Level of Education in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Education is one of the most important tools for increasing personal endowments, developing capacities, overcoming limitations, and expanding the set of available possibilities and options for long-term well-being. This study was carried out to compare the level of education of residents of the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. A total of 1200 respondents were interviewed in this study. The questionnaire was distributed to 200 respondents in each of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory.  Data was collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire and analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-square test at 5% (95% Confidence Interval). Focus communities in the study area were selected at random. The result of the current study showed that the study population had attained varying levels of education with 95.7% either doing their undergraduate degree or had already graduated or had attained the postgraduate level, whereas, 4.3% had not attained any form of formal education. The study showed a significant ((p=0.001) association between gender and education specifically in Bwari and Abaji indicating that males had a higher number of respondents who had attained such levels of education as those reported in the current study. Areas, where this was the case, had more rural locations compared to the city center and most developed satellite towns. Religion also played a role in the level of education attained in the current study.