A Mathematical Model to Address Out-of-School Children Menace for Actualization of Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Abstract

The rising number of out-of-school children (OOSC) constitutes a major obstacle to growth and development in Nigeria. Despite various institutional frameworks and policy initiatives, Nigeria accounts for the highest number of OOSC worldwide with one out of every five OOSC globally residing in Nigeria. In an attempt to characterize dynamics of OOSC and how it could be tackled to fount sustainable development in Nigeria, a new mathematical model was formulated. The validity of the model was examined using some mathematical theorems and the model equilibria were derived. The inclusive schooling ratio, an analytic parameter that quantified the extent to which the rising OOSC was being tackled to fount development, was computed. The stability properties of the model were studied via stability theory of differential equations based on the derived inclusive schooling ratio. Sensitivity analysis was conducted for some major parameters following the normalized forward sensitivity index approach to examine the relative importance of the model parameters to OOSC expansion and contraction. Numerical simulation was later conducted to justify the theoretical results and the results of the simulation showed that efforts to fount development through minimization of OOSC were fruitful if the inclusive schooling ratio was greater than one otherwise the menace of OOSC persisted. The policy implication of the result is that tackling the menace of OOSC to fount sustainable development in Nigeria is a long-term process and any policies designed to pursue the course must be sustained.

Functional Education as a Nexus between Agricultural and Industrial Revolution: An Epidemiological Modeling Approach

“…In the first place, education is ill-funded in Nigeria to the degree that the UNESCO recommendation of 26% of the state budget to finance the education of the Third World has become a tall dream as less than 3% of the national budget is allocated to education in Nigeria (Thom-Otuya & Inko-tariah, 2016). Worst still, the little amount set aside for education is usually diverted, awfully misused, and unaccounted for (Ayoade & Farayola, 2020a).…”

“…On the other hand, an increase in (𝜇) and (𝜂) with a decrease in (𝜌) and an increase in (𝜋) will frustrate functional education. Following the epidemiological modeling principle as applied in Ayoade & Aliu (2022b), Ayoade & Farayola (2022c) and Ayoade & Agboola (2022a), education becomes functional, and the functionality informs the agricultural and industrial revolution if R T > 1; otherwise, education does not reach the level of revolutionizing agricultural and industrial sectors (i.e., R T < 1).…”

“…Going by the stability criterion of Routh-Hurtwitz in Ayoade et al (2019), all the eigenvalues in ( 14) are less than zero if and .…”

“…Nigeria boasts some of the conditions required for the industrial revolution. For instance, Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources and a significant workforce with men and women of energy, but its educational system is far from being functional to properly tap the resources and harness the potentials of the teeming working force (Ayoade & Farayola, 2021). The dream of the nation to join the league of industrialized countries after sixty years of independence becomes a mirage because of the state of its educational system.…”

“…Elites and educationists are becoming increasingly worried as no university in Nigeria is ranked among the top fifty universities in Africa, and none is among the top three thousand universities in the world (Thom-Otuya & Inko-tariah, 2016). The poor performance of the education sector eventually pushes other sectors of the economy to a state of inevitable collapse (Ayoade & Farayola, 2020a).…”