AN EVALUATION OF GOVERNMENTAL POLICIES ON THE ADMISSION OF STUDENTS INTO SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS ACROSS NIGERIA

AN EVALUATION OF GOVERNMENTAL POLICIES ON THE ADMISSION OF STUDENTS INTO SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS ACROSS NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background to the Study

It is frequently acknowledged that education is the most efficient method for achieving national development objectives. Consequently, education is the most crucial aspect of a nation’s development. As a direct consequence of this, governments all over the world are increasing the amount of money they spend on education in order to establish it on a solid foundation and enable them to achieve their respective national goals and ambitions. There is no such thing as education, whether it is at the primary or secondary levels; rather, it is accomplished by making use of the human and material resources that are already in place (Ejeh, Okenjom, Chizi-Woko, and Agbo, 2016; Okenjom and other, 2016). According to Agi and Yellowe (2013), the success of any organization depends on the development of human resources and the transmission of appropriate skills, knowledge, and attitudes. It is a stepping stone to wealth creation as well as the foundation for transformation and industrialization. In addition, in their paper, Agi and Yellowe (2013) noted that education is viewed as a tool for promoting good African values, establishing gender equality, and creating a culture of peace. As a result, many people believe that education contributes to peace and security in a democratic setting, as well as to national change and progress through the elimination of poverty. Plans to increase the number of students admitted to and enrolled in secondary education systems across the nation have frequently been developed and implemented by the government. The purpose of a policy is to make sure that every official action taken by an organization has a reason or documentation to back it up. According to Terry (quoted in Okoroma, 2006), the overarching guide that specifies the fundamental restrictions and direction in which administrative activity will be carried out is the definition of a policy. According to Terry (in Okoroma, 2006), a policy is said to specify the area in which decisions are to be made, but it does not provide the decision itself. The Nigerian educational system has undergone a number of policy shifts over time, most of which have occurred at the higher education level, including reforms to curricular, institutional, spending, and funding. This is due to the recognition that education is the most efficient tool for national development and the pressing need to guarantee that higher education is socially relevant. These reforms are prompted, among other things, by the need to make education more accessible, provide students with high-quality instruction and the relevant information they need to grow personally and as a nation, prepare citizens for the challenges of globalization, and create assurance mechanisms in higher education institutions (Imoke, 2010, Bello, 2007).

The significance of secondary education in today’s educational system cannot be overstated. In addition to serving as a transitional period between primary and secondary education, it affords children the opportunity to acquire additional knowledge, abilities, and characteristics beyond the fundamental education level. According to Chinalo (2011), the fact that a child does not acquire the permanent literacy, communicative, and numeracy skills that are expected of him or her at the end of the training program in the country’s primary schools is a major driver of the need for secondary education in Nigeria. Secondary education is regarded as outdated in Nigeria due to its origins alongside western education, which Christian missionaries introduced to the country in 1842. Christian missionaries initially supported only elementary education as a means of persuading children to become Christians. Secondary education gained support later. The government began to pay attention to secondary education many decades after primary education was established, particularly when the requirement that primary school students continue their education in secondary schools became crucial. According to Fafunwa (quoted in Ige, 2013), Lagos State has enacted a significant number of ordinances, edicts, and bye laws to increase secondary school enrollment. Few secondary schools offered secondary education to individuals who were interested in obtaining it during the Colonial Governments’ stewardship of Nigeria. The number of secondary schools increased, according to statistics, with enrollment rising from 168,309 in 1960 to 252,586 in 1965, 3,807,755 in 1985, and 6,536,038 in 2006, compared to 168,309 in 1960. Nigeria’s Federal Government, 2009).

The responsibility for providing students with the essential services necessary to achieve the country’s educational objectives falls on higher education institutions as a result of the admission of secondary school students. According to Simkovic (2012), the rising tide of mediocrity in a nation must be halted if government educational policy is to support an increase in secondary school enrollment, which will lower the risk of unemployment, increase productivity, encourage technological innovation, and stimulate economic growth.

1.2 An Overview of the Issue Secondary education is rapidly losing ground in society. Inadequate funding for secondary education in Lagos State has occasionally been the topic of public discussion. According to Ige (2013), education in Lagos State has not received adequate funding from the state government, despite the fact that education has a significant impact on any nation’s economic development. The government’s annual budgetary allocation to education has not only been inadequate, but it has also been erratic and uncertain since before independence. Even though the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2018) set a goal of 26% for developing nations, Nigeria has consistently failed to meet it. However, budget allocations for education in Nigeria have remained stagnant. The government’s preference for higher education, a delay in the release of funds, a lack of accountability for allocated funds, and frequent and harmful political interference in education are additional obstacles. The nation’s educational financing policies have been the subject of numerous calls for improvement from education policy analysts. The large number of adolescents of secondary school age who are frequently observed in the traffic hawking goods and commodities in the various nooks and crannies of the country while school is in session is evidence that inadequate admission and enrollment of students into secondary education is still a problem in Nigeria. Consequently, the national secondary school system must be reorganized and altered immediately. This is the setting in which this study attempts to examine the Nigerian government’s policies regarding student admission to senior secondary schools.

1.3 The Study’s Purpose In general, the study aims to evaluate government policies governing student admission to Nigeria’s senior secondary schools. The following specific guidelines will be followed throughout the study:

to investigate the various government policies governing secondary school enrollment in Oyo State.

to investigate the impact of Oyo State’s educational policy on secondary school admissions.

to determine the obstacles that parents face when trying to get their children into secondary school in Oyo State.

1.4 Research Questions The following questions serve as the foundation for the study:

In Oyo State, what are the various government policies regarding secondary school enrollment?

How does the government’s educational policy affect secondary school admission in Oyo State?

What obstacles do parents face when trying to get their children into secondary school in Oyo State?

1.5 Importance of the Study The study is important to the government because it will reveal flaws in the policies that govern student admission to senior secondary schools across the nation.

The review will be vital for the scholastic local area as it will add to existing writing.

1.6 The Purpose of the Study This research will investigate a variety of government policies pertaining to secondary school enrollment in Oyo State. In addition, the study will investigate the impact of Oyo State’s educational policy on secondary school admissions. Finally, the research will identify the obstacles.