Who Does this Affect? Transportation as a Barrier to Education in Rural Nigeria P.2

Please read the first part of this series Transportation as a Barrier to Education in Rural Nigeria before this entry to give context.

Not all issues impact people equally, that’s true for just about anything. So, I wanted to dig deep into who this issue disproportionately affects. From my research, I found that 3 main groups are most affected: the elderly, the disabled, and the youth.

Again, from the community brief I wrote, these are my findings:

Young Students: Being rural, there are not many schools available. This means that many young students must travel, usually on their own, to attend school. Many have to walk on bad roads during the rainy season so even getting to school can be an arduous, long journey. This can deter students from wanting to go to school, they may feel it is hopeless or miss parts of lessons. Inaccessibility to school is a major problem, it is a reason for school dropouts and for many turning to work rather than continuing their education. Having a community school bus with older students as monitors would be a great, effective way to ensure more students could attend school in an easier fashion. 

The Disabled: Busy, inadequately looked after roads leads to a high probability of injuries. Those with sensory or neurological challenges may have a harder time walking in such places. In addition, motorized transportation methods may be too erratic and disorganized to provide reliable travel. These are overwhelming problems that can dissuade disabled people in the community from traveling to places outside those of close proximity. This, in turn, can cause isolation, loss of connectivity, and discrimination surrounding disabled peoples. Having grail signs or audio playing while crossing streets and police stationed at specific locations to prevent injuries would greatly improve transportation for the disabled. 

The Elderly: Poor road quality means that traveling becomes an exhausting and potentially dangerous path. Floods, traffic, collisions, and uneven pavement all pose challenges which could lead to potential harm. This means that having designated means of transportation, police to guide traffic, and maintained roads would greatly increase travel security in older demographics. As a rural area, Buli especially faces issues with poor road conditions and accessibility to larger places like Bauchi State. Having better maintained roads and special paths for elderly people is a feasible solution.

Supporting the elderly, disabled, and young student demographics with movement is a good way to make sure that all groups have the ability to travel inside their community and establish reliable mobility when traveling distances. This can encourage these groups to be more active participants in local activities and pursue opportunities. Traffic and traffic related injuries also play a role, incidents can discourage vulnerable groups (such as the elderly, disabled, and children) from venturing outside of walkable ranges. Having police checkpoints at these high collision areas can provide protection and structured flow for vehicles. This will promote safety in transport by enforcing traffic regulations. Building bridge structures in areas that are susceptible to floods will help decrease travel. This will ensure yearlong accessibility and could increase school attendance by making the journey less arduous and stressful. 

Thus, it is extremely important to support these groups as they are high-risk and more vulnerable. Let’s work to spread awareness and bring about equality.