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Follow The Money tries to answer questions about the way that funds meant for development are being utilized within our local communities. How much is spent on community development? Where does it go? What is it spent on? Who spends it? Our aim is to provide clear, objective evidence on resources, easily accessible on paper and online, so that decisions and policy can better be informed on how transparent and accountable these processes are.

Our mission is to give people the news and information they need about aid meant for their communities, and the means to make their voices heard.  We believe that when people are better informed, they can more easily hold their leaders accountable.

Across Nigeria, one thing is certain —provided that governments move decisively to put in place appropriate policies and support mechanisms for education. The problem of teachers quality,  the rating of our Ivory Towers below top 1,500s in the world, the shameful scenes of children studying under trees, children without access to electronic libraries that have been associated with Nigeria for far too long can be eliminated once and for all.

Children from the poorest wealth quintile are most likely to be out of school, and parents say that cost is a major reason for withdrawing their wards from education. In theory education is free, but in practice parents pay fees, which disproportionately burden the poor. For both girls and boys, there is a strong correlation between income level and school attendance.

Another challenge is how to improve the culture of teaching and learning for all, including children from the poorest families. Infrastructure might not be a sustainable cure for the poor trend in education, rather the capacity of the teachers to inform these children, and impact knowledge into them remains the biggest challenge. The methods used in teaching at every level of education in Nigeria pose a big threat to national development. In primary schools, the use of visual aids for learning is largely absent. The National Training Institute for teachers in some of these countries seems invisible and “dead”.

Recently, we worked in Nasarawa, Kogi and Zamfara state, and our community outreach and “ground truthing” forms a larger part of this report. Likewise lessons from consultation with stakeholders on the policies on education were embedded in this data report.

We hope that you find this report and all the supporting data online helpful. We are always available to answer questions, provide additional information or produce specific graphs and spreadsheets through our mail and by phone. Please check the Education Budget Tracker

We would welcome your feedback and suggestions about information that you will find useful and how you might want to partner with us in implementing this feedback mechanism. Thank You!