Government Programmes in Nigeria - National Council on Education

National Women Education Programme

In 1987, the National Council on Education adopted the National Women Education Programme. Its objectives were to:

1. provide more educational opportunities for girls from primary to tertiary levels;

2. create awareness in all citizens of the fact that equal educational opportunities exist irrespective of gender, age, locality, creed or status, and that such opportunities should be made available to all;

3. re-orientate the attitude of all females towards education, irrespective of their age;

4. provide functional education for girls and women; to awake the consciousness of all women;

5. educate parents and the general public so as to bring about a change in attitude towards the new women’s education programme; and,

6. promote the education of girls and women in the fields of science, technology and mathematics.

Concretely, the Programme established two Federal Government Secondary Schools in each State of the Federation, one exclusively for girls and the other for both boys and girls. Concessions have also been accorded in order to increase women’s participation in the country’s educational process. They notably include free education, establishment of special schools for girls and lower cut-off points for admission into secondary school. As a result, an increase in the enrolment of girls in secondary schools has been observed (42,2% in 1987 and 67% in 1993).

The Programme also organized campaigns presenting the advantages of women’s education and the effects of early marriages and school dropouts. At the State and local government levels, the campaigns have tried to dislodge the belief that education was irrelevant to women. They were aimed at parents, the general public and women in particular.