Borno state has consistently allocated a significant portion of its budget to education, averaging 25% over the past three years. However, despite these investments, the gender gap in education remains glaring, with thousands of girls unable to access quality education.
A major reason for this failure is the absence of gender-responsive budgeting in the State Education Sector Plan (SESP). Education funding is crucial for equitable access, particularly for marginalised groups like girls in conflict-affected regions. Yet, inadequate or inefficiently-allocated budgets exacerbate existing gender disparities, hindering progress towards gender equity in education.
Despite public commitments to gender-responsive education budgeting, a closer review using the Rapid Education Sector Plan Gender Review Tool reveals a different reality. The state’s budget allocations expose a significant gap between stated priorities and actual fiscal commitments, raising concerns about the sincerity and effectiveness of Borno’s education policies.
Gender-responsive budgeting ensures that funding is deliberately structured to reduce gender disparities by prioritising programmes that increase access, retention, and learning outcomes for girls. However, Borno’s education budget lacks any clear provisions specifically targeting girls’ education.
Over the past three years, the state’s education budget has followed an inconsistent and declining trend, raising concerns about the government’s commitment to fully implementing the SESP. While substantial allocations exist on paper, the actual disbursement of funds has been erratic, leaving schools, teachers, and students struggling with the consequences.
In 2021, the state government allocated ₦66.3 billion to education, representing 26.69% of the total budget; however, only ₦12.7 billion just 19.24% of what was promised was actually released. This massive funding shortfall meant that several planned projects, including school renovations and teacher training programmes, were either delayed or abandoned. By 2022, the allocation to education dropped to ₦52.5 billion, representing 19.47% of the total state budget.
Surprisingly, the actual funds released that year increased significantly to ₦36.5 billion, covering 69.57% of the allocated budget. This sharp contrast from the previous year indicates inconsistent and unpredictable funding patterns where education spending fluctuates without a clear, sustainable strategy.
The most alarming drop came in 2023, when the education budget was slashed to ₦33.5 billion, representing only 14.26% of the total budget. Out of this amount, only ₦16.1 billion less than half (48%) was actually disbursed. This decline raises serious questions about the prioritisation of education in Borno, particularly given the state’s ongoing challenges with out-of-school children, a shortage of qualified teachers and inadequate learning facilities.
The inconsistency in budget releases has had direct consequences on the implementation of gender-responsive education initiatives. As a consequence, programmes designed to support girls’ education, such as safe school infrastructure, scholarships and teacher training, are among the first to suffer when funds are not fully released. Without reliable funding, commitments to gender equality in education remain largely aspirational, leaving thousands of girls in conflict-affected and rural areas without access to quality learning opportunities.
A closer look at Borno’s 2024 education budget further underscores misaligned spending priorities. While substantial funds are allocated to administrative and infrastructure expenditures, there is a glaring lack of targeted investments in gender-responsive education.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation allocated ₦136 million for a utility motor vehicle and ₦310 million for office furniture expenditures. Meanwhile, ₦1.5 billion has been earmarked for the construction of four mega public secondary schools, yet these schools are geographically distant from many communities, making it difficult for girls to attend due to safety concerns and transportation barriers.
There is no significant allocation for scholarships for girls, gender-focused teacher training, or community engagement programmes that could help shift cultural perceptions and encourage higher female enrollment and retention.
If Borno state is serious about closing the gender gap in education, it must ensure that its budget reflects its stated commitments. This means prioritising gender-responsive budgeting, an approach that not only allocates funds to education but also ensures that spending is strategically directed towards initiatives that empower girls, reduce dropout rates and create inclusive learning environments.
For 17-year-old Amina, the lack of gender-focused funding has kept her out of school for over five years. Living in Jere local government area, she was forced to drop out when her school was destroyed during an insurgency attack. Despite government efforts to rebuild, Amina never returned not because she didn’t want to, but because structural barriers were never addressed. “My brothers go to school every day because they can walk long distances.”
Hadiza, another young girl in a similar situation, explained that, “My own parents say it is not safe for me because the new school built by the government is too far away.”
Amina and Hadiza’s experiences reflect a systemic issue: the failure to invest in gender-sensitive infrastructure such as schools located closer to rural communities, safe transportation for girls and separate sanitation facilities.
Teachers also struggle due to limited training in gender-sensitive teaching methods. Musa, a public school teacher also in Jere shared his frustration, explaining that many girls drop out or never enrol because they feel unsafe or because their families do not see the value of educating them. He emphasized that if more scholarships and government-sponsored programmes were available, more girls would stay in school.
Without targeted budgeting to address these barriers, girls like Amina and Hadiza remain excluded from education, widening the gap between policy intentions and actual implementation.
Borno state must, therefore, take urgent steps to ensure that its education budget aligns with its gender equity goals. To bridge the gap between policy and implementation, the government must allocate specific funds for scholarships, gender-sensitive teacher training, and safe school infrastructure. It must ensure timely and full budget releases by addressing funding inconsistencies through a transparent and accountable disbursement system.
Expanding education access for girls in rural areas should be a priority with investment in community schools, safe transportation and gender-inclusive facilities to eliminate barriers preventing girls from attending school.
Engaging stakeholders in budget planning is also necessary, ensuring that teachers, parents, students and gender advocates are involved in education budgeting decisions so that funding aligns with real community needs. Monitoring and evaluating spending impact is crucial, and the state should establish a Gender-Responsive Education Monitoring Unit to track whether allocated funds are effectively closing gender gaps in education.
The state Ministry of Education must prioritise gender-responsive budgeting as a critical step towards achieving an inclusive and equitable education system. The current budget allocations fail to reflect the urgent needs of girls, leaving thousands vulnerable to dropping out or never enrolling in school. Without concrete financial investments in gender-responsive education, the cycle of exclusion, poverty, and lost opportunities for girls in Borno would persist.
The State Education Sector Plan (SESP) was designed to improve education outcomes, but until it includes a clear financial strategy for addressing gender disparities, its impact would remain limited and uneven. The state commissioner for education must ensure that gender-sensitive policies translate into actionable budget plans, with a commitment to fully funding programmes that support girls’ education.
The time for change is now; therefore the Borno State Ministry of Education, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Borno State House of Assembly Committee on Education and the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning must take immediate steps to ensure that the state’s education budget prioritises gender-responsive initiatives. Gender-responsive budgeting is not just a financial issue; it is a moral obligation to ensure that every child, regardless of gender, has equal access to quality education. This report was published with collaborative support from ImpactHouse Centre for Development Communication and System Strategy and Policy Lab (SSPL).
…Olugotun contributed this piece from Maiduguri