Many Countries Offer Free High School Education, But Can Nigeria?

Nigeria already makes basic education free and compulsory for children, but secondary school level is a lot trickier, and for many reasons. Children start going in the direction they want to in life, from that point, and for the development of the youths in Nigeria, this stage will more than likely dictate where a person will go, career wise.

This makes the secondary school level, or the high school, the most important stage for a youth regarding their earning potential. Most secondary schools divide curriculums into Art, Science and Business categories, though we usually don’t call them those things.

Usually, students have to decide which category they want to fall under, or to put it more seriously, which direction they want to go in life. Of course, students don’t always end up earning in that category, but the overwhelming majority of the time, they do.

It goes without saying that many students run into the same difficulties as they do at basic education level, and this time it’s worse, because tuition is not even free, and it takes up a larger portion of the expenses needed to put young Nigerians through a high school education.

Is Free High School Education Even Attainable?

Free high school education is in fact possible. Some African countries have already approved free high school education programs. Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zambia are examples of this. These countries have requirements for eligibility, so not every citizen who is of that age qualifies to be in the program. These requirements include having finished basic education and passed the equivalent of what Nigerians know as common entrance exams.

High School Students in Ghana receiving free high school education

Another important requirement is gaining admission into public high schools in the country. This rule is enforced to target students from low and middle-income homes. This way, the help provided by the Ghanaian Government goes to only those who need it.

Why can’t Nigeria Implement This to Speed Up Youth Empowerment and Development?

1. Cost

It is important to appreciate how expensive it is to give a secondary school student a good education, especially because high school education involves practical teaching aspects, which requires quality equipment. Sometimes, youths need computers in school, which have to be paid for. In a free high school society, the government has to pay for the laptops. Equipment is expensive, and that just adds to the cost of educating the average student.

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2. Poor allocation of resources

The cost of educating youths in this country is made worse by the way the government allocates resources. To successfully deploy this program, more resources than normal have to be put toward education. Education is not at the top of Nigeria’s list of priorities, and the likelihood that it’d suddenly jump there is not high. This means that structurally, Nigeria is not yet in a position to carry out an initiative like this.

3. Population volume

Ghana’s population, for instance, is 15% of Nigeria’s, and their Gross Domestic Produce (GDP) is 20% of Nigeria’s. 18% of Ghana’s population currently are in their teenage years, while 13% of Nigeria’s population are teenagers. The issue is that Nigeria has about five times more teenagers than Ghana.

The sheer volume of teenagers means that should Nigeria implement a free high school programme, they’d simply have a lot more people to account for. With over 30 millions Nigerian teenagers and about 6.5 million Ghanaian teenagers, you can already see only some of the issues the country will face.

What Then Can the Government Do to Increase Youth Enrolment in High Schools?

Scholarships. Nigeria is better off giving out scholarships to a select group of students, rather than trying to provide free education for all eligible students at the secondary level. Nigeria cannot do that now, but it should be something the nation works toward in the long term.

However, like Ghana, these scholarships should be targeted at low-income and middle-income families. Unlike Ghana, it should be targeted at high performers in the corresponding common entrance exams. This would reduce the number of students the government would send to school for free, while giving bright students a chance at success regardless of their financial background.

Secondary School students in Nigeria receiving high school education

A scholarship like this will incentivize students to work hard and excel in exams, as sometimes hard work can seem like it’s a waste of time to students. The government will then decide how many students to sponsor through secondary school.

This means those who can afford to send their children to school will do so, while those who cannot will still be given a chance to excel in life. This is not the best solution to the issues many students are facing, but it may be the most practical solution yet.

Inside Success Nigeria is also taking steps to fill this education and development gap. You can find scholarship opportunities posted on our website and other channels, so be sure to follow us there. We are also giving youths golden learning and education opportunities through our webinars and insightful articles.

Conclusion

I am not writing this to say that providing free education for all high school eligible students in the country is a bad idea. However, in Nigeria that can become very difficult to manage, mainly due to the cost and other factors. The most manageable way to get more youths through the next stage of development is through scholarships. Federal Government-sponsored scholarships that target those who have high potential but are only restrained by finances.

Thank you for reading, your eyes are important to us. Inside Success Nigeria has a lot more of these types of informative articles. Subscribe to our site and follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook. Join us on the journey to empower young Nigerians through jobs, education and training.

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