page_title: Education in Nigeria
section_title: Informal education and literacy programs
hierarchical_section_title: Education in Nigeria / Informal education and literacy programs
caption_attribution_description: Nigeria. USAID
context_page_description: Education in Nigeria is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing state-controlled policy regarding public education and state schools. The education system is divided into Kindergarten, Primary education, Secondary education and Tertiary education. Nigeria's central government has been dominated by instability since declaring independence from Britain, and, as a result, a unified set of education policies has not yet been successfully implemented. Regional differences in quality, curriculum, and funding characterize the education system in Nigeria. Currently, Nigeria possesses the largest population of out-of-school learning youths in the world.
context_section_description: Informal modes of education have formed a foundation for tertiary education in Nigeria for many years and are still at play today.  These programs and structures are difficult to study and assess unanimously as they are decentralized and unique in their missions and practices. Many academics have concluded that an overall lack of funding and centralization has significantly hindered the quality, funding, and implementation of literacy programs for both school age children and adults. However, many have achieved success at promoting employment and increasing economic mobility for those who have utilized the programs. In addition to vocational apprenticeships, the Nigerian government and various NGOs have introduced communal based strategies for increasing literacy rates among both children and adults. One such example is the Centre of Excellence for Literacy and Literacy Education (CELLE), an NGO committed to accelerating national development through literacy education.  In 1992, CELLE launched the Premier Reading Club (PRC), which is a nationally organized club with defined structure and methods for teaching children and adults to read and share their ideas. These programs have achieved varying levels of success with the primary challenge being that funding is difficult to come by.  Formal and informal literacy education in Nigeria received a significant boost under the colonial rule of Britain, but since independence in 1960, educational funding across the board has been lacking. Informal education has also aimed at addressed issues other than illiteracy.  Calls to incorporate informal HIV/AIDS education into the prison education system have been frequent and met with limited and varied response.    This population is in need of this education as inmates are not exposed to the standard methods of TV and print media campaigns addressing the issue. From a psychological perspective, much of the informal education of adults is based on western research regarding psychology and social sciences.  However, increasing academic movements are aiming to contextualize and build upon these western based ideals for the sake of social betterment in Nigeria, as well as developing nations around the world. Overall, the informal education system in Nigeria can be described as nuanced and complicated.  Despite large support for investment in adult literacy and vocational programs, small groups of politicians and funding challenges have stalled the implementation of many literacy and vocational programs. One study regarding the involvement of the national government in education and literacy programs concluded that the high illiteracy rates in Nigeria were significantly related to the government's lack of commitment towards its standardized education policies.
caption: School age children participating in literacy education
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