Addressing Enrolment and Attendance Disparities in Rural and Urban Primary Schools Post-Insurgency

Enhancing Library Services for Equitable Education

Abstract

The study investigated and addressed the disparities in enrolment and attendance rates of pupils in primary schools in the North zone of Yobe State after the insurgency. According to a report by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in June 2022, there has been an increase in school enrolment and attendance among pupils in sub-Saharan Africa between 2009 and 2020. The gross percentage of female enrollment was reported to be 93–98%, respectively. However, a policy study by the World Bank in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2021 stated that there was no progress in enrolment or attendance in primary education in Africa. The report mentioned that enrolment decreased from 79% in 2009 to 72% in 2020 due to the poor condition of primary schools in Africa. A report in A Child Report of 2016 indicates that 87.7% 2015 Female Population with No or Uncompleted Primary Education was recorded in Yobe state, and 12.8% Primary School Attendance Rate. The study has two research objectives: to determine the differences in enrolment between urban and rural primary schools and to determine the differences in attendance between urban and rural primary schools in the zone. The study addresses two research questions. The survey research method was used, and data was collected through questionnaires. The findings of the study indicate a significant difference in pupil enrolment between urban and rural primary schools, with urban schools having 76% of the enrolment and rural schools having 22%. Furthermore, the study shows a difference in attendance between rural and urban primary schools, with urban schools having 81% attendance and rural schools having 19%. The recommendations made, among others, include: efforts should be made to improve physical access to schools by constructing more in closer proximity to students' homes; the curriculum should be revised to meet the basic needs of primary schoolage children, taking into account their socio-cultural context; and so on.