How Akwa Ibom Schoolgirls Study Science Courses Without Labs, only Blackboards

By Ndifreke Enefiok, Uyo

Emmanuella Esenam, a 16-year-old girl stares blankly at the blackboard as her Chemistry teacher writes the new topic for her class in white chalk – titration. As the lesson continued, Emmanuella listened raptly as the teacher explained how the acid-base reaction changes colour when neutralised.

With her eyes still fixed on the board, the young girl could not picture beyond the chalk lines as she had never measured a chemical reaction in a controlled experiment to determine a successful titration practical.

The only reaction she has ever measured remains theory, and never practical.

The 16-year-old science student who dreams of becoming a surgeon narrated sadly how she struggles with Physics and Chemistry lessons, mostly taught on blackboards rather than in a laboratory where students like her could experiment with chemicals.

“I love to experiment with things, especially in Chemistry because I prefer practical to theory lessons. Learning all the theory parts of Chemistry and Physics like that is tough because I don’t understand the lesson but if I am doing the practical, I will understand what I am trying to do. Even though they just commissioned our science lab, we are not using it despite having Chemistry lessons on titration,” Esenam explained sadly.

Aside from Chemistry, the 16-year-old who was very outspoken about her educational challenges, struggles with grasping Physics formulas and has never touched a computer before because her school has no provision for computer studies or a teacher for students in senior classes.

Our reporter learnt that community thieves allegedly looted the computer donated to her school by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) under the Digital Awareness Project (DAP) to support ICT awareness and learning in secondary schools.

Since the computers were looted, Emmanuella and other girls were unable to learn about computers.

In her school – Community Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Oku Ikono, Uyo local government area, and in other public schools in Akwa Ibom State, many schoolgirls with dreams of becoming scientists, engineers, doctors, and tech experts face the same reality of studying science and STEM subjects without access to practical experience that brings science to life.

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and A key advocacy pillar of the United Nations and UNESCO campaigns for gender inclusion, education and equality.

A 2020 research by Rosca, Agarwal and Brem highlights that stem education drives economic development and is essential for creating jobs, improving wealth and contributing to peaceful and resilient communities.

The importance of STEM education particularly for girls cannot be overemphasised. No wonder the UN set aside February 11 yearly to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, as well as 24th April yearly to celebrate International Girls in ICT Day.

Despite the importance of STEM which is disrupting the technological fields, women and girls account for only 28 per cent of engineering and 40 per cent of graduates in computer science and informatics.

In Akwa Ibom state, many public schools visited in the cause of this report had science or computer labs that were either outdated, with equipment covered in dust or nonexistent.

This reality paints a bleak future for young ambitious and bright girls like Emmanuella who rely on outdated alternatives like textbooks and verbal instructions from teachers or resort to a heavy ‘cram and recall’ approach to pass examinations.

The implication is severe for girls like Emmanuella and many other girls who fight systemic barriers every day in search of stem education in public schools.

Without a gender-sensitive education policy that prioritises the needs of girls dreaming of pursuing a STEM-related career, girls like Emmanuella will continue to risk their future before they even begin.

Girls Studying Science without a lab

While picking a career in the STEM field is important to increase girls’ representation and inclusion, access to functional, well-equipped science laboratories and practical learning is essential to encourage and improve girls’ learning outcomes.

In Emmanuella’s school, the absence of a functional lab and experiential learning poses severe challenges for girls like Emmanuella and her peers who spend a greater part of their senior year learning about chemical reactions on blackboards instead of in a lab.

These gaps contribute to many girls in school struggling with science subjects such as chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and other subjects despite the growing concerns for girls to access STEM education globally.

Emmanuella’s plight is not strange to many young girls in science classes in public schools across Akwa Ibom state. Like Emmanuella, her 16-year-old classmate, Blessing Edet faces similar frustration and neglect.

Blessing dreams of becoming a surgeon but faces the daunting task of learning without access to practical experiments in a science lab, computer lab or digital learning tools.

Due to a lack of these facilities, Emmanuella and Blessing are expected to compete in a world where STEM careers are in high demand, yet are denied the basic educational resources and facilities to succeed.

What is more, despite facing the daunting task of learning about hydrogen and other chemicals in the periodic table without having hands-on experience with how these chemicals react, the girls hold onto their dreams of becoming career leaders in the science field.

“The problem I have is with Chemistry because they tell us about hydrogen, and copper in chemicals but we don’t see how they react with other chemicals. We only do the equation and have the solution without us knowing how we measure it. Sometimes I am afraid it will affect the course I want to read in the University but I am not giving up,’’ Blessing explained.

The young girl wondered what her career prospects would be if she continued to learn about hydrogen reactions on the blackboard without being exposed to the chemicals and apparatus used. She lamented how these gaps if not addressed will affect her in the university and frustrate her dream of pursuing a career in STEM.

“When we go to the University, I wonder how we will be able to compete with other students who did practically because we will end up being novices. We don’t even know where to start from nor do we know what a pipette looks like because we have not been exposed to this equipment. I think they should not just teach us on blackboard but expose the students to these things, and how to use this apparatus,’’ Blessing added.

A survey conducted among the girls revealed that 95 per cent of them had no access to experiential learning and struggled with at least one or two science subjects.

In the SS2 class which is sectioned into A and B, all the 25 girls sampled either struggled with solving complex calculations or have never seen what a burette looks like despite studying science subjects.

The situation was no better in the SS1 class. Out of another 25 girls randomly sampled in the school, more than half of them had difficulty learning science concepts due to the theoretical approach used in teaching.

Despite commissioning a new lab in Blessing’s school, a science teacher who did not want to be named decried the lack of updated equipment and adequate tools to assist the girls during practical lessons.

The teacher explained that this lack leaves the girls struggling to grasp basic scientific concepts, noting that “how do you teach science without a good lab and complete equipment? Even when I break down the topics to the lowest level, my students still face difficulty because some of the lessons are better understood in practical than theoretical.’’

For Wisdom Ime, a 16-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a nurse, the difficulty in solving complex mathematical equations and Physics may impede her chances of succeeding in science.

For Magdalene Phillip, another 16-year-old who hopes to become a Paediatric nurse, the struggle to grasp Physics, Further Mathematics, and Mathematics lessons is daunting and theoretical, placing her at a disadvantage in the science field.

“I hope to become a paediatric nurse because I love to take care of children but without having proper knowledge of core science subjects, this dream may not happen. Currently, I am having challenges in Further Mathematics, Physics and Mathematics,’’ Magdalene stated.

These girls are just a few of the many schoolgirls in Akwa Ibom state who do not have access to STEM facilities in public schools.

The consequence of this gap is far-reaching, leading to a sharp decline in the number of girls picking STEM career tracks compared to males who dominate almost all the sectors.

These gaps further deprive girls of access to representation in a field where the female workforce remains significantly low, untapped, and unrealised.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), notes that less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women, and only around 35 per cent of all students enrolled in STEM-related higher education are female.

A 2019 report by the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), showed that female enrolment in Engineering and Technology fields was far below that of the male. Females accounted for a paltry 12.0 percent while 87.4 percent were males. In Sciences, the report showed 27.6 per cent enrolment while 72.4 per cent were males.

Infrastructural Gaps limit Girls Access

At another government school, 16-year-old Marvelous Ekpedeme sat at the edge of her wooden desk, straining to follow her biology teacher’s explanation of the human respiratory system. Without lab equipment, her teacher uses chalk to illustrate how the human body works, while Marvelous and other students scribble notes, hoping to understand the lesson they have been taught.

For Marvelous, her understanding of the lesson is limited to her imagination rather than in real life. The young girl who dreams of becoming a doctor fears her dream may be truncated by a lack of tools to conduct practicals in school.

Marvelous had transferred from a rural school in her village to the city in search of a better education, but despite this, she studied science subjects with no access to a functional science lab, computer instructor and good textbooks.

“My parents transferred me from our village school to the one I am attending now. This new school is better than the one in my village, but I still have challenges with some science subjects. We don’t do practical often and I am worried because I don’t want to change my dream,’’ she said.

Despite being located in the heart of the city, Community Secondary Commercial School, Four Towns faces the same STEM education crisis. Some of the science equipment used for simple experiments exists only in name or is outdated.

Education and tech experts warn that the neglect of STEM education for girls in public schools has long-term consequences while creating disparity and placing girls in rural areas at a disadvantage.

“The lack of access to STEM education is not about failing students, it is failing the entire system. Without well-equipped science and technology labs, we are shutting girls out of careers in medicine, engineering, and technology,’’ Mr. Nsisong Eyo stated.

At Community Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Okubo Offot, our reporter’s request to speak with the girls was turned down by the principal.

The principal referred our reporter to the Ministry of Education for approval before she could be allowed to speak with the students.

In rural schools, Girls face more disparity in STEM Access

The impact of this neglect is grave and goes beyond the classroom, particularly for girls in rural public schools who face disparity in access to good teachers, and facilities and are locked out of opportunities in in-demand STEM fields.

Just 63 kilometres from Uyo, the state capital, Mary Eduok has barely touched a computer in her school, Community Secondary School, Akpautong, Esit Eket, unlike her peers at Community Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Oku Ikono, in Uyo who have been exposed to digital tools before the computers donated were looted.

The first time girls in her school had digital exposure or ever touched a computer was when the Rural Education and Digital Learning Initiative (REDLi), a non-governmental organisation visited their school for a digital literacy programme.

In Mary’s school, there are no computers, computer teachers and well-equipped science labs which has left students in the school with very limited knowledge of STEM compared to girls in the city.

While girls in the city have a fair knowledge of STEM and are self-aware of the implications of not having digital exposure and access to practical science knowledge, many girls in rural areas like Mary do not understand what STEM is or how its lack affects their career choices.

Among them is 17-year-old Queen Inyang, an SS2 science student who dreams of becoming a nurse. Yet, with no access to a functional science lab, computer teacher and lab, and outdated textbooks, the young girl has no idea how the lack of experiential learning can improve her dream.

“I don’t know for now if the computer we are not studying in school will affect me. They told us we will need computer knowledge when we want to write JAMB, and in this school, we have never had a computer teacher in our school and many of us have never touched a computer before, so I don’t think it will affect us.

“Even with the science subjects they teach in our school, we don’t do practical. Many of the science terms they teach in class are theory and I don’t know if I am left behind. I was told everything we didn’t learn, we will learn it in the university,” Queen struggled to explain in pidgin English.

The lack of exposure for the girls, computer teachers, lab, science learning resources and infrastructures adds to the factors widening the disparity gaps between girls in rural schools to those in the city.

Principal of the school, Mr. Eyo Aweh lamented bitterly how the lack of facilities and exposure of his students to digital tools and education is robbing them of a bright STEM future. He noted with dismay that the school relies solely on charity ICT interventions from NGOs like REDLi who come to educate his students.

A Global Education Monitoring Report 2024, Gender Report: Technology on Her Terms by UNESCO, shows that when girls take computer science courses in secondary school, there is an increased chance of them majoring in computer science by 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, without infrastructures in place, rural schoolgirls will continue to be at a disadvantage and pushed out of stem opportunities because many of them lack the right career mentorship, exposure and awareness.

Just like Queen, many of the rural girls even though they have dreams of picking a STEM career, have very little knowledge of their career prospects, are influenced by the career choices of their peers and are heavily disadvantaged.

“I believe that girls in rural communities are heavily disadvantaged when it comes to having access to STEM opportunities. First of all, there is a lack of infrastructure to even support STEM opportunities. We don’t have adequate technology such as constant power supply, facilities, and computers to support their learning.

Also, when it comes to engineering and maths and science in general, I think girls in rural schools are not exposed to careers other than the traditional career path that we have,’’ Andikan Umoh Esq, founder of REDLi stated.

At Comprehensive Secondary School, Edeobom1, Nsit Ibom LGA, Esther Godwin faces more than just the lack of access to well-equipped labs and teachers; the 16-year-old who wants to become a nurse struggles with Biology and chemistry lessons.

Her school has no well-equipped chemistry and biology labs for practicals. The only general lab in the school stands in obvious neglect with few apparatuses for the students to use during practicals, and is usually overcrowded. In her school, some teachers are strict and struggle to adequately pass the lesson to the students’ understanding despite handling sensitive science subjects.

During practicals, more than 21 girls and 38 boys stuff in a small lab. The lab has no proper ventilation and adequate apparatus for all the students to use during practicals.

The gap is forcing girls to lose interest during practicals and in school. One of the science teachers in the school explained bitterly how many girls who had excellent results and performed better than the boys in SS1 had dropped academically, and lost interest in class.

“In SS1 (pointing to two girls standing beside her), these two were my best students in science. They did so well in Biology, Mathematics and Physics but today, they are behind in class. The boys are now the ones leading and doing better in their academics. I wonder how they will pass exams with their results getting poorer by the day,’’ the teacher lamented.

Sharing her concerns, one of the girls revealed that her performance dropped due to the strictness of some teachers in the school, especially in chemistry. Due to the strictness of the chemistry teacher, the girls shy away from class and attend classes passively for fear of being punished harshly by the strict teacher.

Like Esther, Bright, Precious Godwin, and Precious Essien, all girls who dream of taking a career in the STEM field are among girls badly affected by this problem. As the girls miss school due to lack of theoretical learning, fear and frustration, their performance drops, making it harder for them to pass competitive entrance exams for STEM-related courses when they get to the University level.

The implication of this disparity is far-reaching. Addressing this issue requires an urgent gender-sensitive education policy that prioritises the needs of girls like Esther, investment in STEM infrastructure, supportive teachers and learning environment, and the right female mentors in the science field to inspire the girls.

Without these, girls like Esther will continue to face disparity that will further widen the gender gaps in the STEM workforce.

“Girls in rural schools lack role models in the community and sometimes think that women are fit for nursing than they are fit for medicine, and engineering, and this is because they have not seen a lot of female role models doing those things.

Also, when it comes to girls, we have a gender bias that is being reinforced in society that influences certain career choices that girls would ordinarily not go for and we don’t have local role models at the community level to guide these girls,’’ Umoh Esq pointed out.

A STEM Dream within Reach?

In Iwok, Nsit Atai, 16-years-old Favour Sunday sits every evening outside her small family house lost in thought about how her dream of becoming a scientist will materialise. For Favour, her interest in science was inspired after watching a movie where a young girl was building innovative things with her hands.
“I want to be a scientist. I want to build things that will make life easy for people in the village like that small girl I saw in the movie,’’ she said.
But that dream is fast fading.

Like her peers in Nsit Ibom, Favour attends a community school where science is also taught without a lab, and STEM subjects are often skipped by students due to a lack of apparatus and a functional lab for practicals. At her school, chemicals meant for practicals lie in one corner, gathering dust and are outdated.

Many students like Favour have never seen a functioning microscope. Her interest in science had waned not because she lacked the intelligence or ambition, but because the system did not give girls like her a chance.

Her school, Community Secondary School, Iwok, Nsit Atai, struggles to retain students, especially during the first and second terms. Girls drop out in their numbers due to other factors like economic poverty, teenage pregnancy, and child labour.

A survey conducted among 30 girls in the school showed that 70 per cent of them had no knowledge of STEM or were being influenced by their friends’ career choices. Despite mentioning they want to become doctors, engineers, nurses, and many other traditional professions, many of the girls did not know why they chose the profession.

Beyond the lack of labs, the absence of digital learning to improve their learning outcomes further cripples the chances of girls like Favour from pursuing STEM careers. For the girls, the digital divide, lack of infrastructure and qualified teachers means more than just limited exposure, it means exclusion from the future.

A 2023 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report highlights that only 35 per cent of girls compared to 55 per cent of boys have access to computers in secondary schools in Nigeria.

The reality is more grim for girls in rural communities like Iwok and poses the question if their STEM dream is still within reach.

At Community Secondary Grammar School, Ikot Essien Ibesikpo, and Comprehensive Secondary School, Ikot Akpa Etuk in Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, our reporter’s request to speak to the girls was blatantly declined by the female principals who feared breaking the civil service rule of granting an interview to pressmen.

However, from the entrance of the school to the classroom blocks, one could feel the neglected state of both schools. They stood in obvious neglect with fences overtaken by wild grasses and had fallen on one side. The classrooms were worn out from long years of use and teachers used blackboards and white chalk to teach.

Both schools are located on the outskirts of the village, more than the recommended 2 kilometres distance from home to school by the Universal Basic Education Commission policy.

Data Behind the Disparity

Despite the Akwa Ibom State State government’s free and compulsory education policy and its Strategic Education Roadmap 2020-2030, rural schoolgirls continue to face systemic barriers to STEM education.

From a lack of infrastructure to a gender-responsive education policy, these systemic gaps contribute to schoolgirls missing out on opportunities to develop real-life skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and innovation which STEM education provides.

Education expert, Mmanti Umoh describes the situation as a multi-faceted ‘’crisis that demands urgent attention.’’ According to her, while policies remain on paper, their implementation in rural areas remains inadequate and weak.

“Many rural schools lack functional science laboratories, computers, and even basic classroom facilities Without these, practical STEM learning is nearly impossible, leaving girls at a severe disadvantage compared to their counterparts in private schools.’’

Beyond infrastructure deficits, she highlighted that the shortage of STEM teachers and role models for girls in rural schools is another reason girls struggle to access qualitative STEM learning. She added that in many cases, students are either taught by educators with little expertise in the subject or are forced to rely solely on theoretical lessons without hands-on experience.

“STEM subjects require specialised educators, yet rural schools often have unqualified or insufficient teachers, leading to poor learning outcomes. The absence of female STEM educators and professionals in rural areas reduces girls’ aspiration and confidence in pursuing STEM careers,’’ she added.

Meanwhile, a 2020 UNICEF report, titled “Towards an equal future: Reimagining girls’ education through STEM,’’ revealed that millions of children and young people, particularly girls, are not developing the skills they need to survive.

What is more, many young girls from our field research cannot solve complex science concepts, and struggle with core science subjects such as chemistry, physics and biology.

The disparity is more pronounced among schoolgirls in the village where most of the girls sampled have little or no knowledge of STEM and have never been exposed to it, unlike girls in the city who have fair knowledge and clarity on their career choices.

Also, most of the schools from our field research rely on literacy and STEM intervention programmes from NGOs with little or no funding for the equipping and renovation of the labs from the government, to improve the learning outcomes for girls.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics and Financial Institutions Training Centre, about 22 per cent of STEM graduates are women, while only 35 per cent of STEM students in higher education globally are women, according to UNESCO’s “Cracking the Code Girls’ and Women’s Education in STEM’’ report.

UNICEF further reports that at junior and secondary school levels, children including girls drop to 25 and 34 per cent respectively, and lack literacy and numeracy skills.

However, about 581,800 children, particularly girls, are out of school in Akwa Ibom according to the NBS 2020 report on women and men.

STEM Learning Not Given Priority in Akwa Ibom Budget

For many girls who bear the brunt of this neglect, adequate funding and budgetary provisions by the state government for the equipping of science labs could mean another chance at giving them something to forward to, but unfortunately, the state budget has failed to accommodate these needs.

In 2024, the state government made several provisions to renovate and equip some science labs in public schools across the state. 100 million naira was budgeted under the Ministry of Economic Development budget to renovate some labs in the state. The state budgeted five hundred thousand naira to purchase and distribute 100 pieces of conical flasks to schools.

Other provisions made are; the purchase and distribution of 500 pipettes to 250 public secondary schools, and 375,000 naira was earmarked for it. Again, 300,000 naira was earmarked for the purchase and distribution of 100 burettes while 700,000 naira was earmarked for the purchase of 100 retort stands.

Similarly, 300,000 naira was budgeted for the purchase of 100 volumetric flasks for science labs in the state. The state government equally planned to host the National Science Tech and Innovation (STI) Competition/Expo Target at the LGA, state and national levels. The sums of 3 million, 1 million and 7,650,000 million naira were budgeted for it.

In the 2025 budget, the state budgeted 250 million naira for the purchase of 30 computer systems for 31 science public secondary schools, and another 50 million naira to purchase 31 computer tables/chairs for science schools.

No provision was made for the hosting of the National Science Tech and Innovation (STI) Competition/Expo Target at the LGA, state and national levels in the 2025 budget.

Despite the glaring gaps in STEM education, budgetary provisions were only made for science schools, leaving the fate of the regular schools to the intervention of NGOs.

However, the budget still failed to adequately address the STEM needs of both the science and regular schools.

While budgetary priority is given to projects like the fencing of Unity Park, a recreational park; the state also budgeted 3.6 billion naira for the purchase of a plotter for a digital printing studio (Ministry of Housing) while renovation and equipping science labs received paltry allocations in the 2024 budget.

Akwa Ibom Education Roadmap, hit or missed?

Recognising the growing educational gaps, in 2020, the Akwa Ibom state government set up a committee made up of academics to develop the state’s Education Strategic Roadmap (AKSER) 2020-2030.

The roadmap designed to address gaps in the education system is yet to be implemented despite several advocacies from different stakeholders and civil society organisations.

Although the plan highlighted key areas in the education system such as building more schools, teachers training, fencing of schools, and provision of school uniforms, and meals for pupils, it failed to highlight the challenges in STEM learning and is not gender-responsive.

Due to its failure to address the STEM challenge and non-implementation by the government, more girls continue to face systemic barriers that impact their learning outcomes, particularly with the introduction of computer-based exams.

One of the glaring consequences of this failure is the challenge schoolgirls will face when writing their Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams.

For many rural schoolgirls in Akwa Ibom, this will be their first encounter with a computer, not in a learning environment, but in a highly competitive exam setting that will determine their future.

“The roadmap was supposed to change things in the education sector but we are not seeing it. We are still teaching students computer science on the blackboard,’’ a teacher who pleaded anonymity in one of the schools said.

Expert Highlights Key Areas Government Can Target

To address the STEM gaps and disparity in access for girls, Mmanti Umoh stressed the need for the government to make gender-responsive policies and targeted investments in rural public schools.

She highlighted key areas for urgent intervention, including infrastructure development, digital access and teacher recruitment.

“The government must prioritise rehabilitating rural schools, equipping them with modern STEM laboratories, computers, and internet access to bridge the digital divide. Without these resources, rural girls will remain at a disadvantage,’’ she said.

Umoh further stressed the importance of incentivising STEM educators to work in rural areas through better remuneration, housing and continuous professional development.

She however added, “Achieving parity in STEM education for girls requires a holistic approach, one that combines infrastructure development, policy reforms, cultural shifts, and strategic investments to ensure that rural girls in Akwa Ibom State have the same opportunities as their urban counterparts.’’

Government Yet to Implement STEM Programmes for Girls – Commissioner

Engineer Frank Ekpenyong, the Commissioner for Science and Digital Economy, revealed there has been no STEM programmes for girls to address the disparity and gaps in the sector.

“At the moment, there are no specific STEM programmes targeted at girls in public schools. However, the state government is planning to roll out STEM programmes once the ministry’s office is fixed and fully operational.”

Ekpenyong, who was recently sworn in by Governor Umo Eno, assured that STEM development remains a priority for the administration.

The Way Forward

For Umoh, the state government can adequately address the STEM gaps with the implementation of a gender-responsive policy, scholarships and incentives to encourage more girls to enrol in science courses.

The education expert opined that financial support and mentorship programmes tailored for young girls can help build confidence and sustain interest in science-related fields.

She also called for greater community engagement to shift cultural perception and integrate AI and EdTech solutions to help address teacher shortages.

Meanwhile, there’s a need for the Akwa Ibom State government to review the strategic education roadmap to make it gender-sensitive, in order to increase girls’ access to STEM courses.

The government must train, recruit and deploy female STEM teachers to rural areas, as well as set up a girl-child STEM Board to come up with gender-friendly policies that prioritise the needs of girls.

Without a gender-responsive policy and urgent intervention, girls in rural public schools will continue to face disparity in access to STEM education and remain excluded from opportunities that would have improved their education.

These continuous gaps if not addressed extend beyond the individual girls but affect the state’s future workforce, technological advancement, and economic growth.

*This report was published with collaborative support from ImpactHouse Centre for Development Communication and System Strategy and Policy Lab (SSPL).