About the Commission
The National Commission for Nomadic Education was established by Decree 41 0f 1989(now Cap 243 LFN 1990) to provide education to the nomadic pastoralists and migrant fisher folks whose population exceeds 9.4 million people and of recent migrant farmers whose population is yet to be determined.
The nomadic pastoralist’s population is estimated to be more than 6.5m and while the artisanal migrant fishermen population is estimated to be 2.8m people. The pastoralists are made up of the Fulbe or Fulani (5.3m), the Shuwa Arab (1.01m), the Koyam (32,000), the Badawi (20,000), the Buduma (10,000) and the Dark Buzu (15,000). The Fulbe are found in 31 out of 36 states of the federation, while the other pastoralists are mainly found in the Borno plains and the shores of Lake Chad. The migrant fisherfolks number about 2.8m and are found in the Atlantic coastline, the riverine areas and the river basins in the country. The migrant farmers whose population is yet to be determined are scattered in the South East and the Middle belt zone of the country.
The nomadic education programme was aimed at providing functional and relevant education that will facilitate integrating the nomads into the national life and equipping them to make favourable contributions to the nation’s socio–economic development.
JUSTIFICATION FOR NOMADIC EDUCATION PROGRAMME (NEP)
Out of the estimated population of 9.4m nomads in Nigeria, 3.3 million are children of school age. The participation of the nomads in the existing formal and non-formal education programmes is abysmally low, with a literacy rate ranging between 0.2% and 2.9%. The major constraints to their participation in formal and non-formal education are:
1. Their constant migration /movements in search of water and pasture in the case of the pastoralists and fish in the case of the migrant fishermen;
2. The centrality of child labour in their production system, thus making it extremely difficult to allow their children to participate in formal schooling;
3. The irrelevance of the school curriculum which is tailored to meet the needs of sedentary groups and thus ignores the educational needs of nomadic people;
4. Their physical isolation since they operate in a mostly inaccessible physical environment; and
5. Land tenure systemthat makes it difficult for the nomads to acquire land and settle in one place.
These factors call for a special educational provision for the nomads, with a view to enabling them have access to formal and non-formal education. Consequently, the Federal Government promulgated (now Cap 243 LFN), which established the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) with the responsibility to implement the National Nomadic Education Programme.
Who we are
• Provision of Extension Services and Animal Husbandry Services
• Provision of Relevant Functional Literacy and Numeracy Skills for Adults
• Provision of Life Improvement Skills for Better livelihood