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1 in 6 Nigerian children are not in school

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By Mercy Kelani

Annual reports do not assure success of students in examination.

Education data is a compilation of data from schools, based on graduation rates, test score averages, drop-out rates, and particularly external examination performances. It serves as the measurement of the achievements of individuals, institutions, regions, and states while using them as a standard to aid improvement of others in their fields. Currently, many states are into publishing of annual reports that give details of school accountability data, but still there is no improvement in the success rates of students in examination.

The lack of improvement is attributed to unreliability of majority of the information contained in the annual reports. This is likewise as a result of the mode of sourcing, compiling and presenting the data. Inaccessibility to accurate data in the educational sector has been discovered to be an hindrance to combating challenges in the sector. These challenges include infrastructural decay, inadequate funding, limited resources, insufficient personnel among others, all linked to lack of access to accurate data.

Adoption of local statistics would identify the solution to problems.

According to the United Nations, there is a recent report that only 15 percent of Nigerians are permitted access to electricity while UNESCO asserts that only 24 percent of Nigerians get secondary school education and above. This report therefore introduces the baffling question that why are a large number of Nigerians denied access to basic education in the 21st century? To combat these problems, there is a need to adopt local statistics for proper identification of where progress can be achieved in finding a solution.

In today’s world, given the fast-paced artificial intelligence (AI), many executives believe that a winning strategy is achieved through data-driven operations when it concerns businesses. This fact is strengthened by the 88 percent increase in digital capabilities investment and 77 percent increase in IT investment. The 2022 Gartner CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey added that the success of a business lies with the ability granted to employees to access their data whether or not they are within technical teams.

The sector could collaborate with the government to solve challenges.

Furthermore, in the educational sector, the possibility of an Education Technology (EdTech) startup figuring out reasons why there are insufficient schools in a community means it could determine the number of students who live there through census data. Achievement of that phase means there could also be a collaboration between the sector and government officials to find solutions which might include the construction of more schools or provision of transportation for students who trek long distance to reach far school destination on a daily basis.

As is expected, collections of information used in learning fields should be considered as an instrument that is received and implemented for proper administration of the educational process which includes production of tangible outputs. Data implementation helps the decision-making and critical thinking of teachers, students, researchers, parents, NGOs, researchers, educational institutions and the government. Thus, reduction of the numbers of children who are out of school would be addressed through collection and analysis of data.

With proper planning, no Nigerian would lack basic education.

With high quality evidence and information it is possible to create innovative solutions that can contribute to the improvement of school performance and retaining of children in schools. Report has it that 1 out of every 6 Nigerian children is either not enrolled in school or does not attend regularly. However, with accurate and proper data, stakeholders in the industry can ensure that no Nigerian child lacks access to basic education. Achievement of this goal solely depends on the political will, coordination and effective planning between the federal and state government authorities and local governments.


Related Link

Nigeria education: Website


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