Policy Brief 2026-06-02
Abstract
Background
Universal Basic Education (UBE) in Nigeria remains far from realisation in conflict-affected areas
such as Adamawa State. In 2024, a participatory action research (PAR) project was implemented in
three school communities in Gombi Local Government Authority (LGA), an area impacted by the
Boko Haram insurgency and ongoing displacement, in addition to periodic conflicts between
pastoralists and farmers. The PAR initiative, conducted by the Common Heritage Foundation (CHF)
and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) under the Education Research in Conflict and
Protracted Crisis (ERICC) programme, sought to co-design and pilot community-led solutions to
barriers to access, quality, and continuity of basic education. Gombi LGA was selected because it
has been heavily affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. Although the occupation of the LGA
headquarters and prominent communities by the insurgents only lasted for a few weeks in 2014,
frequent attacks, disruptions to the education system, and even displacements lasted for long
periods (several months or even years), the aftermath of which is still felt. At the time of this
research, however, people were returning and resettling, and some who had fled to the LGA from
elsewhere had decided to stay and start new lives.
This LGA, which is largely rural and Muslim, was also selected because it was classified by the State
Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) as having a high number of out-of-school children
(OOSCs).
1 The three focus primary school communities also had high numbers of OOSCs. LGA
education (LGEA) officials worked as co-researchers in facilitating the development of
community-driven initiatives to be piloted that address systemic educational challenges in the
delivery of UBE in these conflict-affected communities.
Core participants in the PAR that worked alongside the CHF research team included three LGEA
officials, who operated as co-researchers, the primary school head teachers, the school-based
management committee (SBMC) community representatives, and 32 marginalised and ‘ordinary’
community members (OCMs) identified through community mapping. The total number of core
participants was 44 (21 female, 23 male).
Key findings
Persistent barriers to education
- Economic hardship is the leading cause of non-enrolment, irregular attendance, and dropout because children's labour is needed, especially during harvest season and on market days.
- School costs (e.g. for uniforms and learning materials) add to the hardship and are compounded by Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) levies, which continue in some schools despite a state-wide official ban.
- Girls and boys from single-parent or widowed households and self-supporting orphans face heightened exclusion, exacerbated by gendered labour demands and school costs.
- Teacher shortages, absenteeism, lack of professionalism, and poor infrastructure undermine educational quality.