Impact of Free Education Policy on Public Junior Secondary Schools
Chapter One
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:
- 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.
- To investigate the extent at which provision of textbooks influence the quality of education.
- To determine the extent at which recruitment of qualified teachers influence the quality of education.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Basis of the Concept of Free Education
Pressure on governments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to expand secondary education is growing. Increasing numbers of students flowing from expanded primary education and the need to improve the educational levels of the labor force to benefit from a globalizing economy make it inevitable that governments in SSA will turn their attention to expanding and improving secondary education (Alvarez, 2003; Mulkeen, 2005; World Bank, 2005). The dilemma these countries face is multifaceted. Many countries will need to continue to devote resources to expanding and improving primary education to achieve the goals of Education for All. A realistic conversation about greater access to secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa will need to confront the present status of education systems in terms of their capacity to sustain the growth and improvement of primary education, as well as their existing limitations in terms of capacity and financing to simultaneously expand and improve secondary education. 16 There is consensus in the literature that secondary education—long neglected—is now the fastest growing segment of the education sector (UNESCO 2005; Mulkeen 2005; World Bank 2005; Gropello 2006; World Bank 2007). In many countries, movement away from seeing primary education as the terminal level of education towards policies that envision widespread completion of junior secondary and upper secondary as the goals of education system development is well underway, but has only recently begun in Sub-Saharan Africa (De Ferranti 2003; World Bank 2005). Many challenges to expanding secondary are particular to, and particularly pronounced in SSA. This paper looks at the mounting demographic pressure to expand secondary access and contrasts it to the limited ability of current education systems to produce and deploy the necessary numbers of teachers to respond to that pressure. Education is a cornerstone of economic growth and social development and a principle means of improving the welfare of individual (World Bank, 1990). Illiteracy has been identified as a fact that imposes both relative and absolute burden on the national economic well-being (World Bank, 2005). The concept of universal primary education can be traced to 1948 when the United Nations declared education as a basic right for all. This meant that education was to be availed to all irrespective of social class, sex, colour, religion, tribe and race (Mukathe, 1999). The 1948 declaration was further stressed at the 16th session of the United Nation General Assembly held between 1961 and 1962, which identified illiteracy as the main barrier to social and economic growth of Third World Countries, Kenya included (Micheni, 1993). 17 Secondary education is the stage of education following primary school. Secondary education is generally the final stage of compulsory education. However, secondary education in some countries includes a period of compulsory and a period of noncompulsory education. The next stage of education is usually college or university. Secondary education is characterized by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors to the optional, selective tertiary, “postsecondary”, or “higher” education (e.g., university, vocational school) for adults. The government recognizes that the elimination of poverty, promotion of human rights and attainment of sustainable development are noble goals but which cannot be realized, without placing education at the core of national development agenda. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948), the World Conference on Education for All and the World Education Forum (Dakar, Senegal, 2000), are manifestation of realization by the international community of the strategic role that education can play towards the achievement of those goals. While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights embraced education as a basic human right, the Jomtein Conference not only built consensus on what constitute EFA but also set specific EFA goals and targets. The consensus was that EFA, as a strategy for the development and provision of quality basic education for all, encompassed not only Universal Primary Education (which was essentially formal schooling) but also secondary education, literacy and life skills programmes and mass education (complementary learning processes that take place out of school set-up), including non-formal education, adult and continuing education (MOEST, Kenya, 2001). The EFA targets, as articulated at Jomtein Conference and reaffirmed at the World Education Forum in Dakar are:
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitutes of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried to examine impact of free education policy on public junior secondary schools. secondary schools ate Education District IV of Lagos State forms the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain impact of free education policy on public junior secondary schools. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of free education policy on public junior secondary schools
Summary
This study was on impact of free education policy on public junior secondary schools. Three objectives were raised which included; 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, to investigate the extent at which provision of textbooks influence the quality of education and to determine the extent at which recruitment of qualified teachers influence the quality of education. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from secondary schools in Education District IV of Lagos State. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Conclusion
Free Secondary Schooling has allowed poor children more access to equitable education. It has increased enrolment by attracting more children to school. The poor implementation of free secondary schooling in Lagos state may be attributed to various factors, including, inadequacy of teaching and learning facilities, lack of job motivation, lack of qualified teachers poor grants allocation to schools and lack of partnership with other stakeholders e.g local communities, PTA and NGOs. The success of free secondary schooling can only be guaranteed accordant to the following findings if teaching and learning Resources are provided, trained teachers are employ and motivated, disbursement to schools are divorced from political consideration and manipulations, and developed measures of partnerships with other stakeholders. Since government cannot implement the programme or policy alone, it should provide an institutional frame work for others to participate in the program as a key to the program’s sustainability. If not, most of the stakeholders are of opinions that the progamme should be scrap because it has worsened the quality and efficiency of secondary schooling than improvement
Recommendation
Political Commitment and good will are critical to the successful implementation of Free Secondary Education Programme: The governors, commissioners, Members of House of Assembly and Permanent Secretary have to be seriously committed, presently there is no serious commitment from government that will make this programme successful.
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