Article by A A IsaacTamson
In the early 1990s, Nigeria and Bangladesh were both low-income nations grappling with massive illiteracy and gender disparities. Three decades later, Bangladesh’s deliberate reforms transformed it into a model for female education—an example for Nigeria, which continues to wrestle with widening regional and gender divides.
From Parallels to Paradoxes: The Literacy Divide Between Nigeria and Bangladesh
According to the World Bank (2003), Nigeria’s overall literacy rate in 1991 was about 56.7 percent, with a marked gender gap: 65.7 percent of males compared to only 47.8 percent of females (see Fig. 1). Among youth aged 15–24, 90.8 percent of young men were literate versus 63.6 percent of young women. As shown in Figure 1, southern states such as Imo and Anambra recorded female literacy rates above 90 percent, while northern states like Yobe, Kebbi, and Sokoto fell below 30 percent.
Data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey revealed that nineteen years later, half of Nigerian women aged 15–49 were still illiterate, with stark inequalities across regions and social classes. Only 40.5% of women had attended secondary school or higher, while nearly 48.4% could not read at all. In the North West and North East, just 19.3% and 23.7% of women were literate, compared to 89.1% in the South East and 77.6% in the South South. This indicates that northern Nigeria—which, like Bangladesh, is predominantly Muslim—has the highest gender disparity in literacy.
Figure 1: Gender-based literacy rates in selected Nigerian states (ages 15–24) in 1991.
Findings from the World Bank show that literacy and educational attainment for girls in Bangladesh improved significantly following the introduction of the Female Secondary School Assistance Program (FSSAP) in 1994. Before the program, girls lagged behind boys in school enrollment: only 40.9% of girls had ever enrolled compared to 50.6% of boys in 1991/92. By 1998/99, this gap had nearly closed, with enrollment rising sharply to 83.9% for girls and 84.6% for boys. Average years of schooling remained modest at 4.3 years for girls versus 4.7 years for boys. This suggests that while FSSAP successfully expanded access and enrollment for girls, challenges persist in sustaining participation and improving learning outcomes at higher levels of education (Asian Development Bank, 2021, p. 30).
In contrast, UNICEF reports that as of 2022, more than 50% of girls in Nigeria were not attending school at the basic education level, and gender parity in net attendance remained below 1.0 in ten northern states (UNICEF, 2022).
A Data Portrait of Neglecting the Mothers of the Sons
Nigeria’s literacy data reveal a systemic collapse—one that disproportionately affects women across their lifetimes. While the national youth literacy rate (15–24) is 71.7%, this figure masks a deep gender wound. Female youth literacy is only 60.0%, six percentage points behind their male peers. Among adults (25–64), the gender gap widens dramatically: only 52.7% of women are literate compared to 71.3% of men. This 18.6-point deficit indicates that the Nigerian system not only fails to educate girls equitably but also struggles to sustain literacy, setting women on a trajectory of accelerated disenfranchisement after leaving formal schooling.
Figure 2: Literacy rate of Nigerians
Source: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
A UNESCO report (2022) shows that the dropout crisis begins subtly, with near parity in primary out-of-school rates (female ~29%, male ~27%) but quickly escalates through lower secondary (female ~30%, male ~25%) and becomes a full-blown emergency at the upper secondary level, where ~28% of female youth are out of school compared to ~17% of males. Highlighted by Taimur Samad, this escalating attrition—where two out of three girls are likely to drop out before junior secondary school—may be seen as the primary driver of the literacy gap.
Learning from Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s transformation in female literacy offers an inspiring example of how deliberate national policy and sustained investment can overturn structural inequalities in education. The country’s journey reflects more than numerical gains; it represents a coordinated, values-driven metamorphosis in social development. In 1981, only 27.1% of Bangladeshi women were literate, reflecting entrenched socio-cultural and economic barriers that systematically excluded girls from formal learning. By 1991, literacy had risen modestly to 38%, but the real shift began when education became central to Bangladesh’s long-term development strategy.
Figure 3: Youth Female literacy rate of Bangladesh
Source: Federal Government of Nigeria (2001). Nigeria: Education Sector Analysis. World Bank Report No. 28412
Through targeted frameworks such as FSSAP, the Female Stipend Programme (FSP), and other long-term initiatives, Bangladesh achieved a historic leap in female literacy—from 79.5% in 2011 to 96.1% by 2019. Even during the global pandemic, rates remained above 94%, confirming that the progress was sustainable rather than circumstantial.
Towards Nigeria’s Redemption Blueprint
Bangladesh’s experience confirms that gender parity in education is not accidental but the result of political resolve, consistent investment, and community-driven reform. It suggests that Nigeria can narrow the gender literacy gap through deliberate, sustained reforms targeting structural barriers that limit girls’ education. Policies that reduce the cost of schooling for exceptional and committed female students could enhance access and retention nationwide. Beyond financial incentives, states with female literacy rates below 50% must critically evaluate socio-cultural and systemic causes of exclusion and design responsive frameworks to address them.
Reference
Asian Development Bank. (2021). The female secondary stipend and assistance program in Bangladesh (South Asia Working Paper Series No. 81). Asian Development Bank.
Federal Government of Nigeria. (2001). Nigeria: Education sector analysis (Report No. 28412) [Data set]. World Bank. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/602871468759359143/pdf/284120PAPER0AFRHD0wp0no1053.pdf
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2025, September). Bangladesh literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15–24) [Data set]. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. (2022, October). GAL country profiles: Nigeria. UNESCO. https://www.uil.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/files/2022/11/gal_country_profiles_nigeria.pdf?hub=90
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2022). Girls at a glance: Education opportunities for girls in Nigeria (Cheat Sheet). https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/media/7741/file/UNICEF%20Nigeria%20Cheat%20Sheet%20-%20Girls%20Education.pdf
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