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thomas davison

Britain 'wasting' �230m in aid to Nigerian schools: Pupils left to play games as teachers fail to turn up says report Chaotic Nigerian education system means �102m aid is failing to make a difference
Britain pledged to spend a further �126m by 2019 - despite flaws

By Jason Groves
PUBLISHED: 00:01, 20 November 2012 | UPDATED: 00:01, 20 November 2012

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A �230million British aid programme to boost schools in Nigeria has produced �no major improvement in pupil learning�, a study warns today.
The Independent Commission on Aid Impact says UK-funded education programmes are struggling to make any difference to Nigeria�s chaotic education system.
Britain has poured �102million into education in ten of Nigeria�s 36 states during the last seven years, and is due to spend a further �126million by 2019.

Serious questions: The study warns aid isn't getting to frontline staff - despite Britain pouring in �102m into educational schemes
But the report raises serious questions about whether the Department for International Development is achieving value for money from the project.
It found that around a third of the eligible children � an estimated 3.7million � were still not in school, while those that were received little by way of education.

The study also found many rural schools were affected by a chronic lack of teachers, with staff frequently not turning up for work.

A researcher visited one Dfid-funded school in rural Nigeria to find almost all the teachers were absent, leaving the pupils to play football outside.
�It was the only activity at the school,� the report says.

�A bell rang but none of the pupils moved towards the classrooms. When asked about the bell, the boys said that it signalled a break � the football continued uninterrupted.�

Chaotic: The study found teachers were allowing children were left to play football instead of attending classes. (File picture)
The report went on: �We are concerned by the very high numbers of out-of-school children and the very poor learning outcomes in nine of the ten Nigerian states supported by Dfid.
�Dfid�s education programme in Nigeria operates in a very challenging environment, with too few effective teachers, poor infrastructure and unpredictable state funding all contributing to poor learning outcomes for pupils in basic education.
�Our review indicates no major improvement in pupil learning.�
The report warns that Dfid�s strategy of pumping resources into improving the overall school system was �not an appropriate strategy to tackle the most severe problems in the weakest schools�.
It also says there is a danger that the policy of supporting secular teaching in Nigeria�s many Islamic schools could backfire, with pupils boycotting lessons in some areas in protest.
And concerns were raised about whether money is making it through Nigeria�s bureaucracy to the front line.

'Waste': Britain has poured �102million, and pledged a further �126million over the next seven years to improve education in Nigeria's 36 states. (File picture)
A trainee teacher told researchers that she and others were giving up because their scholarship money had not been released by the state government.

The report is embarrassing for Dfid, which has more than doubled the aid programme to Nigeria in recent years. Britain is due to hand the country �1billion over four years, despite warnings that corruption is widespread.
But sources at Dfid questioned the findings of the watchdog, which was set up last year to report to Parliament on the fast-growing aid budget.

A spokesman for the department said: �This was a limited inquiry in that the team only visited 1 per cent of schools, most of which were in only one state in Nigeria, and they did not take into account the most recent evidence of the projects� progress.
�However, we will carefully review the report�s recommendations and respond in due course.�

Trouble: Pupils in Nigeria face a struggle to get a good education, in part due to a lack of aid making it through to the frontline. (File picture)
Meanwhile, ministers were facing fresh questions last night over multi-million-pound aid programmes to Rwanda and Uganda, amid claims the two countries are supporting a murderous rebellion in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening suspended �11million of aid to Uganda on Friday, and is under pressure to reverse her predecessor Andrew Mitchell�s decision to release �16million to Rwanda.
Both countries are accused of backing the notorious M23 rebels who have forced hundreds of thousands of people in the DRC from their homes.
Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday warned British citizens to flee the city of Goma, in the DRC as it came under attack from the rebels.
In the Commons, shadow international development secretary Ivan Lewis said the Government�s approach to the region was �shambolic�. He called on Miss Greening to �stop dithering� and suspend aid to Rwanda.
Miss Greening said she would review the evidence before deciding whether the next �21million payment should go ahead next month.
She said: �I will take a look at all the evidence on the ground, and indeed from all sources, when I come to make my decision in December and I�m not going to pre-empt that.�

If this government had any more brains they would be half-wits.

2Anne · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 399 Location: Norfolk

Nigeria is the fraud capital of the world. Any money sent there will go into the chief apes pocket. How stupid can we get sending aid there.
Nigeria should be a rich country with all the oil and resources they have but because of total corruption they are the usual poverty driven African stink hole.
More waste of UK tax payers money.