To increase the number of girls enrolled in basic education, improve the quality of education for girls and boys, reduce the gap in education outcomes between girls and boys, and address barriers facing girls in education, there is a need for a deliberate design and implementation of a Gender-Responsive Education Sector Plan (GRESP) backed with the timely release of funding.
In an affirmation of troubles in Bauchi’s education sector, in September 2023, having been disturbed about the poor performance of state education, despite declaring a state of emergency in the sector, Governor Bala Mohammed rated the state low in education performance in 2023, claiming that the state spent the sum of N17 billion in three years on education as a counterpart fund. He said that the sector has not improved positively.
Addressing the Commissioner of Education and education secretaries at a meeting at the Government House, the Governor said: “I am highly disappointed with all managers at all levels. From my humble self to my office, that of the Secretary to the State Government that is supervising SUBEB, SUBEB and the Ministry of Education, as well as the Local Government Authorities, are not doing anything. It’s just eye service and making money, and I will not agree. It will not continue.”
A critical assessment of the Bauchi State education budget and funding showed poor performance, with little attention to infrastructure, access to quality education, and quality personnel. The state, in its running 2025 budget, allocated N70.18 billion for the entire education sector, while neighbouring Jigawa projected N177.29 billion. Kano and Kaduna also ranked among the top Nigerian states with the highest education budgets, with N199.93 billion and N206.60 billion, respectively.
Also disturbed about the state of education in the Northeast and Bauchi State, the Chief of Bauchi Field Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, said that only 9 per cent of children between ages seven and 14 in the Northeast have reading skills.
She said this at a one-day community mobilization and back-to-school campaign held at the palace of Dr. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, the Emir of Bauchi. She said that the learning outcome for children at the basic education level has the worst indicator, especially in the Northeast.
In Bauchi, for instance, Rafique noted that the Early Childhood Development index indicated that only 26 per cent of children are on track, foundational reading skills for ages seven to 14 stand at nine per cent, while foundational numeracy for the same age category is at eight per cent.
She listed numerous obstacles that prevent consistent learning achievement, including school attendance, timely enrollment, and completion. “Some of these obstacles include inadequate evidence-based policy and planning, limited budget allocation, significant shortages of qualified teachers and classrooms, poor infrastructure, poor teachers’ remuneration, cultural norms, health and safety worries, and dependence on children for income and household tasks.”
Rafique’s indications were captured in the ordeal of Amina Abubakar, a 9-year-old girl from Unguwan Jaki, who sells Turarai (body spray) on the streets of Bauchi. Amina left school at the age of 7 in 2023 when her father informed her of his inability to keep her in school like her counterparts.
The hawking young girl was seen tired along Ahmadu Bello Way in Bauchi metropolis, hanging her body spray basket on her right elbow. She stopped a tricyclist and begged him to give her a lift in exchange for body spray. The tricyclist responded with rejection, wondering about the awkwardness of spraying his dirty duty clothes in exchange for transport fare on a sunny afternoon. He shrugged and reluctantly asked Amina to join him on the front seat for a free ride.
Speaking with this reporter, Amina explained that it has been two years since she left school. “Baba said I will be selling this Turarai because he doesn’t have money for our school items. He sells his goods at Wunti Market, but I move around, particularly on Fridays, to get customers.”
Like Amina, many other learners in Bauchi State face socio-cultural, economic, and socio-political barriers, as well as a lack of financing. Many face violence, harassment, and rape. Many girls are still trapped in harmful cultural norms that prioritize one gender’s education over the other. This is worsened by disdainful attention to gender-responsive education appropriation in the fiscal year document.
A thorough scrutiny of the Bauchi State budget for 2025 showed a lack of a plan to close the education gap and prevent students from dropping out of school. Beyond the annual rhetoric of a minimum budgetary allocation of 15-20 per cent of the annual budget as recommended by UNESCO, the government of Bauchi State has performed poorly in education funding in 2024. With a capital budget of N9.1 billion for the education ministry in 2024, only a paltry N246.8 million was released as of Q3. Only SUBEB received beyond 47 per cent of its capital expenditure fund of N9.8 billion as of Q3.
This persistent poor funding for the education sector has kept more girls and boys away from school in Bauchi State—particularly in rural areas, where a larger percentage of girls face stereotypes that prevent them from attaining their full potential. Bauchi is among the states with low enrollment rates and has been facing an increasing number of dropouts, which is attributable to forced marriage, hardship, and child labor, among other factors.
In the Northeast, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that 1.4 million children are currently displaced and made vulnerable by the ongoing crisis in the region. About 14 million children aged 5-14 years are engaged in child labour. Child marriages are more prevalent in the north than in the southern parts of Nigeria. “About 60% of children under the age of 18 have experienced some form of violence. Girl children are 87% more likely to be victims of abuse than male children.”
The Bauchi State Education Ministry, the Special Schools Board, and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) oversee a network of 3,854 primary schools, 1,038 junior secondary schools, and 450 senior secondary schools, totalling 5,342 schools, according to the former Commissioner of Education, Dr. Jamila Dahiru.
While highlighting the Ministry’s key achievements, Dahiru said that the state’s AGILE program has increased girls’ enrollment.
She said, “A total of 650,265 girls enrolled in pre-primary and Integrated Qur’anic Education. The Girl4Girl and HeForShe activities of the project empowered about 9,000 girls and boys in Bauchi State to use peer support mechanisms to create demand for girl-child enrollment in their communities.
“Strengthening the capacity of teachers is crucial for the retention of girl children who enrol in schools. The GEP3 project implemented various capacity-building initiatives for teachers. About 11,000 teachers received training on topics such as leadership skills to enable effective running of schools, early grade reading pedagogies to enable early grasp of literacy skills, and other key topics essential for effective service delivery.
“The project successfully strengthened school governance systems through the facilitation of eight annual school censuses, strengthening school record-keeping, developing a Local Education Sector Operational Plan to align with the State Education Sector Plan, and improving the functionality of SBMCs and CBMCs.”
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Education Sector Operational Plan, which expired last year, has no gender provisions and lacks mechanisms to address gender-related issues.
An effective design of a Gender-Responsive Education Sector Plan (GRESP) and appropriate funding will give a boy like Suleiman and others access to quality and free compulsory education to achieve their potential.
The Bauchi State Ministry of Education, SUBEB, and other relevant MDAs should put mechanisms in motion and develop a workable Education Sector Plan encompassing all gender issues, just like neighbouring Jigawa State.
Bauchi State should also emulate steps taken by Adamawa State, which unveiled its policy on gender equality in education in February this year.
