Abuja, Nigeria. January 27, 2025 – A new public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls has revealed an impressive assertion that education is important, with 95 percent of Nigerians indicating a strong consensus on the value of education across the population. This overwhelming majority reflects a societal recognition of education as a top priority and its critical role in individual and national development.
Furthermore, the poll findings highlight the awareness and challenges related to educational empowerment programs. Alarmingly, only 15 percent of respondents reported being aware of initiatives supporting education, while 70 percent of this group indicated that they or someone they know has benefited from these programs. Awareness levels varied across geopolitical zones, with the highest in the North-West at 74 percent and the lowest in the North-Central at 60 percent.
Further findings also identified significant barriers to accessing quality education, with 54 percent citing financial constraints as the most pressing issue, lack of qualified teachers (17 percent), and insufficient learning materials and infrastructure (11 percent) respectively were other barriers cited. In addressing these challenges, participants suggested measures to improve education: Hiring qualified teachers (17 percent), enhancing learning facilities (16 percent), providing free education (13 percent), and reducing educational costs or offering scholarships.
These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to enhance the quality of education in Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of community awareness and resource allocation. These are key findings from the Education Poll conducted in the week commencing January 13th, 2025.
Background
The term "education" originates from the Latin words educare, meaning "to bring up," and educere, meaning "to bring forth[1]. "There are several perspectives on the concept of education but the definition many agree with is that education is a purposeful activity aimed at achieving goals like the transmission of knowledge, skills, and character traits[2]. UNESCO’s Convention Against Discrimination in Education (CADE, 1960) which is the first instrument in the field of the right to education, defined education in article 1(2) as “all types and levels of education, including access to education, the standard and quality of education and the conditions under which it is given”[3].
Education is the basic building block of every society[4]. It is the single best investment countries can make to build prosperous, healthy, and equitable societies[5]. Article 26 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to education[6].” The right to quality education is already firmly rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international legal instruments, the majority of which are the result of the work of UNESCO and the United Nations[7].
Education is not only a right, but a passport to human development that opens doors and expands opportunities and freedoms[8]. It is a basic human right that works to raise men and women out of poverty, and levels of inequalities and ensure sustainable development[9]. But worldwide, 244 million children and youth are still out of school for social, economic, and cultural reasons[10]. SDG goal No. 4 states that by 2030, each country’s youths and a large proportion of adults achieve literacy and numeracy, achieving an all-inclusive, equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all[11].’’
Unfortunately, a unified set of education policies is yet to be successfully implemented in Nigeria[12]. Characterized by regional differences in quality, curriculum, and funding within the system [13], the educational systems in Nigeria are divided into two the public and the private[14] . Currently, Nigeria possesses the largest population of out-of-school learning youths in the world[15].
UNICEF reports that one in three children is out of school in Nigeria, with 10.2 million children in primary school and 8.1 million in junior secondary school (JSS) not attending school [16] . Additionally, 12.4 million children have never attended school, and 5.9 million left school prematurely[17]. Nigeria’s out-of-school population represents 15% of the global total, a staggering figure worsened by growing insecurity, banditry, extreme multidimensional poverty, and illiteracy in Africa’s most populous country[18].
According to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, Nigeria is one of the many countries that witnessed a series of attacks on education[19]. Between 2020 and 2021, over 1,980 students and educators were harmed, over 1,400 students were abducted, and several educational structures were destroyed because of violence[20]. According to the 2022 "Education Under Attack" report, there were six attacks on education per day on average, with women and girls reported as the major victims[21]. Likewise, schoolboys are often coerced or dragged into conflicts as militias or into the national army. Other factors such as early marriage, religious and cultural beliefs, child labor, low access to education, and low-quality education exemplified by poor teaching and learning facilities and environment and irrelevant curriculum are some of the factors that can deter the achievement of SDG 4 in Nigeria[22].The latest data on Nigeria’s literacy rate in 2024 stood at 59.57%[23].
Interestingly, the Nigerian government has made some efforts to improve access to education, with programs like the mass literacy programs as well as the school feeding program to improve enrollment, but positive results have been slow in coming[24]. UNESCO’s latest global education monitoring report stated that out-of-school children in Nigeria have increased to an estimated 20 million[25]. A redeemed educational sector in Nigeria depends on people and systems[26]. The odds are stacked against Nigeria meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 4 for quality and equitable education[27]. Nigeria’s education budget remains far below UNESCO’s recommended 15-20% and has hovered between 5-9% over the last few years[28]. This underinvestment makes it even harder to close the literacy gap and build a future in which all Nigerians can thrive[29]. Against this backdrop, NOIPolls surveyed to gauge the perceptions and opinions of Nigerians regarding education in Nigeria and hereby presents its findings.
Survey Findings
Respondents nationwide were asked, “How important do you think education is in Nigeria” and the analysis of Education Sentiment in Nigeria revealed that 95 percent of Nigerians affirm that education is important. This indicates a strong consensus on the value of education among the population nationwide. Further analysis shows that 84 percent of respondents view education as "very important” and 11 percent consider it "important". The overwhelming majority (95 percent) signifies that education is a top priority for Nigerians, reflecting a societal recognition of its role in individual and national development. The distinction between "very important" and "important" suggests the majority consider education as crucial.
The analysis across gender indicates that education is highly valued, with 97 percent of females and 94 percent of males expressing a strong commitment to its importance. Highlighting a shared cultural belief that education is essential for growth and development. Additionally, support for education across geopolitical zones is similarly robust. The North-East zone with the highest percentage at 98 percent, while the North-Central and South-East regions each stand at 94 percent. The overall data underscores a strong, collective commitment to education in Nigeria.
Ratings on the quality of education across communities in Nigeria reveal a mixed perspective: positive, negative, and neutral stance. Only 37 percent of Nigerians rated the quality of education in their communities as good, with 23 percent indicating "good" and 14 percent "very good." This suggests notable dissatisfaction among a significant portion of the population regarding the educational quality locally. Additionally, 28 percent of respondents considered the education quality to be poor, broken down to 17 percent rating it "poor" and 11 percent "very poor." This highlights serious concerns about the effectiveness and outcomes of educational institutions in their communities. Interestingly, 34 percent of respondents remained neutral regarding the quality of education. This may indicate a lack of sufficient information or personal experience to form a strong opinion, pointing to potential gaps in communication or awareness about educational standards and achievements.
On initiatives and programs, only 15 percent of Nigerians reported being aware of any empowerment programs or initiatives aimed at supporting education in their communities. This highlights a significant gap in knowledge and awareness among the populace.
The low percentage suggests that many individuals may not have access to vital educational resources, or support systems that could enhance learning opportunities, or existing programs that support education in communities are not effectively communicated or advertised, limiting their reach and impact.
Of the 15 percent of Nigerians who reported awareness of empowerment programs supporting education in their communities, 70 percent indicated that they or someone they know has benefited from these initiatives. Across geopolitical zones, awareness of empowerment programs was highest in the North-West at 74 percent and lowest in the North-Central at 60 percent.
Furthermore, on the challenges that Nigerians face in assessing quality education, results from the survey revealed that the top three challenges faced in assessing quality education are: “financial constraint” (54 percent), “lack/shortage of qualified teachers” (17 percent) and Lack of learning materials/infrastructure (11 percent).
Consequently, the survey asked respondents what could be done to improve the quality of education in their communities. The top four suggestions include: hiring qualified teachers (17 percent), providing good learning facilities (16 percent), offering free education (14 percent), and reducing the cost of education or providing scholarships (13 percent).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the survey results strongly emphasize the critical role of education in Nigeria's development, with 95 percent of respondents recognizing its significance. This widespread acknowledgment underscores the urgent need for stakeholders, including the government, educational institutions, and community organizations, to collaborate in improving the nation's education system.
However, the survey also highlights significant challenges that hinder educational progress. Financial constraints, particularly for families, pose a major barrier to accessing quality education. Furthermore, a shortage of qualified teachers and limited awareness of available educational empowerment programs exacerbate these issues. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach that includes investing in teacher training, improving school infrastructure, and implementing strategies to reduce the financial burden on families.
Survey Methods
The opinion poll was conducted in the week commencing January 13th, 2025. It involved telephone interviews of a proportionate nationwide sample of 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geo-political regions 36 states, and the FCT of the country. Interviews were conducted in 5 languages – Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Pidgin English, and English. Although we can say with 95 percent confidence that the results obtained were statistically precise – within a margin of error of plus or minus 4.65 percent; we recognize that the exclusive use of telephone polling has its limitation of excluding non-phone-owning Nigerians. Nonetheless, with the country’s tele density put over 100 percent by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), we consider our telephone polling approach appropriate. Also, given the rigorous scientific process of randomization and stratification applied, we can confidently stand by the validity of our methodology and approach. NOIPolls Limited, No. 1 for country-specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com.
Disclaimer
This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as authors whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited, or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect the views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or facts, or any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken because of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions, or views herein constitute a judgment as of the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls' current findings and/or thinking.
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[11] https://dataphyte.com/latest-reports/international-literacy-day-achieving-sdg-4-still-a-long-way-off-for-nigeria/
[22] https://dataphyte.com/latest-reports/international-literacy-day-achieving-sdg-4-still-a-long-way-off-for-nigeria/
[24] https://dataphyte.com/latest-reports/international-literacy-day-achieving-sdg-4-still-a-long-way-off-for-nigeria/
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