African Continental Qualifications Framework MAPPING STUDY Country Report Working Paper NIGERIA SIFA Skills for Youth Employability Programme Author: Jacinta Ezeahurukwe Reviewer: Eduarda Castel-Branco (European Training Foundation - ETF) December 2020 This working paper on the National Qualifications Framework of Nigeria is part of the Mapping Study of qualifications frameworks in Africa, elaborated in 2020 in the context of the project AU EU Skills for Youth Employability: SIFA Technical Cooperation – Developing the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF). The reports of this collection are: • Reports on countries' qualifications frameworks: Angola, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Togo • Reports on qualifications frameworks of Regional Economic Communities: East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC) Authors of the reports: • Eduarda Castel-Branco (ETF): reports Angola, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Morocco, Mozambique • James Keevy (JET Education Services): report Ethiopia • Jean Adotevi (JET Education Services): reports Senegal, Togo and ECOWAS • Lee Sutherland (JET Education Services): report Egypt • Lomthie Mavimbela (JET Education Services): report SADC • Maria Overeem (JET Education Services): report Kenya and EAC • Raymond Matlala (JET Education Services): report South Africa • Teboho Makhoabenyane (JET Education Services): report South Africa • Tolika Sibiya (JET Education Services): report South Africa • Zaahedah Vally (JET Education Services): report South Africa • Mohammadou Merawa (short-term expert ACQF project): report Ivory Coast • Jacinta Ezeahurukwe (short-term expert ACQF project: report Nigeria Reviewers of the reports: • Andrea Bateman (reports Angola, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, EAC, ECOWAS, SADC ) • Eduarda Castel-Branco (all reports of the collection) The contents of this paper are the sole responsibility of the author / authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU, BMZ, the project, GIZ, and ETF. While every effort was made to verify the contents of the working papers, we encourage the reader to provide us supplementary information where any unintended omissions are identified: [email protected] Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. December 2020 1 Contents Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Introduction to the ACQF Mapping Study .............................................................................................................. 7 1 Snapshot of the Nigeria National Qualifications Framework ............................................................................. 9 2. Introduction to country context .......................................................................................................................11 2.1 General Information .....................................................................................................................................11 2.2. Population ...................................................................................................................................................11 2.3. Politics .........................................................................................................................................................11 2.4. Economy ......................................................................................................................................................12 2.5. Employment and Unemployment ...............................................................................................................12 2.6 Education......................................................................................................................................................13 3. Mapping of the education and training Systems ...............................................................................................13 3.1. The Structure of the education system.......................................................................................................13 3.1.1 Basic Education .....................................................................................................................................14 3.1.2 The Early Child Care Development and the Pre-Primary Education .....................................................14 3.1.3 Primary Education .................................................................................................................................15 3.1.4 Junior Secondary Education ..................................................................................................................15 3.1.5 Post-Basic Education and Career Development ...................................................................................15 3.1.6 Mass Literacy, Adult and Nomadic Education ......................................................................................16 3.1.7 Tertiary Education .................................................................................................................................18 3.2. Key Education Statistics ..............................................................................................................................20 4. Scope and structure of the NQF ........................................................................................................................21 4.1. Scope ...........................................................................................................................................................21 4.2. Levels and level descriptors .......................................................................................................................21 4.3 The Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework ...............................................................................................23 4.4 Use of learning outcomes ...................................................................................................................25 4.5 Definition of qualifications ......................................................................................................................26 4.6 Development of qualifications ................................................................................................................27 4.7 Access to qualifications, Progression and Credits ...................................................................................27 4.8 Credits ..........................................................................................................................................................28 4.9 The Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS) ............................................................28 5 Legislation ...........................................................................................................................................................29 5.1. Legal acts directly applying to the different subsystems of education and its implementation ...............29 5.2 Relation with other Acts and regulations ................................................................................................29 6. Organising systems ............................................................................................................................................30 6.1. The Authorities in the Development of the NQF ........................................................................................30 6.2 The Roles of the Federal Ministry of Education, and its agencies or parastatals ........................................30 2 7. Quality assurance of qualifications...................................................................................................................32 7.1. Scope of Quality Assurance policy ..............................................................................................................32 7.2 Legal bases of the quality assurance framework .........................................................................................32 7.3 Quality Assurance Processes ........................................................................................................................33 7.4 Accredited institutions in Nigeria.................................................................................................................34 7.5 Quality assurance bodies and regulators in NQF implementation .........................................................35 7.6 Participation in international bodies ...........................................................................................................35 8. NQF implementation .........................................................................................................................................36 8.1 Inclusion of qualification in qualifications register..................................................................................36 8.2 Funding ....................................................................................................................................................36 8.3 Monitoring, evaluation and development ..............................................................................................36 9. Validation