The Politics of Implementing Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education Act in Adamawa State, Nigeria

• In Event: Power and (in)coherence: political economy analyses of education systems in conflict and crisis

Proposal

As part of the ERICC Research Consortium, this paper is generating a better context-specific understanding of how far the Nigerian Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act has been implemented in conflict-affected Adamawa State; and the factors that limit access to and the quality and continuity of basic education. In particular, this paper considers the extent to which UBE meets the needs of the most vulnerable sub-groups of conflict-affected children, including girls, the chronically impoverished, and children with disabilities.

The project’s broad Theory of Change (ToC) guides our paper: if education stakeholders have access to evidence-based knowledge of the UBE Act and its implementation then they can make informed decisions. At State and Local Government levels, this should include the development of policies and practices that improve basic education. At the family and community levels, this should include protesting for such reforms. A deeper understanding of the situation in Adamawa, and of the educational options and opportunities of its young people, will be facilitated by the use of: (i) the capability approach developed by Sen and Nussbaum (which is concerned with the real opportunities people have to choose and lead lives they value and have reason to value); and (ii) Bourdieu’s theory of reproduction (which considers how different forms of power influence people’s perception of the social world and so guide and limit their choices).

The ToC frames the main research questions which address the extent of the UBE Act’s implementation, the eco-system in which UBE is (or is not) delivered and the perceptions primary interest groups (children and young adults, their families, and their communities) have of UBE. It also guides our methodological choice of a mixed methods ‘nested’ case study approach which places children and young adults at the heart of the research. Accounts of their educational experiences in the context of Adamawa’s ongoing conflict will be ‘nested’ in cases focusing on their families, schools, or other learning institutions and their wider communities and then larger cases based on the Local and State Governments. By putting young people at the heart of this empirical research, we can ensure that the most vulnerable children are properly represented and that their educational experiences are properly contextualized.

Stakeholders from governments and Community-Based Organisations were identified during ERICC-Nigeria’s preparatory phase and collaborated in the stakeholder mapping and engagement at the community level. Initial findings show that: (i) governments have limited knowledge of community needs but claim to want to know them in order to respond to them; while (ii) communities, and especially the most disadvantaged in them, are often uncertain about the basic education to which their children are entitled and unsure how to agitate for an improved education system. Here, we link this empirical research to CIES 2024, and add to the wider knowledge base of delivering education in emergencies, by considering what education stakeholders need to know to empower them to protest for a better education system.

Authors

• Oladele Akogun, International Rescue Committee

• Sani Njobdi, Common Heritage Foundation

• Adedoyin Oluleye Adesina, Common Heritage Foundation