Danjuma Almustafa Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Field Office, Bauchi

4 Prof Christiana E.E. Okojie University of Benin, National Consultant


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ANNEX 4: LIST OF PERSONS INTERVIEWED AND SELECTED PARTICIPANTS AT FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS

Date Name Organization Abuja Monday May 9th

NGEI Technical Working Group

National TWG, Abuja

Tuesday May 10th

Mrs S. Okafor Deputy Director, Special Education (FME), Abuja

Mr Ulu Awa Arua Assistant Director, Management of Regulatory Agencies (FME), Abuja

Mrs Loretta Ogbobilea Assistant Director, Special Needs Education and Services Branch (FME), Abuja

Mrs H.T Abdu Assistant Director, Gender Education (FME), Abuja

Mrs R.U Johnsons Education Officer, Gender Education (FME) Mrs O.P Oshiba Chief Education Officer, Gender Education (FME) Mrs F.Y. Paiko Principal Assistant Chief Education Officer (FME) Tuesday 10th May

Mallam Ibrahim Suleman

Director Social Mobilization, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Abuja

Mrs Doyin Orugun Desk Officer, Girl Child Education, UBEC, Abuja Wednesday 11th May

Mrs Felicia Onibon President/CEO, Change Managers International Network, Abuja

Hajia Maryam Idris Othman

National President (Amirah), Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Abuja

Mrs Larai S.Ahmed Volunteer, FOMWAN, Abuja Ms Rosemary Effiong National Coordinator, Society for Empowerment

and Self Reliance (SESER), Abuja Ms Chioma Osuji Programme Officer, Civil Society Action Coalition

on Education for All (CSACEFA), Abuja Thursday 12th May

Mr V.I. Uji Deputy Director, Education, National commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Abuja

Mr R.A. Badmus Chief Programme Officer –French – NCCE, Abuja Dr Abdukkareem Acting Director, Academic Programmes, NCCE,

Abuja Mrs M.Olokun Assistant Director, Planning, Research and

Statistics, NCCE, Abuja Mrs Oby Okwuonu Assistant Director, Orphans, and Vulnerable

Children (OVC), Federal Ministry of Women


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Affairs and Social Development, Abuja Friday,13th of May

Ms M. Yau Programme Officer Education, T.Y. Danjuma Foundation, Abuja

Tuesday 31st May

Ms Azuka Menkiti ActionAid Programme Officer (Education), and Chairperson, NGEI National Technical Working Group

Niger State Monday 16th May

Mrs Naomi Maiguwa GEP State Project Coordinator (SPC), Ministry of Education, Minna

Monday 16th May

NGEI Steering Committee

Ministry of Education, Minna

Tuesday 17th May

Hajia Hadiza M. Dazhi Desk Officer, Women and Girl Child Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Minna

Mr J.K, Mamman Director, Inspectorate Division Schools, MoE, Minna

Mr Garba Yahaya Director, Planning Research and Statistics (PRS), MoE, Minna

Mr Isah Isako Deputy Director (PRS), NGEI Desk Officer, MoE, Minna

Mr Mahmood Sani Deputy Director, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Minna

Hajia Aminat Mohammed

Deputy Director, PRS, SUBEB, Minna

Hajia Hauwa Abdul Deputy Director , SUBEB, Minna Hajia Aishat Ahmed School Based Management Committee (SBMC)

and CB Consultant, SUBEB, Minna Mrs Esther S.Sule Deputy Provost, Niger State College of Education,

Minna Dr. Mukhtari Ado Jibril TSPD Consultant, College of Education, Minna Isa Abdullahi Aloma C/D, BAPAL, College of Education, Minna Mr Musa S. Muhammed Deputy Director, BAPAL, College of Education,

Minna Representatives Female Trainee Teachers Scholarship Scheme,

College of Education, Minna (FGD with 20 students)

Wednesday 18th May

Prince J. Aliyu Gwam Vice Chairman, Paikoro Local Government, Niger State

Mrs Ramatu Haruna Education Secretary, Paikoro Local Government Education Authority (LGEA), Niger State

Mr Danjuma Tanko Chairman, SBMC Central, Paikoro Local Government, Niger State

Mr Suleman M. Bello Chairman, PTA Central, Paikoro Local Government, Niger State


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Mr Danjuma Bello Desk Officer (UNICEF), Paikoro Local Government Education Authority (LGEA)

School Based Management Committee (SBMC)

Gwam Primary School, Gwam, Paikoro LGA, Niger State

Alhaji Garba S. Iyah Traditional Leader, Gwam, Paikoro LGA, Niger State, Chairman of SBMC

MallamAbdullai Usman Religious Leader, Gwam, Paikoro LGA Gwam Women Farmers

Cooperative Multipurpose Society

Women’s Association, Gwam, Paikoro LGA, Niger State

Hajia Jumai Adamu Women Leader, Gwam, Paikoro LGA, Niger State Girls’ Club, Day Secondary School, Gwam, Paikoro LGA,

Paikoro LGA (representatives) Thursday 19th May

Mrs Lois Kolo Vice Chairman, Niger State CSACEFA, Minna, Niger State

MrsEsther I. Abe Secretary, Niger State CSACEFA, Minna, Niger State

Mr G.O. Oseni Secretary Lois Kolo Foundation, Minna. Mrs Laiatu Danladi Acting Coordinator, Women’s Rights

Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), Minna

Hajiya Fatima B. Farouq Chair Technical Committee, Life Rehabilitation Foundation for Womanhood (Life Rehab), Minna

Mr Yahuza Abdullahi Aguye

Member, Technical Committee, Life Rehab, Minna

Mr Lukeman M. Inuwa Secretary, Technical Committee, Life Rehab, Minna

Mr Lawrence Ogamune Project Officer, Life Rehab, Minna Mr Alabi Suleman Project Schedule Officer, Life Rehab, Minna Hajiya Aisha Lemu

(Junior) Amirah, FOMWAN, Niger State

Mrs Aishetu M. Usman Member School Board, FOMWAN, Niger State Mrs Aminat Abdulkadir Chairperson, Health Committee, FOMWAN, Niger

State Mrs Zainab Hamid FOMWAN Focal Person, Ravi LGA, Niger State Mrs Amina

W.Muhammad Financial Secretary, FOMWAN, Niger State

Mrs Aishatu Aliyu Asst Secretary, FOMWAN, Niger State 20th May Mrs Aisha M. Bello Principal, Women’s Day College, Minna Mrs Hauwa T.Yakubu Vice Principal (Administration), Women’s Day

College, Minna Mr Zakari Bosso Vice Principal (Academic), Women’s Day


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College, Minna Hajiya Aisha N. Isiyaku Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Niger

State Universal Basic Education Board, Minna Alhaji Jibrin Isah Board Secretary, Niger State Universal Basic

Education Board, Minna Bauchi State May 24th 2011

Mrs Saratu Yinusa Education Specialist, UNICEF, D Field Office, Bauchi

Mairama B. Dikwa, Education Oficer, UNICEF, D Field Office, Bauchi Mr Danjuma Almustafa Project Officer, Planning, Monitoring and

Evaluation, UNICEF D Field Office, Bauchi NGEI Steering

Committee NGEI Secretariat, Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board, Bauchi (FGD).

Dr Ibrahim A. Abubakar Chairman, Bauchi NGEI Steering Committee Mrs Halima Jibril GEP State Project Coordinator, Bauchi State Mrs Maimuna Aminu Desk Officer, Bauchi NGEI, State Universal Basic

Education Board, Bauchi. Mrs Asabe Lawal Adult and Non Formal Education Agency, Bauchi

State Mr M Bello Ministry of Information, Bauchi. Mrs Mariam Musa RAHAMA Women Development Programme,

Bauchi Mrs Linda N. Sogi Women Empowerment Initiative (WEIN), Bauchi Mrs Maryam Musa FOMWAN, Bauchi Mrs Sarah Daniel Women Development Association for Self

Sustenance (WODASS), Bauchi Mrs Ladidi Aishatu Yaro Public Relations Officer, Office of the First Lady,

State Patron of NGEI, Bauchi Mrs Emmanuella Jiya Community Action for Popular Participation

(CAPP), Bauchi Mrs Felicia Isaiah Development Exchange Centre, Bauchi 25th May School Based

Management Committee

Ajiyari Primary School, Darazo Local Government Area (FGD)

Alhaji Abbas Israh Chairman SBMC, Ajiyari Primary School and Village Head, Darazo LGA

Alhaji Garba Aminu Darazo

Religious Leader and member SBMC, Ajiyari Primary School

Hajia Maryam Alhassan Gender Desk Officer, Darazo LGA Mr Ibrahim A. Halilu Girls’ Education Project (GEP) Desk Officer, Darazo

LGA Mr Abdullahi Ibrahim Head of Services (HOS), Administration, Darazo


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LGA Mr Aliyu Makama Head of Services (HOS) Special Services, DArazo

LGA 25th May Dr Garba Ibrahim Provost, College of Education, Azare Mr A. B Shehu Registrar, College of Education, Azare Mr Tijani Abdullahi Deputy Bursar, College of Education, Azare Mr Usman M, Adamu Librarian, College of Education, Azare Dr Ibrahim Yabo TPA Consultant, College of Education, Azare 26th May HRH Usman Bilyaminu

Othman His Royal Highness, The Emir of Dass, Dass Emirate, Bauchi State

Hajiya Talatu Mohd Bashir

Principal, Married Women’s Secondary School, Jahun, Bauchi

Mrs Miriam Y. Iliya Program Officer (Education), RAHAMA, Bauchi, and CSACEFA Coordinator

Mrs Habiba A.Ali Program Director, RAHAMA, Bauchi Mrs Hadiza Musa Program Officer, RAHAMA, Bauchi 27th May Mrs Ibrahim Kilishi Teacher, FOMWAN Model Primary/Secondary

School, Federal Low Cost Estate, Bauchi Mrs Maryam Musa FOMWAN Model Primary/Secondary School,

Federal Low Cost Estate, Bauchi Alhaji Abdullahi Dabo Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Universal Basic

Education Board (SUBEB), Bauchi Mrs Tabitha Shawulu Director, Upper Basic Education, SUBEB, Bauchi Mr Bala Mohammed

Nana Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, SUBEB, Bauchi

Alhaji Muhammed Anwal Ibrahim

Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Education, Bauchi

Mr Danzomi Zakari . Director Planning, Ministry of Education, Bauchi Mr Fateh Asmu A. Director, Special Services, Ministry of Education,

Bauchi Mr Umar Sani UNICEF Desk Officer, Ministry of Education, Bauchi

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ANNEX 5: TIMELINE OF UNGEI EVENTS Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria

1960s

Nigeria became independent on October 1st 1960 and became the Federal Republic of Nigeria three years later.

1970s

The National Policy on Education (NPE) was adopted after the 1969 National Curriculum Conference. It was first published in 1977, and revised in 1981, 1998 and 2004 respectively. A major feature of the NPE is the 6-3-3-4 system, which provides for a six-year primary education - three years of junior secondary school (JSS), three years of senior secondary school (SSS), and four years for tertiary studies. Most of the education policies in Nigeria today hinge on the NPE.

1980s

Establishment of the National Commission for Women in 1989 as a follow-up to the Beijing Conference and intense advocacy by women (with the then First Lady Mrs Maryam Babangida as champion). Commissions for Women were set up at national and state levels. The Better Life Programme was initiated by the First Lady Mrs Babangida in 1985, and was targeted at rural women. Programmes implemented included health, education and

National Policy on Education was revised in 1981. Launching of Blueprint on Women Education in Nigeria in 1986. Led to establishment of Women Education Units in Ministries of Education.


94

Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria welfare programmes: cooperative development to enhance women’s access to credit, land, and agricultural inputs; and workshops on income-generating activities. The BLP succeeded in improving the lives of many women. A major outcome of the BLP was its success in raising awareness of the plight of women in Nigeria.

1990s

March 1990 World Conference on Education for All, in Jomtien, Thailand adopts the World Declaration on Education for All, which states that all have a right to education. The conference recognizes the setbacks experienced in the 1980s by many South nations and makes a commitment to meeting basic learning needs of every citizen.

National Commission for Women was upgraded to Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in 1995.

Establishment of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education as part of the desire to eliminate illiteracy in Nigeria. its function is to develop strategies t eliminate illiteracy in Nigeria.

1999

Education For All (EFA) Assessment 1999–2000, involving six regional conferences, reveals that the EFA agenda has been neglected.

The Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme was launched in Nigeria in 1999. To demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to EFA goals. It was premised on a nine-year basic education programme –


95

Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria six years of primary school and three years of junior secondary school with attention given to early childhood care education (ECCE).

2000

United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000: 189 world leaders sign up to try to end poverty by 2015 when they agree to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs recognize the centrality of gender equality as a goal in itself (Goal 3) as well as the importance of the gender dimensions of each of the other goals. World Education Forum: 164 governments adopt the Dakar Framework for Action in which they promise to commit the necessary resources and effort to create a comprehensive and inclusive education system for all

National Policy for Women passed into law in 2000. The policy was an attempt to integrate women fully into national development as ‘equal partners, decision-makers and beneficiaries’ by removal of gender-based inequalities. It aspired to include women in all spheres of national life, including education, science and technology, health care, employment, agriculture, industry, etc. It also aimed at eliminating negative aspects of Nigerian culture which are harmful to women

2001

UNGASS issues a Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS that includes important language on addressing the gender dimensions of the pandemic. “Stressing that gender equality and the empowerment of women are fundamental elements in the reduction of the

African Girls’ Education Initiative (2001-2003) was established in 2001.in Nigeria with substantial funding from Norway. Its aims were: to increase girls’ enrolment and completion rates, reduce girls’ drop out and repetition rates, and reduce significantly or eliminate gender gaps in primary school

A National EFA Forum was set up in 2001 with a National Coordinator appointed from the civil society.


96

Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS”

enrolment and completion rates.

2002

G8 Washington, DC USA approves the EFA Action Plan and Approves the Fast Track Initiative (FTI) amid overwhelming support from the international community. Education for All (EFA) Amsterdam, Netherlands. April 2002: Developing countries and their external partners agree at a Dutch- World Bank sponsored conference on broad principles for scaling up EFA efforts; the Netherlands commits 135 million Euro to set the process in motion. G8 Kananaskis, Canada. June 2002: agreement to significantly increase bilateral assistance for the achievement of EFA and to work with bilateral and multilateral agencies to ensure implementation of the FTI. EFA Global Monitoring Report established to monitor progress towards the six EFA goals. International Conference on Financing for Development

In May 2002, the Federal Government of Nigeria, in a joint venture with UNICEF, published the analysis of the situation of women and children in Nigeria in a publication titled, Children’s and Women’s Rights in Nigeria: A Wakeup Call, The publication provided a comprehensive assessment of the distressing burdens that poverty imposes on Nigerian women and children.


97

Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria (Monetary, Mexico) – the first major attempt by UN and the international community to integrate trade, monetary and -financial matters into a consolidated framework for achieving development results

2003

Feb 2003.Rome Declaration on the harmonisation of aid. The development community commits to work towards aligning its assistance around country development priorities and to harmonize donor policies and priorities around country systems FTI Donors Meeting - Paris, March 2003: Donors agree on modus operandi for the FTI that is country driven, secure funding for the seven countries and agree on an operating framework for the FTI. The FTI Catalytic Fund (CF) is established. It aims to provide transitional grants over a maximum of 2-3 years to enable countries lacking resources at country level but with FTI-endorsed education sector plans to scale up the implementation of their plans.

Strategy for the Acceleration of Girls’ Education in Nigeria (SAGEN) established in Nigeria by the Federal Ministry of Education and UNICEF in some priority focus states. One of the goals is to ensure that by 2015, all children have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education Another key goal is to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 and ensure gender equality in education by 2015. Domestication of Child’s Rights Act in Nigeria

Universal Basic Education integrated into the National Policy for Education in the 2003 revision.

2004 The Education Programme Strategy for the Acceleration of Free and Compulsory Universal


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Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria Development Fund (EPDF) was established in November 2004 as a funding window under the FTI to support low income countries improve the quality and sustainability of their education sector planning and programme development.

Girls’ Education in Nigeria extended to become SAGEN+ Girls’ Education Project (GEP) Phase 1: 2004 - 2007. The Girls’ Education Project was initiated in 2004. It involved the Federal Ministry of Education, DFID, and UNICEF. The overall goal was to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005 and to all levels of education not later than 2015. GEP1 was implemented in 6 northern states – Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Niger and Sokoto States.

Basic Education Act (2004) and Other Related Matters passed into law. By this act, every government in Nigeria is to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education to every child of primary and secondary school age. The Universal Basic Education Commission was set up to manage the UBE programme. Revision of National Policy for Education. A National Framework for Education was published in 2004. It articulated governance and management structures and strategies based on strong involvement of government in education provision, repositioning of ministries of education, and the rationalization of parastatals for efficiency and effectiveness, reviewing and enhancing monitoring mechanisms, and the establishment of School Based Management Committees.

2005 March 2005, Paris Declaration endorsed by over one hundred

Inauguration of Nigerian Girls’ Education Initiative


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Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria Ministers, Heads of Agencies and other senior officials who commit their countries and organisations to continue to increase efforts in the harmonisation, alignment and management of aid for results with a set of monitorable actions and indicators. UN World Summit New York, September 2005: delegates accused of producing a 'watered-down' outcome document, which merely reiterates existing pledges. However, It referred to the centrality of gender equality to human security and human development and affirmed that that achieving gender equality goals depends on the full implementation of the Bejing Platform and its 5 year review, and led to the adoption of additional targets and indicators under the MDGs – including reproductive health and rights and sex-disaggregated data on informal employment

in May 2005.

2006

Committee on the Rights of the Child (41st session), Geneva, Switzerland.

Preparation of the manual – Mainstreaming Gender into States Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEEDS): A

National Action Plan for Education was launched. It identified priority directions for achieving EFA, UBE and MDGs.


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Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria Practical Manual – by the National Planning Commission.

Targets were adult literacy and non-formal education, human capacity development and eliminating gender disparities through education of girls and women.

2007

Committee on the Rights of the Child (45th Session). Keeping our Promises on Education, takes place in May 2007, Brussels, organised by the EC, the UK and the World Bank. The meeting seeks concrete proposals and commitments for action to deliver on the promise to give all the world's children a full primary education by 2015.

National Gender Policy and its Strategic Implementation Framework and Plan, 2008 – 2013. Produced by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs. The overall goal of the policy is to build a just society devoid of discrimination and harness the potential of all social groups regardless of sex. Important objective are to establish a framework for gender responsiveness in all public and private spheres as well as develop and apply gender mainstreaming approaches, tools and instruments that are compatible with the macroeconomic framework.

Ten – Year Strategic Plan for Education prepared by Federal Ministry of Education. The vision was to become an emerging economy model delivering sound education policy and management for public good. The mission was to promote quality education and lifelong learning relevant t the dynamics of global change through effective policy formulation. National Policy on Gender in Basic Education and its Guidelines for Implementation of the policy are developed. It is seen as a response to the challenges of achieving gender equality in education in Nigeria. Its mission is to ensure gender equality in the delivery of basic education programmes in Nigeria. its goal is to ensure equal access to basic education and to promote


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Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria retention, completion and high performance for all pupils, especially disadvantaged children and girls. National Policy for the Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD). The policy was to ensure a good start in life for all Nigerian children under the age of five years through the provision of adequate health care, nutrition, access to safe water and sanitation, early earning, psycho-social stimulation and protection.

2008

September 2008, Accra summit on aid effectiveness, donor countries agree to end the fragmentation of aid. Donors agree to donate half of aid directly to governments of low-income countries, rather than to individual projects. Donors also agree to coordinate aid better.

Phase 2 of Girls’ Education Project (GEP2) – 2008 – 2011. GEP2 is being implemented in four states – Bauchi, Katsina, Niger, and Sokoto States. The GEP has helped to increase enrolment, attendance and retention of pupils, especially girls. GEP 2 aimed at establishing credible sector plans and enhancing capacity for decentralized school management.

National launching of NGEI on March 28, 2011 by the First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar Adua at Bauchi. Launching of NGEI, Bauchi State.

2009

Development of Roadmap for the Nigerian Education Sector in April 2009. The mission is to use education as a tool for fostering development of all Nigerian citizens to their full potential in

Launching of Katsina State Chapter of NGEI in June 2009. Launching of Niger State Chapter of NGEI in


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Date International Context Country Context Education Policy in Nigeria UNGEI in Nigeria the promotion of a strong, democratic, egalitarian, prosperous, indisoluble and sovereign nation under God. Development of Strategic Education Sector Plans (SESPS) and Strategic Education Sector Operational Plans (SESOP) in pilot states with financial support from UNICEF

November 1009

2010

Development of Strategic Education Sector Plans (SESPS) and Strategic Education Sector Operational Plans (SESOP) in several states with financial support from UNICEF

Launching of Sokoto State Chapter of NGEI in May 2010.

2011


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ANNEX 7: COMPLETED EVALUATION FRAMEWORK Outcome 1: Policies promote girl’s education and gender equality

Context: What was the situation at level zero? What was happening before the UNGEI partnership was put in place The legal framework for education in Nigeria is the National Policy on Education which was adopted after the 1969 National Curriculum Conference. It was first published in 1977 and revised in 1981, 1998, 2004 and 3008. A major feature of the NPE is the 6-3-3-4 system which provides fr six years of primary pf education, three years of junior secondary (JSS), three years of senior secondary (SSS)and four years of tertiary of education. Universal Basic education has been integrated into the NPE. The Compulsory, Free, Universal Basic Education Act 2004 and Other Related Matters provides for universal access to education at all levels.. The establishment of the Universal Basic Education Commission allowed for increased funding for basic education. Education is on the concurrent legislative list in the Constitution and the responsibility for the management of education rests with the three tiers of government in Nigeria – Federal, State and Local Government. At the state level, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has been established t manage basic education. Various reviews of the education sector had revealed the existence of gender gaps in education, especially in the northern parts of Nigeria.

Inputs: What did UNGEI partnership do? What problems did it identify and how did it address them? What other inputs and processes took place over the same period? UNGEI was domesticated in Nigeria as the Nigeria Girls Education Initiative (NGEI). It was launched in 2005 as a forum to encourage government and CSOs to intensify efforts to promote girls education in Nigeria. Its activities include advocacy, networking and collaboration with stakeholders; capacity building; inauguration of state chapters and documentation of best practices. Majority of existing policies were generic in nature and targeted both boys and girls. There was need to emphasize the promotion f gender parity in education.

Outcomes: What has been the effect on the participation of girls in education?

Relevance: Were the objectives of UNGEI support from the global and country partnership relevant? Was the design appropriate?

Immediate effects and intermediate outcomes: What were the effects and intermediate outcomes in terms of effectiveness, and efficiency? (Immediate effects refer to processes, intermediate outcomes refer to changes in sector policy, expenditure and service

delivery)

Effectiveness – To what extent did UNGEI contribute to making education sector policies sensitive to girls’ education and gender

equality?

Efficiency - How economically was UNGEI support translated into results?


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Outcome 1: Policies promote girl’s education and gender equality The objectives of UNGEI and the country partnership (NGEI) are relevant to the priorities of the education sector and Nigeria’s development priorities. Nigeria is a signatory to various international agreements which support gender equality and women’s education. The UNGEI global partnership has provided some capacity building through participation of some national partners at UNGEI global meetings. There is room for improvement in communication between global UNGEI office and country partners outside UNICEF.

Since NGEI, the National Gender in Basic Education Policy has been developed (2007) along with its Implementation Guidelines. Strategic Education Sector Plans have been developed in about 20 states in Nigeria, including Niger and Bauchi States.

Various reviews of the education sector have provided information about girls education and gender inequalities in education in Nigeria. Implementation of some programs such as the Girls Education Project in some northern states has also added to the information on gender gaps in education and progress made in closing these gaps in access to education.

Recent education policies have been informed by this knowledge and information, for example the National Policy on Gender in Basic Education as well as the Strategic Education Sector Plans. A number of good practices have been adopted in various states as a result of better information.

NGEI partners have contributed in various ways to the gender aware education policy environment in Nigeria. Inputs have included:

Dialogue with policy makers and sensitization of religious and traditional rulers, communities, parents and girls on the importance of girls’ education.

Inputs by state patrons (girls’ education champions) have contributed to the adoption of good practices for promoting girls education.

Inputs by CSOs individually and collectively have contributed to adoption of gender sensitive education policies. While it is difficult to quantify the contribution of NGEI, their activities have helped to promote awareness of the importance of

girls’ education among all relevant stakeholders. Efficiency : This is difficult to assess since there is no budget for NGEI. Partners have tried to implement activities promoting girls’ education within their individual organization’s programs. As their own

contribution. This has been efficient as it has achieved results at minimum costs utilizing competencies of partners. Effectiveness : The partnership’s activities are effective because they have contributed to the desired results of increasing female enrolment and completion rates and reducing gender gaps in education

in Nigeria.

Sustainability: Are the changes that took place in policy and planning, finance, capacity, M&E and aid effectiveness interventions likely to survive? How resilient are the benefits to risks? How durable are the improvements? What are the main risks to sustainability?

The changes that have taken place are sustainable because some structures have been put in place which will sustain them. These include the School Based Management Committees, Mothers’ Associations, Girls Clubs, etc . Members of these stakeholder groups have been sensitized on the importance of girls’ education.


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Outcome 2: Best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality known and institutionalized Context: What was the situation at level zero? What was happening before the UNGEI partnership was put in place? A number of good practices to address female education had already been adopted in Nigeria since pre-independence days by both government and missionary societies such as all-girls’ schools anscholarships for female students. However, before NGEI, there was no documentation of good practices. Inputs: What did the UNGEI partnership do? What problems did it identify and how did it address them? What other inputs and processes took place over the same period? NGEI partnership commissioned a study in 2005 to document good practices for promoting girls’ education in selected states. State teams were trained to enhance their capacities to identify and document goopractices. The findings were disseminated at a Stakeholders Workshop in 2007. Various partners routinely document best practices and disseminate them through newsletters. A compendium of goodt practicehas been published by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (2010).

Outcomes: What has been the effect on decision making and priority setting? Do these reflect knowledge and understanding of best practices?

Several states have adopted good practices for promoting girls’ education in Nigeria. Niger and Bauchi States have introduced free education for boys and girls up to University level. Women’s Day/MarrieWomen’s Colleges have been expanded in Niger State and introduced in Bauchi State respectively to enable women/girls who have dropped out of school due to early marriage or pregnancy to continue theeducation. Documentation of good practices and their dissemination has served as lessons learned for other states who want to replicate these good practices in their own states. Relevance - Were the objectives of UNGEIs support

from the global and country partnership relevant? Was the design appropriate?

Immediate effects and intermediate outcomes: What were the effects and intermediate outcomes in terms of effectiveness, and efficiency? (Immediate effects refer to processes, intermediate outcomes refer to changes in the use of best practices

Effectiveness – To what extent did UNGEI contribute to dissemination and institutionalization of best practices in girls’ education and gender

equality?


Identification of good practices is relevant as it provides education authorities with examples of what has worked or not worked in different environments which they may want to adapt or replicate in their own environments.

Overall, policy decisions targeting girls’ education are informed by knowledge of good practices in girls’ education.

Good practices have been identified, documented and disseminated in Nigeria.

Knowledge and information about best practices in girls’ education and gender equality in education has increased and are now available in book format (Federal Ministry of Women Affairs),in newsletters (Girls Education Project in Niger State, and ActionAid Nigeria) and in minutes of meetings/workshops of NGEI at national and state levels.

NGEI partners routinely document good practices in their

Apart from the initial study of good practices commissioned by NGEI, good practices are now routinely documented by partners. This has reduced costs of documentation of good practices.

The inclusion of policy makers as members of NGEI Technical Working Committees at national and state levels has facilitated their knowledge of good practices and their integration into policies and plans..


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There was only limited support from the global partnership in the documentation of best practices in Nigeria.

everyday activities as part of their contribution to the partnership. This has proved effective as good practices are documented on a routine basis.

Sustainability: Are the changes that took in terms of knowledge and institutionalization of best practices likely to survive? How resilient are the benefits to risks? Good practices should be compiled and disseminated to states outsidthe NGEP partnership. Funding may affect the ability of states to adopt the practices.

Outcome 3: UNGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality Context: What was the situation at level zero? What was happening before the UNGEI partnership was put in place?

Before NGEI was launched, the Federal Government had partnered with various development partners to address education issues in Nigeria. The African Girls’ Education Initiative (AGEI) and the Strategfor the acceleration of Girls’ Education in Nigeria (SAGEN) preceded NGEI. Several NGOs both individually and under the umbrella of the Civil Society Action Coalition in Education for All (CSACEFA) habeen engaged in policy dialogue with government agencies to promote education for all and girls’ education in particular..

Inputs: What did the UNGEI partnership do? What problems did it identify and how did it address them? What other inputs and processes took place over the same period? Despite these initiatives and efforts, there was lack of commitment to effectively implement existing national policies and international agreements which addressed education issues especially at the state levewhere policies are implemented. There were gaps between implementation by federal and state governments especially where state governments did not buy into or domesticate policies developed at the federlevel. In addition, education policies targeted boys and girls with girls often losing out during implementation. NGEI sought to address some of these lapses.

Outcomes: What has been the effect on the quality of partnerships?

What effect has UNGEI had on: The number of member organizations that are engaged in UNGEI’s activities?

The degree of satisfaction of member organizations? The NGEI partnership model is one of collaboration between development partners, the Federal/State Ministry of Education and government agencies such as the Universal Basic Education Commission, CiSociety Organization and other stakeholders at the national and state levels. A Technical Working Group has been set up to manage the process. A similar structure is in place at the state level. Terms Reference and Guidelines have been developed spelling out the roles of the Technical Working Groups at the national and state levels. NGEI partnership is fully functional at the national level and operational four states – Bauchi, Niger, Katsina and Sokoto States. It is operational to some extent in some other states such as Borno, Kano, Jigawa, Lagos, Gombe, Zamfara and Kaduna States, although there is ndocumentary evidence to show that the partnership has been launched in these states. Efforts have been made to establish Local Government Chapters if NGEI in Katsina and Niger States. Several CSOs amembers of the partnership at both the national and state levels. Wives of State Governors who are patrons of NGEI at state levels have been key champions for girls’ education in states where the partnershhas been launched. The partnership is fully functional in the states where it has been formally launched. They have engaged in activities such as sensitization campaigns to communities, traditional and religious leaders, polimakers, parents and girls. Joint meetings of national and state Technical Working Groups provide opportunities for strengthening members’ capacity for gender mainstreaming. Work plans are drawn upnational and state levels respectively by partners. Participation in the partnership is voluntary. Lack of time, especially at the national level has meant that meetings and activities have to be reschedule


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Generally, partners have shown high levels of commitment. Most of the reservations about the partnership have been expressed at the national level where some members complained of lack of a propstructure and haziness of NGEI at the national level, inadequate specification of roles and responsibilities of NGEI Technical Working Group members/officers, life span of the TWG, etc. NGEI appeared to bbetter defined at the state level where roles and responsibilities of partners are outlined in the work plans and there was a Desk Officer for the partnership.

Relevance - Were the objectives of UNGEIs support from the global and country partnership relevant? Was

the design appropriate?

Immediate effects and intermediate outcomes: What were the effects and intermediate outcomes in terms of effectiveness, and efficiency? (Immediate effects refer to processes, intermediate outcomes refer to changes in sector policy, expenditure and service delivery)

Effectiveness – To what extent did UNGEI contribute to building a more effective partnership for girls’ education at country level?


Inclusion of policy makers as partners has ensured that NGEI’s activities are relevant to the priorities of the education sector and of the country

NGEI partnership has been more effective than previous initiatives because it involves all relevant stakeholders – development partners, UNICEF, CSOs, line ministries as well as beneficiaries who have become partners in promoting girls education.

NGEI has evolved as a partnership for promoting girls’ education. It is described as a forum to give girls’ education a loud voice.

Various agencies have helped to organize capacity building workshop which have been attended by partners over the years.

Joint work plans are prepared by members of the Technical Working Group at national and state levels. Work plans are reviewed during joint meetings of national and state partners held twice a year.

Collaboration between partners with different competencies has reduced transaction costs as members have been willing to integrate NGEI objectives/activities into their organizations’ programs. This has resulted in efficiency in the use f resources.

Wives of State Governors in states where NGEI is fully functional have supported the partnership with their time and finance to implement various activities.

Sustainability: Are the changes that took in terms of knowledge and institutionalization of best practices likely to survive? How resilient are the benefits to risks? How durable are the improvements? Structures have been put in place to sustain NGEI’s activities. There is need for sustained advocacy and awareness raising. What are the main risks to sustainability? Inadequate funding can be a major constraint to sustainability.


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ANNEX 8: NIGERIA LOGIC MODEL

Vision: All girls and boys are empowered through quality education to realize their full potential and contribute to transforming societies where gender

Goal: UNGEI contributes to the achievement of the Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for gender equality and girls’ education through a strong partnership at the global, regional and country level

Outcome 1: Policies promote girls’ education and gender equality

Outcome 2: Best practices in facilitating girls’ education and gender equality are known and institutionalized

Outcome 3: UNGEI facilitates an effective partnership for girls’ education and gender equality

Monitoring criteria

Criteria for M&E of UNGEI Goals:

Number of girls and boys out of school

Number of girls and boys completing primary education

Girls & boys secondary participation rates

Criteria for M&E Outcome 1:

# of UNGEI countries w/: national policy

frameworks that support GE

budgets allocated to girls education

Criteria for M&E Outcome

2: Evidence of: Financial incentives to

reduce barriers to girls education

Measures for safety for girls going to school

Measures against sexual harassment/violence

Schools with separate toilets

Gender-responsive materials, curriculum and teaching guides

Teachers and school managers trained in gender equality

Programs supporting girls’ re-entry to school after pregnancy

Outcome 1b2 Gender sensitive education plans implemented and improving education

Outcome 3 UNGEI partnerships at national and state levels are operational and using set guidelines to promote education for girls and gender equality

Outcome 2 Implementation of gender sensitive education programs informed by knowledge of good practices

Output 1a National Policy on gender in BE developed

RESU

LTS

IMPL

EMEN

TATIO

N

Output 1b Guidelines for implementation of the policy developed

Output 1c Manual on gender sensitive planning developed

Output 2b Partners’ capacities in documentation of good practices enhanced

Output 3a

TORs and guidelines for UNGEI implementation developed

Outcome 1a National policy on gender in Basic Education utilized in development of SESP/SESOP

Output 2a Good practices documented and disseminated

Output 3b Partnerships at national and state levels formed

Output 3c

Partners capacity strengthened in

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ANNEX 9: EDUCATION STATISTICS Table 1: Changes in Enrolment and Gender Gap in Primary Education: 1999 -2009

Year/State Male Female Total % Female GPI

1999

Bauchi 397,711 253,703 651,414 38.95 0.64

Niger 233,285 128,025 361,310 35.43 0.55

All Nigeria 10,058,434 7,848,894 17,907,328 43.83 0.78

2009

Bauchi 383,116 297,315 680,431 43.69 0.78

Niger 342,011 229,547 571,558 40.6 0.67

All Nigeria 11,766,839 10,090,172 21,857,011 46.16 0.86

Sources: UNICEF, Data Base for the 36 States, 1999 – 2007.

UBEC, 2010, Primary School Enrolment 2009, National Survey.

Table 2: Trends in Primary Education

Year Net enrolment ration in primary education

Proportion of pupils starting Primary 1 who reach Primary 5 (%)

Primary 6 completion rate (%)

Literacy rate of 15-24 years, male and female (%)

1990 68 67 58 NA

2000 95 97 76.7 64.1

2001 95 97 76.7 NA

2002 NA 96 NA NA

2003 NA 84 82 60.4

2004 81.1 74 82 60.4

2005 84.6 74 69.2 76.2


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2006 87.9 74 67.5 80.2

2007 89.6 74 67.5 81.4

2008 88.8 72.3 NA 80.0

2009 NA NA NA NA

2015 Target 100 100 100 100

Source: Nigeria: Millennium Development Goals, Report 2010

Fig. 3: Ratio of boys to girls in primary education by state

Source: Annual Abstract of Statistics, 2009b


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Table 3: Trends in Primary and Junior Secondary Enrolments: 2006-2010 Year Male Female Total % Female GPI

1999 10,058,434 7,848,894 17,907,328 43.83 78.03

2000 10,745,128 8,413,413 19,158,541 43.91 78.29

2001 10,605,722 8,457,812 19,063,534 44.37 79.74

2002 11,070,610 8,791,071 19,861,689 44.26 79.41

2003 14,433,764 11,338,280 25,772,044 43.99 78.55

2004 11,824,494 9,571,016 21,395,510 44.73 80.94

2005 12,168,834 9,907,567 22,076,401 44.88 81.24

2006* 12,492,091 10,369,793 22,861,884 45.09 83.01

2007* 11,683,503 9,948,567 21,632,070 45.99 85.15

2008* 10,768,742 9,223,567 19,992,309 46.14 85.65

2009* 10,791,896 9,289,080 20,080,976 46.26 86.07

2010* 11,027,686 9,636,119 20,663,805 46.63 87.38

Source: FME, 2011, Nigerian Digest of Education Statistics, 2006 - 2010. UNICEF, Data Base for the 36 States, 1999 - 2007 Table 4: Enrolments at JSS and SSS, 2006 – 2010 Junior Secondary School (JSS) %Female Senior Secondary School (SSS) %

Female

2005/06 1,653,753 1,281,219 2,934,972 43.65 1,525,767 1,177,044 2,702,811 43.55

2006/07 1,942,672 1,530,466 3,473,138 44.07 1,464,868 1,071,863 2,536,731 42.25

2007/08 2,150,037 1,784,024 3,934,061 45.35 1,659,774 1,966,507 3,626,281 54.23

2008/09 2,413,235 2,022,016 4,435,251 45.59 1,835,357 1,556,710 3,392,067 45.89

2009/10 2,703,938 2,305,289 5,010,227 46.01 2,201,215 1,845,222 4,046,437 45.60


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ANNEX 10: SUMMARY OF PROGRESS TOWARDS MDGs TARGETS Table 1: Progress Towards MDGs Targets and Current Status – June 2010

Goal Status 1 Eradicate extreme poverty

and hunger Slow – There is less poverty than in 2000 but the data is not clear. Five out of every 10 Nigerians still live in poverty. Growth has not been sufficiently equitable or generated enough jobs to reduce poverty further. Nutrition has improved.

2 Achieve universal primary education

Average – Many more children are in school. Nine out of every 10 eligible children attend school as a result of the Universal Basic Education Programme interventions and enrolments in private schools. However, disadvantaged groups are still excluded and the quality of education remains poor.

3 Promote Gender Equality and empower women

Average – Some improvement in gender parity. Nine girls attend school for every ten boys. Economic and political empowerment remains elusive. A common reason for the disparity in the rate of girls and boys completing schooling, especially at secondary level, is poor or non-existent water and sanitation.

4 Reduce child mortality Average – Significant reductions but progress needs to be accelerated.

5 Improve maternal health Slow – The data for 2008 show a significant improvement, but the gap between the current situation and the target is still very large.

6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Average – The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the population has fallen from 5 percent to under 4 percent. Rates of malaria infection have dropped but still account for 300,000 deaths per year on average. Impressive progress against polio.

7 Ensure environmental sustainability

Slow – Access to safe water and sanitation has not improved significantly and other environmental such as erosion, coastal flooding and climate change are increasing.

8 Develop a global partnership for development

Average – The benefits of debt relief have not been matched by an increase in aid. Trade and access to markets is still unequal. Rapid increase in access to information and communication technologies, teledensity and regional initiatives (New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Economic Community of West African States, etc).

Source: Nigeria Millennium Development Goals Report 2010/ Count Down Strategy 2010-2015


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Table 2: Potential to Achieve MDGs

Goal/target Goal/Target Potential to meet target

Supportive policy environment

MDG1

Target 1

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people living in extreme poverty.

G

W

Target 2 Halve between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people suffering from hunger

A A

MDG2 Achieve universal primary education

Ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of schooling.

A

A

MDG3

Target 4

Promote gender equality and empower women

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005 and to all levels of education no later than 2015.

A

A

MDG4

Target 5

Reduce child mortality

Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

A

A

MDG5

Target 6

Improve maternal health

Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality rate.

A

W

MDG6

Target 7

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other disease.

Have halted by 2015 and began to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

G

A

Target 8 Have halted by 2015 and began to reverse the incidence of malaria and other

A A


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diseases.

MDG7

Target 9

Ensure environmental sustainability

Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.

W

W

Target 10 Halve by 2015, the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

W A

MDG 8

Target 11

Develop a global partnership for development

Deal comprehensively with debt problems.

G

G

Target 12 In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications technologies.

G A

Source: Nigeria: Millennium Development Goals Report 2010/ Count Down Strategy 2010-2015