Despite reports showing that Imo State fell off the pecking order as far middle level school examination performances, a new survey has shown that the state has the highest out of school drop out rate, followed by Ekiti.
According to data from a Multiple Indicators Cluster Survery 6, (MICS) sourced from United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF and the Child Rights Information Bureau CRIB in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, out of school children, OSC, in Imo is at an all time low of 1 percent, while Ekiti is at 2 percent.
Some recent exam results like the West African Examination Council, WAEC, suggests that Imo and Ekiti showed timid performances in five credits and above including English and mathematics.
The OSC result for the states is however believed to be as result of sustained advocacy from various stakeholders on the importance of education and the need to sustain an age long custom of attaining great feats through education role modelling.
However, these positive indications were not visible in Kebbi, Zamfara and Bauchi states, which recorded 65 percent, 61 percent and 61percent respectively, despite series of interventions by development partners over the years.
Like in most northern states, social cultural factors are believed to have played key roles in influencing the out of school population in some of the states highlighted.