Local Government and Primary Education in Nigeria: An Overview

Abstract

Local government in Nigeria has constitutional responsibility in primary education; also, the state and federal government attend to all levels of education, including the primary education. Over the years, local and state governments have constituted the real actors in Nigeria primary education sector through the instrumentality of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Local Government Education Authority (LGEA). Constitutionally and financially, local governments remain major actors in primary education, but practically, it is SUBEB who manage schools through LGEA with little or no consultation to local government council, regardless of their huge contributions. The paper intends to look at these challenges and reemphasis the contribution of Local government to Primary Education. Using the secondary method of data collection in form of content analysis, the paper revealed that Local government has contributed immensely to the functioning of primary education, both in mandatory and concurrent capacities with the state government especially in payments of teacher's salary and allowances, provision of instructional materials, provision of classrooms and other infrastructures needed for the smooth running of primary education in Nigeria. The paper concluded that local governments remain the major actor and provider of primary education in Nigeria.

Appraisal on the Factors Affecting Declining Standard of Primary Education Among the Communities of Adamawa State, Nigeria

“…Primary Education is said to be the pillar for any educational pursuit in one's life for which there is the need for both the Government, schools head, teachers and the community to make spirited contributions to uplift the glory of Primary Education in the State (Kamara, 2020). Having mentioned that, it is no doubt therefore, primary education is the foundation upon which other strata of educational edifice are built upon (Odewale & David, 2019). Adesina, (2011) further lamented that, primary education functions as the initial level of all other educational system through the means of preparing young minds towards the next level of education.…”

Impacts of Political Breaks on Education Policies, Access and Quality in Nigeria (1970 – 2003)

“…The NPEC and its states and local government chapters shared the primary school management responsibility: the direct management and day-to-day administration of primary schools in each Local Government Area (LGA) was assigned to the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) while the State Primary Education Board (SPEB) was responsible for the administration of primary schools in the state and overseeing the activities of LGEAs in their respective states. The NPEC was the national coordinating body, supervising the SPEBs across the Federation (Iwuanyanwu and Anene, 2001;Sokoh, 2013;Akuma, 2014;Odewale, 2019).…”

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“…Regarding the role of LGs in education, despite their contribution to the funding of primary education; either solely or in conjunction with the state government, state governments hiding under the aegis of Universal Basic Education (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Local Government Education Authority (LGEA), had hijacked primary education from the LGs; even though the latter bears a larger chunk of the expenses (benefits, pension, allowances, and salaries). In cases where developmental projects are carried out in schools using funds sourced from the LGs' purse, state governments end up taking the glory (Odewale, 2019).…”