APPRAISAL OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ITS IMPACT ON PRIMARY EDUCATION

APPRAISAL OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ITS IMPACT ON PRIMARY EDUCATION

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Following the introduction of Western education in Nigeria through missionary societies, elementary schools were maintained locally by volunteer organisations with grant-in-aids from the colonial government. Meanwhile, prerequisites for receiving funding in and were met, including acceptable organisation, average daily attendance at the school, competent and efficient instructors, adequacy of building and equipment, and decent cleanliness (Kyenge 2016).

During this time, the colonial authority directly controlled and managed her few government schools, and as western education expanded to diverse rural and urban settlements, local authorities took over elementary education in the North. Then, by (1929), there were ninety-five (95) primary schools in the North managed by native authorities and give missions schools managed by the missionary voluntary agency, while sixty-five government primary schools in the South were managed by the Colonial government and two hundred and sixty-nine mission/voluntary agencies schools were granted aid and managed by the mission. With the introduction of free education in the Western region in (1955) and the Eastern region in the area of primary education management, the scheme resulted in a phenomenon increase in primary school enrolment, and as a result, inadequate funding and poor management devices were used to keep the system running. These include the reinstatement of education fees, notably in the Oredo Local Government (Igidi 2019). Gradual phase-out of grade III teacher training institutions, as well as complete closure of certain unviable schools During the plan period (1962-1968), the federal government had a formative effect in salvaging the system by giving grants to regional governments for primary education, and with the civil war of (1967-1970), more damage, particularly in terms of infrastructure in Oredo Local Government, was increased by primary education and indeed the enter educational system following the public education educts of no 4 of (1970), the former Oredo Local Government took over the ownership and management of the system. This decision was quickly followed by other federation nations. More so, with the takeover of all primary schools, the Oredo Local Government established the management bodies namely.

1. State school management board for the management of both primary and secondary schools.
2. State teacher services commission for the employment and promotion of both primary and secondary school teachers.

In the North, management of primary education was by voluntary agencies and native authorities continued until the promulgation of new education law in (1963) following the report of the old man commission, in the commission report, local government education authoritative was established to replace the native authorities. The local education authorities were indeed parastatals of the ministry of education they were charged with primary schools under their jurisdiction (Famade 2015). Thus, the management of primary education in the North was under the supervision of the ministry of education. It is also to be noted that as soon as the local government authorities was established their finance were separated from the coffers of the native authorities, their source of relevant includes:         

Subvention from the native authorities

State government grant

School fee where applicable

According to UNESCO (1976) the Federal Government launched the nationwide universal primary education system, which is to be free and compulsory as from the year (1980), with the introduction of the system, the Federal Government under took to fund all the cost of primary education throughout the country. Particularly in that same year the Federal government introduced a scheme of local government reform. Consequently this brought about the local education authorities in the Northern State becoming department of local government authorities, however, this removed both the supervisory control of the ministry of education and the separate accounting system of the local government authorities. Thus with this reform a specific body was made responsible for the effective management and control of primary education in Northern State.

According to Adesina (1992) it is assumed that local government will continue to provide manually at least for the provision of teaching materials in the main time the assumption is that the State Government will continue to pay relatively the retiring benefits of the primary school staff in (1988) the national primary education commission (NPEC) was established with Decree 31 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (1988) to manage the affairs of primary education. It was later scrapped by the Federal Government under the provision of Decree  2 and 3 of (1991) which rested the full responsibility of the administration of primary education in the hand of local government with the degree No. 96 of 25th August (1993) the national primary education board (SPEB) and local government education authority (LGEA) and they were once again in control (LGRA) was assigned to day to day administration of primary schools in the area of jurisdiction. While, the state primary education board (SPEB) was charged with administration of primary school in the state. The local government councils appoint education secretaries who then report directly to the SPEBS. The introduction of universal primary education (UPE) nationwide in 1976 experienced problem of underestimation of about 30% of the turn-up number of the children enrolment, acute shortage of classroom space or overcrowded classrooms, shortage of teachers and equipment this may be unconnected with the neglect and lack of maintenance as a result of present economic depression this inability of the government to effectively run primary school has made people to agitate for the return of school to the missionaries and other voluntary agencies. Also, it brought the emergence of many private primary schools tends to perform more poorly than private primary schools in Nigeria. It appears as if the private primary schools usually produce more sounds product than public primary schools.

It is estimated that about 80% of the primary schools are located in the rural areas. Schools are subsidized through additional funds contributed by communities to their local schools through parent teachers association (PTA), schools councils, and community based organization these funds are used for infrastructure construction maintenance and supply of basic equipment. The infrastructure and facility remain inadequate for coping with a system this is group[ing at a rapid pace. The school environment is therefore generally not conducive to learning resource, the annual population growth rate, estimate at 3.3% contributes to the problem of the large number of children who have to be accommodated in schools.

Durosaro (1986), Taiwo (2006), the development of primary education has always been associated with communal activities these activities which include the provision and administration which are organized government system has introduce at the federal regional, later state and local nation authority local government council levels. Taiwo records that one of the provision of the ordinance which was enacted in (1948) was the encouragement of the formation of local education authorities and local government committees.

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