The daunting challenge of fixing Nigeria’s education system

Primary education in Nigeria is officially free – and compulsory. But in practice, some 8.7 million children of primary school age are out of school, according to UNICEF. In the northern city of Kano, parents are offered financial aid to encourage them to send their children to fee-paying schools. Those who miss out on school opt instead for an apprenticeship. At a local mosque, the imam recruits children from around 40 families each year, training them to become mechanics. Among those who fail to learn a trade, many end up begging on the streets. In the last of five reports in the run-up to Nigeria’s presidential election on Saturday, FRANCE 24’s Anna Cunningham and Moïse Gomis examine the disparities between the rich and poor in Africa’s most populous country, where children from the north and the south face starkly different prospects when it comes to education.