access and participation in basic education in ebonyi,...

Access and Participation in Basic Education in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe States in Nigeria (2000-2009)

1Lawal, B. O. (Ph.D) and 2Ekundayo, T. A 1Department Of Teacher Education, University Of Ibadan, Ibadan

Oyo State, Nigeria; 2Adeyemi College Of Education, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined, through a comparative analysis, the access and participation levels in basic education in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe states in Nigeria. The study adopted the “ex-post-facto” design type of a descriptive survey. The three states covered in this study were randomly selected from three out of the six existing geo-political zones in the country. The zones from where the states were chosen are South East, South West and North East respectively. The data for the study was largely generated through secondary source of data gathering. The study revealed unequal levels of access and participation in basic education among the three geopolitical zones covered in this study. The South West zone, represented by Oyo state was discovered to be more favoured in all access and participation variables like enrolment rate, availability of schools, quality and quantity of teachers, as well as basic education completion rates, followed by South East and then, North West geo-political zone. The study, however noted a general poor transition and completion rates in basic education across the three geo-political zones. Finally, the study recommended that governments at the various levels in Nigeria should focus more on addressing problems of poverty, ignorance and negative cultural practices, all of which have been found to impact negatively on access and participation levels in basic education in the country.

Introduction. The importance of education to human being cannot be over emphasized. The relationship between education and development is well established such that education has been identified as a key index of development. It has been documented that schooling improves productivity, health and reduces negative features of life such as child labour as well as bringing about empowerment (UNESCO 2002).

This is why there has been a lot of emphasis particularly in recent time for all citizens of the world to have access to basic education. However, documents abound across the globe which show that there are inequalities in educational access and achievements as well as high levels of absolute educational deprivation of both children and adults (Subralimanian, 2002).

In order to confront this challenges, the declaration of the World Conference on Education for All (WCEFA) which was made in Jomtien Thailand in 1990 stated clearly in Article 1 that every person, child, youth and adult shall be able to benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic needs. This declaration was reaffirmed at the World Summit for Children also held in 1990, which stated that all children should have access to basic education by the year 2000.

Furthermore, the Dakar World Education Forum was held as a follow-up meeting to the WCEFA where new sets of goals were set to be attained by the year 2015. The seven

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Educational Thought (ET), ISSN 1596-969 Volume 9 No 1, pp 87-99Journal of Education, Adekunle Ajasin UniversityAvailable online at http://www.aauaeducationfac.org

goals of the Dakar Forum formed the fundamental principle upon which the objectives of basic education in Nigeria are based. Meanwhile, goal number three (Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes) of the forum was targeted towards addressing the problems of access to basic education. Nigeria is not only a signatory to the declaration of the various summits listed above, the country has gone further to ratify those declarations by putting in place various educational programmes, including the Universal Basic Education programme (UBE). This is with a view to showing her commitment to education, in the belief that overcoming illiteracy and ignorance will form a basis for accelerated national development. Nigeria’s strive towards universalization of education dates back to the 1950s through a programme of Universal Primary Education (UPE), put in place in 1955 by the then government of the Western region. The most outstanding feature of the programme was that the government committed itself to providing free primary education for all eligible children. The programme was adopted by the government of Eastern Nigeria in 1956, while it became a national programme in September, 1976. A review of related literature has revealed, however, that attempts made in the past, to provide Universal Primary Education, whether at the federal or state levels in Nigeria, has never been successful due to the inability of the various governments to properly address issues and problems associated with access (Odo,2000; Nwagwu,2000: Adesina,2005). For instance, while assessing the performance of the UPE programme of the then Western Nigeria, Adesina (2005), reported that though, the region, in the first year of the programme, witnessed an increase in primary school enrolment by 77.7 percent instead of the recommended 15 percent. By 1960, he said,

“the system became inelastic and actually began to contrast and by 1969,Western Nigeria achieved only a 45.6 percent enrolment ratio, ten years after the government has intended to achieve a 100 percent enrolment ratio, the Western State of Nigeria despite the universal primary education scheme, found itself far behind its own target and that of the 1955-1960 plan”.

The National Education Policy of 1977 was extended in 1999 by the adoption of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme, which aims at providing access to primary as well as junior secondary education for all Nigerian children. Under the new National Policy on Education of 2004, Nigeria has a 6-3-3- 4 education system, which comprises six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary education, three years of senior secondary education and four years of higher education. Thus, under the UBE, the first nine years of schooling up to the end of junior secondary now constitute the formal aspect of the basic education programme, which is going to be the focus of this study. Universal Primary Education (UPE), the policy objectives of the UBE programme are to provide universal, free and compulsory education at the primary and junior secondary levels for children of school-going age (FME, 2000). Basic education, thus, could be regarded as involving global and extensive exposure of the individual to acquire skills, in contradistinction to the rather limited scope of primary education.

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Lawal, B. O. (Ph.D) and Ekundayo, T. A

Statement of the Problem. The fundamental principle of the Universal Basic Education in Nigeria is that every child must have access to equivalent and comprehensively nine years education spanning through primary One to junior secondary class Three. However, the reality on ground shows that, in different geo-political zones in the country, only a small minority participates in and finishes a complete cycle of basic education. This study, therefore, examines through a comparative analysis, the participation in basic education in Ebonyi (South East), Oyo (south West), and Yobe States (North East) in Nigeria.

Research Questions The following research questions were raised and discussed in this study. How universally accessible is basic education in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe states in Nigeria in terms of:

Availability of schools? Availability of educational infrastructure? Availability of qualified teachers?

What are the trends in participation in basic education in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe states in Nigeria in terms of:

Enrolment rate? Repetition rate? Transition from primary to junior secondary school? Basic education completion rate?

Methodology The study population for this study comprises all basic education school going-age children (boys and girls) in the age-group of 6-14 years (the age-group for basic education in Nigeria) residing in the study areas. Three states were randomly selected from the existing thirty six federating states in Nigeria. The three states were chosen from three geo-political zones also randomly selected from the existing six geo-political zones in the country. This was done on the basis of one state representing each of the geo-political zones. The study relied heavily on secondary source of data gathering and the “ex-post-facto” design type of a descriptive survey was also adopted. The data collected was analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics including frequency counts and percentages. Profile of the Study Areas

Nigeria is located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. The country has a total land area of 923,768 km (356,669 sqm) with a total population of 140,003, 542 (2006 census). The country got her independence from Britain on October 1st 1960. The country shares boundary with the Chad Republic in the North, Cameroon in the East, the Republic of Benin in the West and Atlantic Ocean in the south.

Nigeria is a federation of thirty six (36) states with a capital territory situated in Abuja. Currently, the country is divided into six geo-political zones, though not for administrative purpose mainly to ensure even distribution of the country resources. The idea emanated and crept into the dictionary of the country during the administration of the Late Gen. Sani Abacha, the Country’s former military ruler (1993 – 1998).

The distribution of states in the country into the existing geo-political zones was as indicated in the table below:

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Table 1: Distribution of States in Nigeria by Geo-political Zones Zone North Central North East North West South East South West South South

States in the Geo-Political Zone Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, Plateau, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo Ekti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Rivers

Total no of States

6 6 7 5 6 6

TOTAL 36 Source : National Bureau of Statistics, 2008.

Ebonyi State: Ebonyi state is a state in the South-East Geo-political zone of Nigeria. It was created in 1996 from parts of the old Enugu and Abia states. Ebonyi is administratively divided into thirteen Local Government Areas with total population of 2, 176,947. Its capital is Abakaliki. There are nine major Igbo first languages spoken in Ebonyi State. These are Afikpo, Mgbo, Izzi, Ezaa, Ikwo, Kukele, Legbo, Mbembe and Oring. These languages are all subgroups of the Igbo language. Ebonyi is primarily an agricultural producing state. The major crops produced in the state include, rice, yam, potatoes, maize beans and cassava.

Oyo state: The state is an inland state in the South-Western Geo-political zone of Nigeria. It was created in 1976 out of the defunct Western Region. The state covers a total of 27, 249 sqkm of land mass divided into thirty three local government areas with total population of 5,580,894. The capital city is Ibadan. Oyo State is populated by the Yorubas, as such; the dominant language of the groups is Yoruba. However, each ethnic community that makes up the group is clearly distinguishable by its dialect. These include; the Ibadans, Ogbomosho, Oke-oguns, Igbonna, and Oyo among others, Oyo state The Yorubas are city dwellers with strong paternal family lineage. However, agriculture is the main occupation of the people of the state. The climate in the state favours the cultivation of crops like maize, yam, cassava, plantain, cocoa, palm produce, cashew among others.

Yobe State: Yobe is located in the North-Eastern Geo-political zone of Nigeria. The state was created in 1991, out of the old Borno State. Yobe shares borders the Nigeria States of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa, Yobe state is administratively divided into seventeen Local Government Areas with the total population of 2,321,339. Its capital city is Damaturu. The state is predominantly populated by the Fulanis, however other ethnic communities in the state include Kanuri, Kare-kare, Ngizim, Bade, Hausa, Ngamo, and Shuwa among others. Though, the State is an agricultural state, it also has rich fishing grounds in addition to it having one of the largest cattle markets in West Africa, located near Potiskum.

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The geographical and demographical profiles of the study areas were further described in table 2 bellow. Table 2: Geographical and Demographical profiles of the study Areas. S/N 1 2. 3.

State Ebonyi Oyo Yobe

Geo-Political Zone

South-East South-West North-East

Year Created

1996 1976 1991

No of LGAs

13 33 17

Total Population (2006census) 2,176,947 5,580,894 2,321,339

Population of Persons Age 6 –14 years 631,315 1,339,415 754,435

% 29.2 24.4 32.5

Source: National Population Commission, Abuja,2008. Table 2 above shows the demographic profile of the three states that were chosen for this study, especially with regards to their population distribution. The table shows that 29.2% of the total population in Ebonyi state consists of persons of basic education school going age. That is age 6 to 14. While Oyo state has 24.4%, leaving Yobe state with 32.5% . The figure given above gives the picture of the entire Country’s population characteristics with over one quarter of the population falling in to the basic education school going age category. The question that arises from this therefore is, how many of these have access to and participating in basic education in the country? Theoretical Framework The Human Capital Theory

Human development is partly a matter of people and communities improving their own lives and taking greater control of their destinies. Education is broadly used as an instrument for social change. The critical point of such belief can be traced far back to the 1960s when Theodre Schultz systematically articulated the human capital theory of development. Schultz argued that population quality and knowledge constitute the principal determinants of the future welfare of mankind (Schultz, 1971). Adding to this argument, Harbison and Hanushek (1992) contended that a country which is unable to develop the skills and knowledge of its people and to utilise them effectively in the national economy will be unable to develop anything else. According to Pascharopoulos (1985), education is widely regarded as the route to economic prosperity, the key to scientific and technological advancement, the means to combat unemployment, the foundation of social equity, and the spread of political socialization and cultural vitality. The appeal of Human Capital Theory was based upon the presumed economic return of investment in education both at the individual and society levels. The Theory was premised on the argument that, it is the human resources of a nation, not its capital nor its material resources that ultimately determine the character and pace of its economic and social development. Human Capital Theory rests on the assumption that formal education is highly instrumental and even necessary to improve the production capacity of a population. In short, the advocates of the theory argue that an educational population is a productive population. The focus on education as a capital good relates to the concept of human capital, which emphasizes that the development of skills is an important factor in

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production activities as it is widely accepted that education creates improved citizens and helps to upgrade the general standard of living in a society. Human capital theory provides the dominant explanation for the economic value of education. The basic tenet is that education and other means of skill formation is economically productive. The Nigerian government accepts this view and this informed its commitment for the provision of universal education at the basic education level. Human capital theory also rests on the premise that possession of education brings increased individual productivity, which is rewarded by higher individual earnings. Thus, people will undertake education to the extent that the perceived costs they face in its purchase are more than justified by the benefits they expect to receive. The cost is usually equated to expenses transferred to parents, which include school fees, textbooks, and opportunity cost of time spent in school.( Adedeji,1997, Ajayi, 1998, Adepoju, 2003). Thus, parents take economic decisions before sending their children to school. Studies have found that the necessity for children to perform economically important tasks that support household survival is one of the factors that limit participating, especially among the rural and urban poor groups (Anderson 1988; Lockhead and Verspoor 1992). Lloyd and Blanc (1996) noted that even when schools are accessible and affordable, families have to see a net advantage to themselves and to their children. It was argued further, that in countries where the state has limited powers to enforce compulsory schooling laws, families serve as their children’s gate keepers through their control over children’s access to the educational resources made available by the state. Burney and Irfan (1991) highlighted the influence of the household status, both economic and social on the propensity to invest in child schooling. According to their findings;

The most disturbing, though not unexpected, finding of the study appears to be the predominant of the influence originating from parental education. It is this intergenerational transfer for human capital which need more attention as it implies that illiteracy and hence poverty of the parents get transmitted to the offspring.

Colclough and Lewis (1993) showed that the ratio of female to male primary enrolments was significantly lower in countries with low GER than in other countries. The World Bank (1995) also noted that the gender gap in school enrolments is of course not just a matter of access. In addition to lack of school places for girls, in many countries, parents demand for education of their daughter is low, reflecting both cultural norms and girls work in and around home. Over coming the gender gap, according to the World Bank, will therefore require not only providing more school place for girls, but also overcoming many parent’s ignorance of the gains that will result from enrolling their female children. Another problem in the provision of basic education has been to reach disadvantaged groups. Anderson (1988) indicated that certain groups in virtually all societies are disadvantaged in terms of both access to education and opportunity to complete the

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various levels of education. In some cases, disadvantage is due to insufficient resources and in others, differential impact is as a result of educational policies that are embedded in the social, economic, political relationship and interactions in the society. Lloyd and Black (1996) pointed out that efforts to achieve universal access to education have not yet overcome the inherent problems of the disadvantaged groups in our societies. The coverage of education in a particular country and at a particular moment in time has been found to be influenced by many factors. In the absence of compulsory schooling, children attend school because they choose to, or the choice is made for them, and the facilities are available. The costs and difficulties of attending school, and the benefits that are expected to result, affect the demand for schooling. In turn, these are influenced by poverty and income levels of households, the importance given to literacy, and expectations regarding how schooling will improve children’s life chances. Results and Discussion Research Question One. How universally accessible is basic education in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe states in Nigeria, measures in terms of;

Availability of schools? Availability of educational infrastructure? And Availability of qualified teachers?

The fundamental objective of universal basic education in Nigeria is to provide equal educational opportunity for every basic education school going age child, irrespective of gender differences, social economic status and geographical locations. This can be achieved only when there are in existence, enough and adequate schools as well as instructional facilities like class rooms and qualified teachers. A reviewed of the available data however, shows that apart from disparities in the provision of educational facilities across the geo-political zones in Nigeria, there is general gross inadequacy in their provision. This is explicitly explains through Tables 3,4 and 5 below. Table 3 Number of Primary Schools in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe States (2000 – 2009)

Year

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Ebonyi State Oyo State Yobe State National

No of Sch. 763 764 716 851 957 957 942 942 942 942

% Increase .00 .13 -6.70 15.86 11.08 .00 -1.60 .00 .00 .00

No of Sch. 2389 2390 2341 2228 2618 2618 1925 1925 1925 1925

% Increase .00 .04 -2.09 -5.07 14.89 .00 -36.0 .00 .00 .00

No of Sch. 925 883 882 865 887 950 949 949 949 949

% Increase .00 -4.76 -0.11 -1.96 2.48 6.63 -0.11 .00 .00 .00

No of Sch. 49326 49306 50516 59131 60188 60188 54434 54434 54434 54434

% Increase .00 -0.04 2.40 14.57 1.76 0.00 -10.00 .00 .00 .00

Source: National Bureau of Statistics, 2009.

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Table 4 Number of Junior Secondary Schools in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe States (2000 – 2009)

Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Ebonyi State Oyo State Yobe State National

No of Sch. 18 18 27 168 181 181 103 103 103 103

% Increase .00 .00 33.33 83.93 7.18 .00 -75.73 .00 .00 .00

No of Sch. 399 399 401 449 806 806 902 902 902 902

% Increase .00 .00 .49 10.69 44.29 .00 10.64 .00 .00 .00

No of Sch. 18 18 28 45 57 57 289 289 289 289

% Increase .00 .00 35.71 37.78 21.70 .00 80.28 .00 .00 .00

No of Sch. 6292 6292 6909 10,570 10,913 10,913 18,238 18,238 18,238 18,238

% Increase .00 .00 8.93 34.64 3.14 .00 40.16 .00 .00 .00

Source: National Bureau of Statistics 2009 Tables 3 and 4 above show the staggering nature of increase in number of basic educational institutions in the three state covered by this study. The tables show that the three states focused by this study witnessed no increase in the number of both the primary and junior secondary schools between year 2000 and 2001. The seemingly increased witnessed thereafter was not only too low than what can bring about significant improvement on the access level, but was also short-lived. For instance, Ebonyi state had its highest increase of 15.86 percent in the number of primary schools in 2003, which later reduced to-1.60 percent in 2006. Oyo state on its own part had in the year 2004, a 14.89 percent increase in the number of its primary schools, but came down to -36.0 percent in the year 2006. The 6.63 percent increased witnessed by Yobe State in the year 2005 came down to-0.11 in 2006. The data for the junior secondary schools were not in any way different from that of the primary schools, with Ebonyi state having the highest percentage increase of 83.93 in 2003, only to go down to -75.73 percent in the year 2006. The 44.29 percent increased recorded by Oyo state equally went down to 10.64 percent in 2004, while Yobe state, which recorded an appreciable 80.28 percent increase in the number of its junior secondary schools in 2006 had to remain stagnant on the same number till the year 2009. Though, on a comparative basis, Yobe state would be seen to have performed better in term of percentage increased in the number of basic educational institutions when compared with other two states, however, the fact that Yobe, like other two states failed to record any significant increase in the number of both its primary and junior secondary schools between years 2006 to 2009, is enough to conclude on the poor performance of each of the three states in the provision of basic educational institutions as well as other educational infrastructure needed to enhance access and participation levels. On a general level, it can therefore, be concluded that there were no adequate numbers of basic educational institutions in the country which could have resulted into increased in access and participation levels among the basic education school going age children.

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Table 5. Qualified Basic Education Teachers in Ebonyi, Oyo And Yobe States (2000- 2009)

State

Ebonyi

Oyo

Yobe

Year Qualifi

ed Trs Grad.

with

teach-g

Qual. +

NCE

holders

Unqua

lified

Trs Grad.

without

teach-g

Qual. +

those

below

NCE

G. total

% qualified

Qualifi

ed

Trs Grad.w

ith

teach-g

Qual +

NCE

Unqua

lified

Trs below

NCE

G. total

% qualified

Qualifi

ed Trs Grad.

with

teach-g

Qual. +

NCE

holder

Unqualifie

d

Teachers Grad.

without

teaching

Qual. +

those

below NCE

G. total

% qualified

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

1,132

1,132

1,604

1,825

1,875

2,973

2,947

2,982

2,992

3,032

3,424

3,232

3,302

4,104

4,125

5,163

5,673

5,871

5,925

5,925

4,556

4,364

4,906

5,929

6,000

8,136

8,620

8,853

8,917

8,957

24.8

26.0

33.0

31.0

31.3

36.5

34.2

34.0

34.0

34.0

19,321

19,872

20,021

21,472

21,862

24,679

23,231

22,342

24,032

24,032

2,134

2,034

2,034

3,168

4,025

6,695

3,213

3,200

3,206

3,108

21,455

21,907

22,055

24,640

25,887

31,374

26,444

25,555

27,238

27,140

90.0

90.7

90.8

87.1

84.5

78.7

84.5

87.4

88.2

88.5

879

882

882

965

920

1,577

1,578

1,578

1,732

1,932

2,062

2,085

3,245

3,365

4,075

3,552

4,622

4,626

4,581

5,108

2,941

2967

4127

4330

4995

5129

6200

6204

6313

7040

43.0

30.0

21.4

22.3

18.4

31.0

25.4

25.4

27.4

25.0

Table 5 above shows the features of teachers handling basic education classes in the three states covered by this study. The features displayed were in terms of their numbers as well as qualification status. The table reveals that Oyo state perform better in terms of availability of teachers having displayed a consistent increase in the number of its teachers within the period under review. The table reveals further that only Oyo state out of the three states has more qualified than unqualified teachers at basic education level, having had 78.7 percent as the minimum percentage of its qualified teachers. Whereas, both Ebonyi and Yobe states have more of their teachers as unqualified. This comprises of graduates who have no teaching qualification together with others with qualification below the Nigeria certificate of Education (NCE), which is the minimum teaching qualification in the country.

For instance, in Oyo state,19,872 or 90.7 percent out of the total 21,966 basic education Teachers in 2001 were qualified having only 2,085 or 9.5 percent as unqualified. Ebonyi on the other hand had in year 2001, 1,132 out of the total 4,364 teachers as qualified living a whooping 3,232 as unqualified. While only 882 teachers were qualified in Yobe, out of the 2,967 basic education teachers and having 2,085 teachers as unqualified. The implication from the above is that states in the south west of the country have more qualified teachers than any state from other geo-political zones in the country.

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Research question two.

What are the trends in participation in basic education in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe states in Nigeria in Terms of:

Enrolment rate? Repetition rate? Transition from primary to junior secondary school? Basic education completion rate?

The available data on enrolment rate in the three states, though shows a reasonable level of participation in basic education across the three states as the states recorded an appreciable increase in enrolment especially at the primary school level. For instance, Oyo state’s primary school gross enrolment of 809,896 in the year 2000, moved up to 1,070,633 in the year 2008, before it dropped in the following year. The picture is the same for the two other states as presented in table 6 below. Table 6. Primary school gross enrolment level in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe States (2000 – 2009)

Ebonyi State Oyo State Yobe State Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

No 361,472 365,307 346,839 415,939 446,661 444,132 390,642 391,334 550,299 563,012

No 809,896 702,627 774,403 998.288 831,339 882,417 926,403 1,070,633 914,812 924,136

No 657,793 647,943 379,323 546,055 460,162 491,321 496,043 524,626 531,699 562,134

Source. States Universal Basic Education Commission ( Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe states, 2010) If the three states were said to have recorded some level of achievement in primary education enrolment, the story is not the same when assessing the transition as well as the completion level in basic education. Completion rate is expressed as the percentage of cohort of pupils enrolled in primary one in a given school year who are expected to pass out in junior secondary class three after nine years of schooling. It assesses the holding power and internal efficiency of an education system vis-avis retention of pupils/students and the magnitude of drop out. Completion rate approaching 100 percent indicates a high level of retention and low incidence of drop-out. Measuring the completion rate of pupils who entered primary one in the year 2000 and were expected to pass out of junior secondary class three in year 2008 shows that Ebonyi state had 17 percent completion rate, Oyo had 45 percent While Yobe state had 20 percent completion rate. Similar picture was presented for the 2001 to 2009 cohort with Ebonyi having 20 percent, Oyo 48 percent and Yobe with18 percent. Though, Oyo state performed much better than the two other states, however, on a final analysis, none of the three states has 100 percent completion rate which indicates that they have low level of completion rate accompanied with high incidences of drop-out and repetition rate.(see table 7 below)

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Table 7. Trend of Basic Education Complition Rate in Ebonyi, Oyo and Yobe States State

IST COHORT

2ND COHORT

No of Pupils enrolled in Pry I in year 2000

No of students Transits to J.S.S.III in year 2008 %

No of pupils enrolled in Pry I in year 2001

No Transist to J.S.S III in 2009 %

Ebonyi Oyo Yobe

81,387 154,650 132,604

13,923 69,592 26,530

17% 45% 20%

86,568 134,314 139,726

17,314 64,474 25,152

20% 48% 18%

Source: National Bureau of Statistics,2009.

On a general note, the present study had revealed that, as laudable as the policy objectives of the universal basic education are, the access and participation level in Nigeria, ten years after its lunching in the country, remains unappreciable. The study has also revealed the nature of educational imbalance between the various sections of the country in terms of enrolment as well as the quantity and quality of educational facilities including personnel. Conclusion It is very disheartening to note that ten years after the introduction of the UBE programme in Nigeria, the country is yet to find a lasting solution to the problems of access as there is still a greater percentage of children that could not enroll, probably due to lack of space or as a result of individual children’s factors. At the same time majority of those that enrolled could not complete the full cycle of basic education due to high incidences of drop-out rate. This therefore, calls for a serious attention for the country to achieve the global target of Education For All (EFA) by 2015. The study gives credence to the findings of UNESCO that out of an estimated 19.7 million primary school age children in the country in 1999, only 15.7 million were reported to be in school, while the remaining 3.8 million were reported to be on the street (UNESCO,2003). As the study also reveals that out of the estimated thirty million primary school-age children in the country in 2006 (six years after the take off of the UBE programme), an estimated seven million are not enrolled in school There is overwhelming evidence that the situation, since 2006, has not improved. However, if at all there is any, this improvement has not spread to other levels of the post primary education, especially the junior secondary level, which forms a significant aspect of the Universal basic education programme. Going by the findings in this study, transition rates from primary school into junior secondary school, for instance, are too low, compared to the one hundred percent transition rate envisaged under the country’s education scheme. Thus, according to UNESCO (2008), as at 2006, only twenty-two percent of the over 10.5 million eligible children between 12 and 14 years of age were enrolled in junior secondary schools. The statistics reveals further that only 33% of the pupils who enrolled into primary schools in 2001 were able to complete the junior secondary school in 2009.

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Worthy of note in this study is the wide spread geographical disparities in education, noted to be to the disadvantage of children, generally in the northern parts of the country and particularly, in the North West geographical zone of the country. Thus, according to UNICEF (2000), while approximately four fifth of primary school-age children are in primary school in the south, less than 40 percent are in school in the North East and only 28 percent are in school in the North West. In short, a child in the North West is said to have only one third the chance of attending primary school when compared with a child from any part of Southern Nigeria. Furthermore, the Nigerian Education Data Survey (2010) shows that percentage of children between six and 14 years of age who have never attended school is highest in the North-east with states like Borno 72 percent, Yobe 58 percent, Bauchi 52 percent and North-west zones with states like Zamfara 68 percent, Sokoto 66 percent and Kebbi 60 percent. Recommendations For the country to achieve its basic education objectives there is therefore, the need to place more emphasis on adequate funding of the basic education programme. This will go a long way in building new schools as well as provision of essential instructional materials, including recruitment if qualified teachers. Efforts must also be directed towards the training of more teachers by ensuring that more qualified teachers are being involved. The unqualified ones already in the system could be exposed to appropriate in-service training that will make them to be qualified. Government at the various levels in the country must address problems of poverty, ignorance and negative cultural practices, all of which have been found to impact negatively on access and participation level in basic education. If these are done, it will go a long way in addressing many other problems in the country including those of geographical imbalance in educational attainment as well as general insecurity. References

Adams, M., & Kruppenbach, S.E. (1987). “Gender and Access in the African school”. International Review of Education. Dordrecht: Netherlands. 33 (4). 16-26. Adedeji, S.O. (1997). “Resource Adequacy and Academic Performance in Osun State Vocational Secondary schools”. African Journal of Educational Management (AJEM). 5 (I2): 35-42. Adepoju, T.L (2003). “Locational Factors as Correlates of Private Costs and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Oyo State, Nigeria”. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. University of Ibadan. Ibadan, Adesina, S. (2005). Growth without Development; Nigeria’s educational Experience Between 1914-2004. Abeokuta. Educational Industries Ltd. Anderson, M.B. (1988). “Improving Access to Schooling in Third World: A Reviwed”. Bridge Research Report Series. Aronson, D. (1980). “Must Nomads Settle? Some Notes Towards Policy on the

Future of Pastoralism”. In Salzman (ed.). When Nomads Settle: processes of Sedentariantion as Adaptation and Response. New York: Prayer publishers.

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Federal Ministry of education. (1999). Basic Education for All in Nigeria by the year 2000 AD: A Blueprint of Policies, Plans and Strategies for Achievement. FME (2000). Implementation Guidelines for the Universal Basic Education

(UBE) programme. Federal Ministry of Education Abuja . National Bureau of Statistics (2010). Social Statistics in Nigeria. Psacharopoulus, G & Woodhall, M. (1997). Education for Development: An Analysis of Investment Choice. New York, Oxford University Press. Schutz, T. W. (1971). Investment in Human Capital. New York. The Free press. UNESCO. (2000). World Education Report 2000. UNESCO. Paris. UNESCO. (2004). EFA. Global Monitoring Report. Paris. UNESCO. UNESCO. (2007). EFA. Global Monitoring Report. Paris. UNESCO.

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access and participation in basic education in ebonyi,...

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