The World Bank has reported that absenteeism in Nigeria’s public health and education sectors can lead to a combined public expenditure loss of up to 34 percent.
According to The PUNCH, this finding comes from the latest Human Capital Public Expenditure and Institutional Review on Nigeria by the World Bank, highlighting subpar spending in these critical areas.
The World Bank said, “The level of absenteeism of health workers and teachers is a critical factor affecting the quality of spending in education and health in Nigeria.”
Specifically, absenteeism results in a 13 percent loss of public education funds and a 21 percent loss in health expenditures.
The report also noted significant financial leakage in Lagos State, with losses of $6.7 million in 2021, split between $3.6 million in education and $3.1 million in health.
The Service Delivery Indicator Survey by the World Bank revealed that, on average, 13.7 percent of teachers were absent from school. Of those present, 19.1 percent were not actively teaching, and they spent an average of 20.7 percent of their time on non-teaching activities.
Thus, less than three-quarters of scheduled teaching time is actually used for teaching.
The survey also found that 31.7 percent of randomly selected health providers were absent during unannounced visits. Absenteeism was higher in urban facilities at 34.2 percent compared to 30.0 percent in rural areas.
Health centers had the highest absence rates at 33.6 percent, while health posts had the lowest at 24.3 percent. Nurses exhibited the highest absenteeism rates at 40.9 percent.
The World Bank projected that Nigeria’s economy could expand by up to 2.77 times if comprehensive health and education services were provided, which could lead to an additional growth of approximately 2.06 percentage points annually over the next fifty years.
The report also underscored Nigeria’s alarming statistics: the largest number of out-of-school children globally, the highest number of under-five child deaths annually, and the largest contributor to maternal deaths worldwide (34 percent).
It stated, “Globally, one in every six deaths of children under five is in Nigeria, and one of every 12 children out of school globally is Nigerian as well. More than 844,000 children die every year in Nigeria before they reach their fifth birthday. This constitutes the largest number registered anywhere in the world.”
Public spending in Nigeria stands at just 12 percent of GDP, which is insufficient for financing essential public services, falling below the Sub-Saharan African average of 17.2 percent.
The report noted, “Over the past five years, Nigeria’s health and education expenditure has fluctuated between 10 and 12 per cent of GDP. When measured against international standards, it becomes evident that this level of investment is insufficient for delivering adequate essential public services.”
Public expenditure on education and health in Nigeria, at $23 and $15 per capita respectively, is inadequate. Of the $23 per capita spent on education, states account for $14, with the Federal Government covering the remainder. Similarly, of the $15 per capita on health, states spend $8.5.
This level of spending is notably low compared to Nigeria’s peers and insufficient given the high rates of out-of-school children and child mortality.
The World Bank recommended substantial investment to address these issues, stating, “Considering its stage of economic development, Nigeria should ideally be investing at least $1,000 per primary student, which means increasing the per-student expenditure sixfold. Moreover, with a significant number of children not attending school and a rapidly growing school-age population, by 2030 Nigeria would need to increase its investment in basic education ninefold from its 2022 level to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4.”
SDG4 focuses on providing quality education.
