ABSTRACT
The study was carried out to examine the Impact of free education on
public junior secondary schools in education district IV. The purpose of the
study was to investigate how tuition fee payment, provision of textbooks,
adequate qualified teachers influence the quality of education. Three research
questions and three hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study.
Relevant literature were reviewed in line with the variable of the study. The
research design adopted in the study was descriptive survey research design. A
20 item Likert type structured questionnaire was used for data collection. A sample
of 210 teachers were used in the study. Data obtained were analyzed using
chi-square statistics. The Findings of the study shows that: there was a
significant influence of payment of tuition on quality of education in public
junior secondary schools (X2cal16.67>X2crit9.49),
there was a significant influence of provision of textbooks on quality of
education in public junior secondary schools (X2cal28.35>X2crit9.
49). There was a significant influence of recruitment of qualified teachers on
quality of education (X2ca124.52>X2crit9.49). It was recommended among other arrangements
should be made to adequately cater for the large number of pupils that enroll
in the scheme so as to avoid having over-crowded classrooms, and that efforts
should be made to pay teachers' salary as at when due so as to avoid
disenchantment among the teachers.
LIST OF TABLES
Table1:
Demographic Analysis of the Participants 42
Table2:
Payment of Tuition Fees and Quality of Education 44
Table3:
Provision of Textbooks and Quality of Education 45
Table4:
Recruitment of Teachers and Quality of Education 47
Table5:
Influence of Payment of Tuition Fees and Quality of Education 48
Table6:
Influence of Provision of Textbooks and Quality of Education 49
Table7:
Influence of Recruitment of Teachers and Quality of Education 50
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE i
CERTIFICATION ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv
ABSTRACT v
LIST OF
TABLES vi
TABLE OF
CONTENTS vii-ix
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study 1
Statement of
the Problem 6
Purpose of the Study 6
Research Questions 7
Research Hypotheses 7
Significance
of the Study 7
Scope and
Delimitation of the Study 8
Operational Definition of key Terms 8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept of
Educational policy 10
Concept of Free Education Policy 10
Concept of Free Education 11
Concept of
Quality of Education 12
Free
Education in Nigeria: Reality and Implications 14
Management
Challenges for the Universal Basic Education 21
Indicators of Free Education Policy and
Quality of Education 23
Appraisal of
Reviewed Literature 36
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH1 METHODOLOGY
Research
Design 38
Population
of the Study 39
Sample Size
and Sampling Technique(s) 39
Research Instruments 40
Validity of
the Instrument 40
Reliability of the Instrument 40
Method of Data Collection 41
Method of Data Analysis 41
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION,
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Data Presentation 42
Answers to
Research Questions 44
Testing of
the Research Hypotheses 48
Summary of Findings 50
Discussion
of Findings 51
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of
the Study 54
Conclusion 55
Recommendations
55
Suggestions
for Further Studies 56
References 57
Appendix 63
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The concept of the
universal basic education may not be a new idea totally. From all indications,
the Universal Basic Education can be regarded as an offshoot of the Universal
Primary Education (UPE) scheme, which was launched in the country in 1976, As
usual with Nigeria, the scheme was abandoned mid-way (Aluede, 2006). The fact
that the Scheme i.e UPE had something to offer perhaps led to the re-introduction
of the programme in another name and concept known as Universal Basic Education
in 1999.
Free education policy is
a document of agreement in accordance to the removal of every constraint to
sound and quality education .Free education means the establishment of various
kind of schools and expansion of school curriculum to help each child develop
according to his or her ability, age, interest and so on. It means the
establishment and provision of library facilities, technical and vocational
equipment, recruitment and retention of qualified and adequate manpower. It
means tuition free, free feeding, free books, free accommodation, free transportation,
free uniform and other personal uses of the learner. Free education also means
the removal of every socio-cultural impediments to the child’s education. The
sum total of all these, makes education free. The partial implementation of the
above can never qualify the system as free because the presence of any one of
the above constitutes constraint to the child’s ‘access to free education.
The Universal Basic
Education (UBE) is a policy reform measures of the Federal Government of
Nigeria, aimed at rectifying distortions in the basic education. UBE is
conceived to embrace formal education up to age 15, as well as adult and
non-formal education including education of the marginalized groups within the
Nigerian society.
The National Policy on
Education, 2004 section 3 defines basic education as a type of education
comprising 6 years of primary education and 3 years of junior secondary school.
The policy stipulates that education shall be free and compulsory. This scheme
shall include adults, and non -formal educational programmes at primary and
junior secondary school levels for both adults and out-of school youths. The
UBE has three main components-Universal, Basic, and Education. Universal here
means the programme is for everyone irrespective of tribe, culture or race and
class. (Aluede, 2006; EddyAkpan 2009).The term basic depicts that which is a
fundamental or essential thing that must be given or had. It is also on this
factor that every other thing rests on. Without it, nothing may be achieved. It
is the root of acquisition of any knowledge (Eddy and Akpan, 2009) Hence, UBE
can be seen as that type of education that every individual must have. It
should not be a privilege but a right and it should be the sum total of an
individual’s experience.
The policy also placed
education on concurrent legislative list between the federal, state, and local
governments. Consequently, one of the registered political parties in the
country then (i.e Unity Party of Nigeria) inaugurated “free education at all
levels policy“ as one of its cardinal objectives. The states under the control
of the party (Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Bendel and Ogun) implemented the policy at the
primary and secondary levels but could not do so at the tertiary due to its
heavy cost implication and inadequate fund. The situation however led to the
provision of free tuition, textbooks, equipment, automatic promotion from
primary to secondary schools, as well as abolition of all forms of levies in
secondary schools. Even though the free education policy suffered from
inadequate funding, there was significant upsurge in the number and enrollment
in primary and secondary schools as a result of its implementation.
The situation thus placed
the affected States ahead of others in terms of education development in
Nigeria. Unfortunately, the growth in the number and enrollment of schools
without corresponding provision of adequate infrastructure,, facilities and
teachers , led to adecline in the standard
of education. The lopsidedness in the implementation of Free Education
Policy in the’ LOOBO States’, necessitated its suspension in 1983 by the
military government.
The quality of education
takes into account their determinants (especially if the ambition is to improve
quality), i.e the various means such as
the provision of teachers, buildings,
equipment, curriculum, textbooks, and the teaching-learning process, e.t.c, so
therefore, the general concept of quality of education is composed of three
interrelated dimensions ; the quality of
human and material resources available for teaching (inputs), the quality of
teaching practices (process) and the quality of the results (output and
outcomes).This action was based on the argument that ‘Free Education Policy’
was unrealistic and cosmetic and that its continue implementation will not give
room for provision of quality education while the financial implication will be too heavy for Government to bear. Between 1983 and 1999 when military
government was in power, the issue of free education took a back seat among
government’s policies priorities. During this period, various levies were
introduced to generate funds for the sustenance of education. With the assumption of power by another
civilian government in 1999, another era of free education emerged in the
South-west zone, which was coordinated by Alliance for Democracy (one of the
registered political parties in the country) in control of the States.
This inadequacy in terms
of population data has also affected the provision of instructional materials
such as textbooks, laboratory equipment’s, audio-visual materials, etc which in
themselves constitutes another major challenge to successful implementation of
the UBE programme. Many of the schools do not have this materials and were
available, they are inadequate and outdated.
United Nations
Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization {UNESCO, 2004; Oni, 2000; Dare
et al, 2008;). The overall problem regarding general inadequacy of infrastructure, teaching materials and
amenities in the Nigerian educational system is well captured by Ezekwesilli
when she said; the physical infrastructure is below standard and gross
insufficient…….the basic amenities such as water and light are seriously lacking
(Ogunjimi et al..2009).
Another challenge of the
UBE scheme is the drop-out rate in primary schools considering the aims and
objectives of the scheme, which is the education for all school age children.
The demographic and health survey (DHS) conducted in 2003 revealed the only
60.1% of all the children of primary
school age were attending primary school
at the time of the survey. In particular, boys had a higher Net Attendance Rate
(NAR) of 63.7% as against that of the female which was 56%. Similarly,
discrepancy is also noticeable in the children’s attendance rate in school of
the urban areas and the rural areas. In the urban areas, the NAR was 69.5%,
while in the rural areas, it was 55.7%in other to show the drop- out rate, it
was revealed by Ogunjimi et al (2009) that out of the 42.1 million children
below 14 years of age, only 25.8 million representing 61.2% of the total
population was in school. At the secondary school level, only 30% of the
population that should be in school was in school in Nigeria. Primary school
net enrollment/ attendance between 2000 and 2007 was 63%. The drop-out rate for
the girl-child was 44% while that of the boys in secondary school was 39.3%.
(Olanrewaju and Folorunso; 2009).
Universal Basic Education
(UBE) programme, is to provide free
basic education for children, having observed anomalies in its provision in the
past, at present, in many States in Nigeria, partial free education is implemented
just like the case of the South-west; zone.
This is in the area of
payment of Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), Junior School
Certificate Examination (JSCE) fees and the development levy. The Universal
Basic Education programme has as one of its implementation strategies, the
provision of free meals for pupils at the primary level. Nigeria as a nation
has not practiced ‘free education ‘since the history of Western education
started in 1842. Rather, at one time or the other, programmes have been
introduced which abolished the payment of school fees, in part or in full at
one particular level or the other. The removal of school fees or other related
levies does not make education free because there are still other constraints
in the child’s access to education. Some of such constraints have already been
addressed. When obstacles to acquiring quality and standard education are
removed, granting access to every child to receive education according to age,
gender, interest, ability then we say that there is free education.
Tuition-free education, but not free education. Free education does not operate
in part but in full
1.2 Statement of the
Problem
The essence of free
education policy is to reduce the burden of parents spending on education, since
it is regarded to as instrument per excellence to effective national
development. In accordance to this notion, the government has tried as much as
possible to cater for the funding and needs of students to acquire knowledge
and sharpen their intellectual capabilities.
The government ensures to
cater for students under the criteria of this policy in terms of tuition- free,
payments of external fees and provision of textbooks. It should be noted that
this is not favorable enough to enhance quality of education. That is, it
provides unequal opportunities to all students in the country, which means not
all students were enrolled in schools based on this policy.
The general out-cry in
the falling standard of basic education and a sharp depreciation in the morals
of primary school children brought about the introduction of the UBE . The UBE
challenged with the problems facing basic education in Nigeria before its introduction include;
Dearth of facilities, inadequate
supervision, shortage of personnel, lack of funds, high prices of
textbooks, incoherent implementation of the curriculum and drop-out rate.Denga
(2000).
1.3 Purpose of the
Study
The general purpose of
this study is to investigate the impact of free education policy on the quality
of education. Specifically, the study sought:
1. To determine how tuition-free policy
influence the quality of education in some selected public junior secondary
schools in Education District IV of Lagos State.
2. To investigate the extent at which
provision of textbooks influence the quality of education.
3. To determine the extent at which
recruitment of qualified teachers influence the quality of education.
1.4 Research Questions
This study provided
answers to the following questions;
1. What is the impact of payment of
tuition on the quality of education in public junior secondary schools?
2. What influence does provision of
textbooks have on the quality of education in public junior secondary school?
3. How does recruitment of qualified
teachers influenced the quality of education in public junior secondary school.
1.5 Research
Hypothesis
1. There is no significant influence of
tuition fee payment on the quality of education in public junior secondary
schools.
2. Provision of textbooks has no
significant influence on the quality of education in public junior secondary
schools.
3. Recruitment of qualified teachers has
no significant influence on the quality of education in public junior secondary
schools.
1.6 Significance of
the Study
The study is beneficial
to students, teachers, educational administrators and planners, parents and to
the society at large. To students, it enables them to remain focused in the
acquisition of knowledge through free education policy provision in order to
build their self-esteem, instill confidence in them to be able to compete with
their counterparts. To the teachers, it enables them to improve in their
teaching pedagogy with the use of instructional resources in accordance with
the free education policy objectives. It will also help the educational
planners to give feed back to the government concerning the loopholes in the
educational system. To the parent, the study is beneficial to them because it
lessen their burden of tuition fees and provision of necessary student’s needs.
To the society at large, the output of the education system will be able to
promote national development through quality education.
1.7 Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The study covers free
education policy and quality of education which involves tuition-free policy,
provision of textbooks policy, recruitment of qualified teachers and their
impact on the quality of education. It involves the teachers in some Junior
secondary school Education District IV of Lagos State.
1.8 Operational
Definition of Relevant Terms
Education: This is the process of imparting knowledge and skills
through training to enable the child or individual develop positive attitude to
adjust to the society to which he/she belongs.
Basic Education: This is the education given to children in primary school to
junior secondary school.
Primary Education: This is the first level of education organized in the formal
school system offered to a child usually age (6-11) years in Nigeria.
Secondary Education: It is the type of education given in an institution for
children aged normally (12-14) for junior secondary schools.
Experienced Teacher: This is one who taught a particular subject in his/her area
of specialization continuously in a school over a period of time.
Free and compulsory Education: This is the education given to a
child of school going age freely from primary level to junior secondary level.
Tuition:It is the payment made to acquire knowledge and personal development of a
child.
Universal:It means existing everywhere or involving everyone
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