Nigeria: Improving Education in Difficult Circumstances
The population of Nigeria is 184 million, which accounts for 47% of West Africa’s population. This large and youthful country is having it’s potential obstructed by the prominence of the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram.
The disruption that this has caused on the education of the youth in Northern Nigeria is significant. The UN reported that in Borno, Nigeria’s most north-easterly state, nearly half of all children who have completed primary education cannot read or complete a sentence.
To make matters worse, this region has been inundated with English-speaking refugees from Cameroon who are escaping persecution. It is estimated that 15,000 Cameroonian refugees are residing in the neighboring Taraba State. This is putting an enormous strain on an already overstretched and underprepared education system.
Extremist insurgency and lack of state intervention into education has added to the already low levels of teaching competence and poor attendance in schools.
To try and address this problem we have partnered with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) which is using three initiatives to try and kick start the education system in this troubled area.
Accelerated Learning Program
With the assistance of 40 volunteer teachers a catch-up program was formed to help accelerate the learning for children which had missed school due to personal disruption out of their control.
This initiative was conducted three times a week for two and a half hours each session. Two schools offered classrooms after opening hours and 4000 students were enrolled and supplied with textbooks.
Teacher Training
The addition of Cameroonian refugees onto the already overwhelmed education system has caused large class sizes and staff shortage.
JRS Nigeria responded to this by hosting a five day workshop for teachers in over-stretched schools to help them strategically plan which will help them manage their work despite the increasing pressures. 124 teachers were trained as ‘master trainers’. The teachers then took the training into their own schools and produced workshops in their own schools benefiting 1200 teachers.
Protection Training
124 teachers were trained to serve as protection focal points in schools recognised with a large refugee population. This training educated these teachers in awareness raising? messages on how to cope with the difficulties that refugees face.
This initiative benefited 1000 refugee students who benefited from further knowledge on how to identify risks as a refugee.
Jesuit Missions has been pleased to support such a worthwhile project from JRS.
Your support has helped over 6000 vulnerable students in Nigeria.
Please continue to support us so that we can continue to assist in further projects like this.
Source: Jesuit Missions
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