Greener Journal of Educational Research Vol. 10(1), pp. 06-11, 2020 ISSN: 2276-7789 Copyright ©2020, the copyright of this article is
retained by the author(s) |
|
Effective
Management of Universal Basic Education for attainment of SDGs in Ikom Education Zone of Cross River State
1Ikurite, Numoipre; 2Ihekoronye, Joy I. (Ph.D); 3Ibinabo, Stephen K.;
4Ani, Theresa Amaka
1&3Department
of Educational Foundation, Isaac Jasper Boro College
of Education, Sagbama-Bayelsa State.
2Department
of Educational Management & Planning, Michael Okpara
University of Agriculture, Umudike.
4Department
of Education Foundation, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki-Nigeria.
ARTICLE INFO |
ABSTRACT |
Article
No.: 112019208 Type: Research |
|
Accepted: 28/11/2019 Published: 11/04/2020 |
|
*Corresponding
Author Ikurite,
Numoipre E-mail:
numoikurite@ gmail. com Phone:
08037459507 |
|
Keywords: Management; UBE;
Basic Education; SDGs |
|
|
|
INTRODUCTION
There are several indicators and challenges
that could deter children all over the world who have reached the age of
enrolling into quality and sustainable basic education programmes and to be
denied access to acquiring basic education. As a result of such challenges like
poverty, armed conflict and other emergencies, there has been enormous progress
on the goal to provide basic education to all children worldwide. This is to
enable the achievement of four (4) of the seventeen (17) sustainable
development goals. When this is done,
there will be improved performance of school age children, achievement of the
goal of universal basic education, affordable vocational training, access to
higher education and low rate of educational wastages in Nigerian basic
education system. Since 1992, UNESCO has been promoting Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD). It led the UN Decade for ESD from 2005 to 2014
and is now spearheading its follow-up, the Global Action Programme (GAP) on
ESD. The momentum for ESD has never been stronger. Global issues – such
as climate change – urgently require a shift in our lifestyles and a
transformation of the way we think and act. To achieve this change, we need new
skills, values and attitudes that lead to more sustainable societies. The issue
of Education for Sustainable Development entered the global discourse at the
Rio Earth Summit (1992) with Agenda 21 and the imperative to “reorient
education to embrace the concept of sustainable development and raising public
awareness and training “, followed by the decade of education for sustainable
development” (DESD, 2005-2014). Incorporating ESD through the universal basic
education programme greatly empowers learners to take informed decisions and
responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just
society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural
diversity. It is about lifelong learning, and is an integral part of quality
education. According to UNESCO (2017), education
is both a goal in itself and a means for attaining all the other SDGs. It is
not only an integral part of sustainable development, but also a key enabler
for it. That is why education represents an essential strategy in the pursuit
of the SDGs.
Basic
education according to Obayan (2000) is a level, type
and form of learning needed to build firm roots for literacy and numeracy,
which will help to inculcate basic skills for a sustainable livelihood and
further learning. Its importance is so germane to human and societal
development. Anaduaka and Okafor
(2013) added that, basic education is the foundation upon which other levels of
education are built and a necessary prerequisite for human and national
development. According to Etuk, Ering
and Ajake (2012), the primary target of the UBE
policy was ensuring that every Nigerian child acquires a minimum of 9 years
basic education which will properly inculcate into the child requisite
knowledge and competences required for higher education. Universal basic
education comprises of (9) nine years duration; comprising (6) six years of
primary education and (3) three years of junior secondary education. It also
includes adult and non-formal education programmes at primary and junior
secondary education levels to take care of those who dropped out of school (Aboluwodi, 2015).
The development of universal basic education in Nigeria did not start
today but has been a fetus of other earlier policies since 1955 Universal
Primary Education in Western Nigeria, 1957: Universal Primary Education in
Eastern Nigeria, 1977 Publication of the National Policy for Education 1976
Universal Free Primary Education and 1999, when Universal Basic Education was
formally launched and enacted to law in 2004, which is now in line with the
four (4) sustainable development goal which craves for every child to be
enrolled in school for quality education particularly in Nigeria where we have
a lot of children who are out of school due to poverty. According to Abul, Uyilowhoma and Aboli (2017),
the UBE programme was designed to remove distortions and inconsistencies
in basic education delivery and to reinforce the implementation of the National
Policy on Education. It is also Nigeria’s response to the achievement of
Education for all (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the present
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UBE is aimed at enabling all children
in the Nigerian society to participate in the free 9 years of schooling from
primary one to junior secondary school (JSS) three classes. The intention is
universal and compulsory (Anaduaka and Okafor, 2013).
Concise
efforts were made at the onset of this programme by the federal government of
Nigeria in the area of infrastructure like construction of 35,965 new
classrooms, renovation of 52,038 classrooms, provision of 1,004,650 sets of
pupils’ and teachers’ furniture; construction of 12,347 toilets, sinking of 825
boreholes, and the provision of 795 electricity generators (Emechebe,
2012). Due to the emphasis placed on the UBE policy, there has been tremendous
increase in the net enrolment of children in primary school to JSS3 of junior
secondary. Following the increase there have been a big challenge in the
quality delivery of the UBE curriculum in Nigeria and Ikom
education zone in particular. The effective management of both human and
material resources for implementation of UBE in Ikom
education zone, with respect to quality, efficiency and equity, is needful, so that
the educational system transforms the increase in enrolment of children into a critical
mass of educated persons needed for sustainable development; this will go a
long way in improving the overall educational system of Nigeria. There are
challenges that deter the effective management of UBE programme, these
challenges include the availability of competent educators, the provision of a
conducive learning environment, availability of physical facilities and
instructional material and other
resources, curriculum development, and classroom supervision and management,
among others (Asagwara, 1997). Also, Anaduaka and Okafor (2013)
lamented that there are enormous challenges affecting the effective management
of basic education in Nigeria and Ikom Education zone
in particular like inadequate funding, inaccurate data for planning, lack of competent
teachers, poor motivation of teachers, poor supervision and inadequate
infrastructure and facilities.
Objectives of the study
The specific objectives of the study are to:
1.
find out the availability of material
resources for improving effective management of
basic education in Ikom Education Zone
2.
determine the human resources and instrument
of motivation available for improving effective management of basic education
in Ikom Education Zone
Research Questions
1.
What are the available material resources for improving
effective management of basic education in Ikom
Education Zone?
2.
What are the human resources and instrument of
motivation available for improving effective management of basic education in Ikom Education Zone?
Hypothesis
The following hypothesis was formulated for the study and tested at 0.05 level of significance.
H01: There is no significant difference between male and female teachers
on material resources available for effective management of UBE in Ikom Education Zone of Cross River State
METHODOLOGY
Descriptive survey research design was
employed in the study. Nworgu (2006) described
descriptive survey as a study which aims at collecting data and describing in a
systematic manner, the characteristics, features or facts about a given
population. The study was conducted in all secondary schools in Ikom Education Zone. Ikom
Education zone has a total population of 1829 teachers in 86 public secondary
schools in the education zone. Teachers are the subjects for this study as they
were selected as respondents for the questionnaire. To get the sample, four (4)
teachers from each of the 86 secondary schools were sampled as respondents,
giving rise to 344 teachers from a population of 1,829 teachers. The instrument
used for data collection was a researcher developed questionnaire titled “Effective
Management of Basic Education for attainment of SDGs Questionnaire (EMBEASDGQ)”.
The instrument has two sections namely; section “A” which is concerned with
personal data of the respondents and section “B” which contains 20 items in two
clusters on material
resources for improving effective management of basic education in Ikom Education Zone and human resources and instrument of
motivation available for improving effective management of basic education in Ikom Education
Zone of Cross River State. The instrument has 10 items that has two
clusters with rating scale using Likert type rating
of four point scale. The response mode applied were strongly Agree (SA) 4
Points, Agree (A) 3 Points, Disagree (D) 2 Points, Strongly Agree (SD) 1 Point.
In order to ensure the internal consistency of the instrument, a trial test was
carried out on ten (20) teachers which gave the internal consistency
reliability for each of the cluster which was computed using Cronbach Alpha (α) with an overall computation that
yielded a reliability index of 0.78. This was considered appropriate because it
ensured the extent of homogeneity of the items in each cluster. The Cronbach Alpha was used because it provided more stable
measure of homogeneity. Data collected were analyzed using the mean and
standard deviation to answer the research questions. A score of 2.50 and above was taken to mean
that the respondent is in agreement with the option while a mean score of 2.49
and below showed disagreement to the items of the instrument.
RESULT AND
FINDINGS
The result presented in line with the
research questions and null hypothesis that guided the study were presented in
the table below.
Research Question
1
What are the available material
resources for improving effective management of basic education in Ikom Education Zone?
Table 1: Mean ratings of male and female
teachers on the
available material resources for improving effective management of basic
education in Ikom
Education Zone
S/N |
ITEM |
SA |
A |
D |
SD |
|
Std Dev. |
Decision |
1. |
There are adequate instructional
resources for effective teaching of basic education curriculum |
161 |
87 |
66 |
30 |
2.41 |
1.13 |
Disagree |
2. |
Classrooms are insufficient for learners
of basic education |
139 |
98 |
71 |
36 |
3.22 |
0.98 |
Agree |
3. |
Learners pack themselves in one pew due
to lack of seating chairs |
112 |
130 |
60 |
42 |
3.09 |
0.99 |
Agree |
4. |
Government provides students with good
toilets for hygiene purposes |
95 |
18 |
119 |
122 |
2.35 |
0.91 |
Disagree
|
5. |
Principals offices are not adequately
furnished for effective management of basic education |
212 |
103 |
89 |
15 |
3.03 |
1.13 |
Agree |
|
Grand
Mean |
|
|
|
|
2.82 |
1.03 |
Agree |
The result on Table 1 showed that items 2, 3,
and 5 were accepted because they have mean values above the limiting value of
2.50, while item 1 and 4 were not accepted because they had mean value below
2.50. However, the grand mean of 2.82 is above 2.50, hence, the respondents
reported that the available resources for teaching learners of basic education
are insufficient and hence, affect the effective management of the programme in Ikom Education Zone
of Cross River State Universities. However, male and female teachers perceive
that classrooms and other facilities are insufficient for teaching and learning
of basic education curriculum, thereby enhancing effective management.
Research
Question 2
What are the human resources and instrument of motivation available for
improving effective management of basic education in Ikom
Education Zone?
Table 2: Mean ratings
of male and female teachers on the human resources and instrument of motivation
available for improving effective management of basic education in Ikom Education Zone
S/N |
ITEM |
SA |
A |
D |
SD |
|
Std Dev. |
Decision |
6. |
There are adequate welfare services available for teachers
of basic education programme |
33 |
63 |
90 |
158 |
2.40 |
1.14 |
Disagree
|
7. |
Teachers whose pupils/students perform
well in examinations are usually not rewarded
|
141 |
100 |
65 |
38 |
3.21 |
0.88 |
Agree |
8. |
There is regular
training and re-training of teachers of basic education |
112 |
130 |
60 |
42 |
3.09 |
0.99 |
Agree |
9. |
Government provides adequate funding
that enable teachers take learners to museums for better learning |
75 |
21 |
125 |
123 |
2.31 |
0.90 |
Disagree
|
10. |
The principal does not reward best
performing students in the class |
119 |
131 |
80 |
14 |
2.99 |
1.10 |
Agree |
|
Grand
Mean |
|
|
|
|
2.80 |
1.00 |
Agree |
The results on Table 2 showed that items 7, 8
and 10 were accepted because they have mean values above the limiting value of
2.50, while item 6 and 9 were not accepted because it had mean value below
2.50. However, the grand mean is 2.80, which is above 2.50. The respondents
perceived that services and instruments for motivation available for teachers
in basic education are inadequate and hence, affect the effective management of
basic education in Ikom Education Zone of Cross River
State.
Hypothesis 1
H01: There is no significant difference between male and female teachers on
material resources available for effective management of UBE in Ikom Education Zone of Cross River State.
Table 3: t-test
analysis results on material resources available for effective management of
UBE in Ikom Education Zone of Cross River State.
S/N |
Variables |
No. of Cases |
|
Std Dev. |
Df |
t.calc |
t.crit |
Dec. |
Sig. |
1. |
Male Teachers |
201 |
2.22 |
1.09 |
342 |
0.86 |
1.960 |
Accept Ho |
Not Sig. (NS) |
Female Teachers |
143 |
2.09 |
1.06 |
||||||
2. |
Male Teachers |
201 |
3.03 |
0.81 |
342 |
0.24 |
1.960 |
Accept Ho |
Not Sig. (NS) |
Female Teachers |
143 |
3.00 |
0.82 |
||||||
3. |
Male Teachers |
201 |
2.01 |
1.14 |
342 |
0.55 |
1.960 |
Accept Ho |
Not Sig. (NS) |
Female Teachers |
143 |
2.10 |
1.12 |
||||||
4. |
Male Teachers |
201 |
3.01 |
1.10 |
342 |
0.53 |
1.960 |
Accept Ho |
Not Sig. (NS) |
Female Teachers |
143 |
2.93 |
1.08 |
||||||
5. |
Male Teachers |
201 |
2.55 |
0.97 |
342 |
0.12 |
1.960 |
Accept Ho |
Not Sig. (NS) |
Female Teachers |
143 |
2.53 |
0.96 |
||||||
t-test
Value |
0.46 |
1.960 |
Accept
Ho4 |
Not
Sig. (NS) |
Based on the results on Table 3, the t-test
value of 0.46 is less than the f.crit value of 1.960.
Therefore, Ho1 is accepted, meaning that there is no significant
difference between mean ratings of male and teachers on material resources available for effective
management of UBE in Ikom Education Zone of Cross River State
DISCUSSIONS
The findings of this study with regard to
research question one (1) showed that male and female teachers perceive that
there are material
resources for improving effective management of basic education in Ikom Education Zone made available by the government, but
the challenge remains that, they are inadequate to improve effective management
of basic education in the study area. This findings are supported by the
result of the study conducted by Emechebe (2012) who
stated that concise efforts were made at the onset of UBE programme by the
federal government of Nigeria in the area of infrastructure like construction
of 35,965 new classrooms, renovation of 52,038 classrooms, provision of
1,004,650 sets of pupils’ and teachers’ furniture; construction of 12,347
toilets, sinking of 825 boreholes, and the provision of 795 electricity
generators. Due to the emphasis placed on the UBE policy, there became
tremendous increase in the net enrolment of children in primary school to JSS3
of junior secondary. Following the increase there have been a big challenge in
the quality delivery of the UBE curriculum in Nigeria and Ikom
education zone in particular. This challenge results from inadequacy of
resources to carry the sharp increase in enrollment of students. The findings
revealed that the adequate provision of material for effective management of
UBE programme in Ikom Education
Zone will greatly increase the effective teaching, learning and overall
performance of the school management.
Also, the findings of
this study with regards to research question two (2) revealed that there is
lack of
competent teachers, poor motivation of teachers, poor supervision and
inadequate funding for effective management of UBE program in the study area.
This findings is line with the findings of Anaduaka and Okafor (2013)
who lamented that there are enormous challenges affecting the effective
management of basic education in Nigeria and Ikom
Education zone in particular; like inadequate funding, inaccurate data for
planning, lack of competent teachers, poor motivation of teachers, poor
supervision and inadequate infrastructure and facilities. Although the
researchers’ interest was particularly on instruments for motivation of human
resources for effective management of the UBE programme, but other important
factors were incorporated into the study. It implies that when government make
available strategies that will motivate the teachers who are the core to
curriculum implementation, it will encourage them to put best efforts in
delivering the content of what children need to know at that level of basis
education.
The findings of the
study with regard to hypothesis 1 revealed that there was no significant
difference between the mean ratings of male and female teachers on material resources
available for effective management of UBE in Ikom
Education Zone of Cross River State. Items 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 showed
acceptance that both male and female teachers were of the opinion that material resources
available for effective management of UBE in Ikom
Education Zone of Cross River State were inadequate.
CONCLUSION
The sustainable development goals were
developed to improve human capital development and improve the standard of
living of the citizenry. One of the goals dwelled on ensuring inclusive and
equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all
which brought the universal basic education programme into the history of
educational policies in Nigeria. The UBE programme policy was enacted to enable
for an all-inclusive opportunity for all to be enrolled in the Nigerian
educational system not minding religion, colour or
region and also was made to be free and compulsory. The essence was to enable
the government to provide her citizens with basic level of education that will
inculcate into them the knowledge of reading, writing and counting for useful
living among members of the society. Despite the extent of laudability of the
UBE programme, there still exist great challenges encountered at the management
level of the program in Nigerian secondary schools like inadequacy of resources
required for proper implementation of the program and hence, becoming difficult
to achieve the desired goals and objectives of the UBE program in Ikom Education zone of Cross River State.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations were made for
the study:
1.
Government should provide students with good
toilets for hygiene purposes in the school
2.
There should be adequate provision of instructional
resources for effective teaching of basic education curriculum.
3.
There should be adequate provision of welfare
services for teachers of basic education programme to enable their motivation
for effective teaching and learning.
4.
Government should provide adequate funding
that enable teachers take learners to museums for better learning and practical
experience.
REFERENCES
Aboluwodi, A.
(2015). Political Will and Strategic Planning in the Implementation of Universal
Basic Education in Nigeria: The Obafemi Awolowo Example. Journal of Education and Research,
5 (1), 6-22.
Abul, U. F., Uyilowhoma,
O. M. & Aboli, E. J. (2017). An examination of
universal basic education (UBE) policy in Nigeria. European
Journal of Research in Social
Sciences. 5 (4), 85-89
Anaduaka,
U. S. & Okafor, C. F. (2013). The
Universal Basic Education Programme in Nigeria:
Problems and Prospects. JORIN, 11 (1), 152-157.
Asagwara, K. C.,
(1997). Quality learning in Nigeria’s Universal Primary Education scheme: 1976
– 1986. The Urban Review, 29 (3), 189-203
Emechebe, S. N.
(2012). Achieving universal basic education in Nigeria:
Issues of relevance, quality and efficiency. Global Voice of Educators 1 (1), 1-7
Etuk,
G. R; Ering, S. O; & Ajake,
U. E. (2012). Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education (U.B.E) Policy: A
Sociological Analysis. American International Journal of Contemporary
Research, 2 (7), 179-183.
Obayan, P.
(2000) Education and the Nigerian society
revised: The UBE as a people oriented programme: Prof. J. A. Majasan first anniversary memorial
lecture conference centre U.I 17th March.
UNESCO (2009). Review of Contexts and Structures for Education for Sustainable
Development. Fontenoy: France. www.unesco.
org /education/desd.
United
Nations (2015):‘Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’
[Online] Available at www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/.../transforming-our-worlddocume.
Cite this Article: Ikurite, N; Ihekoronye, JI; Ibinabo,
SK; Ani, TA (2020). Effective Management of
Universal Basic Education for attainment of SDGs in Ikom
Education Zone of Cross River State. Greener
Journal of Educational Research, 10(1): 06-11. |