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The Implications of Ethnicity, Gender, Urban–Rural Residence, and Socioeconomic Status for Progress Through School among Children in Nigeria

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Abstract

This study examines the role of ethnicity, gender, urban–rural residence, and socioeconomic status on children’s progress through school. It also investigates other correlates of progress through school within the categories of ethnicity, gender, urban–rural residence, and socioeconomic status. The study finds ethnic and income gaps in progress through school. In particular, the results show that Hausa–Fulani children and poor children are less likely on average to progress through school than Yoruba children and non-poor children. The preceding results have numerous policy implications. To address the lack of progress through school that arises from late entry, policies must implement early childhood nutrition and food programs. To reduce lack of progress through school among poor children, policy makers must focus on poverty eradication, learning enhancement, and remedial education programs. To address the problem of lack of progress through school among Hausa–Fulani children, it is vital for policies to establish mobile schools, visiting female teachers, and separate school facilities, especially for Hausa–Fulani girls. Results also indicate that work interferes with children’s progress through school; particularly among poor children, rural children, and Hausa–Fulani children. To address this problem, policies need to implement educational stipends that are given to the households in which these children belong on the condition that they are released from work-related distractions during school time.

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Notes

  1. At the same time, however, it should be noted that reliable grade repetition data are often unavailable due to inadequate reporting by education ministries, schools, and teachers (Marshall 2003).

  2. There is a difference in the number of original clusters chosen and those that surveys were conducted on. Three less clusters were interviewed due to communal conflicts, which made acquiring data impossible.

  3. The years of completed schooling variable was derived by subtracting the variable, age when a child first entered grade 1 from the variable his/her current age in years.

  4. The grade-level fixed effect represents all factors affecting progress in school that does not change overtime.

  5. An extended version of Table 1 is available upon request.

  6. This ethnic group is mostly populated in northern Nigeria.

  7. The tables of results from the group specific models are available upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Western Kentucky University, Grise Hall 100/101, 1906 College Heights Blvd., #11057, Bowling Green, KY, 42101-1057, USA

    Aramide Kazeem & John M. Musalia

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  1. Aramide Kazeem
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  2. John M. Musalia
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Correspondence to Aramide Kazeem.

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Kazeem, A., Musalia, J.M. The Implications of Ethnicity, Gender, Urban–Rural Residence, and Socioeconomic Status for Progress Through School among Children in Nigeria. Soc Indic Res 132, 861–884 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1311-8

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