Abstract
The success of my educational system is a collective responsibility of every component of the system in service to the organization, the successes of Nigeria primary education is hinged in cooperation between individual, parents, community and government, the position of primary education is very imperative and today the local community has bluntly refused to cooperate and participate in the financing the crucial level of education but leave it at the mercy of the government. It is in the predicament that this study is designed to investigate the extent of the community participation in the south west local government area of Edo state.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the study
There is gainsaying the fact that education is very vital to the peace of socials, political and economic development of any nation. This is why most nations of the world strive to devote a sizeable proportion of their cross national income into developing the educational sector. According to world bank (2002) in Nigeria between 7.6% and 7.9% of our annual expenditure is devoted to education” management of primary education refer to the process of planning, directing, staffing, coordinating, budgeting for reporting our primary education system. Primary education in Nigeria refers to the education which children receive from the age of 6 years to 11 years plus. It the foundation level of the educational system which runs for six years and it is aimed at developing basic literacy numeracy, communication skills and transmission of the culture of the people to younger generation. The federal government of Nigeria has taken the responsibility of financing education in Nigeria alone, it has dissolved other source of finance and latter have them seen education as a national duty to be perform. However, community, individual and organization in the financing of education but this is not true in the real sense since government have taken over primary schools completely from voluntary agencies embarking on a laudable programme such as U.P.E and carryout the wages in school alone without a slighted resources other source.
Although this government hold step was highly appreciated. It did not last long as a result of the economic recession brought about by deprecation of oil price in the world market government do not find it simple to bring in community to participate in financing education and the financial aspect of education is one of the major problem facing educational development in Nigeria. Before now, education in Nigeria has passed through some setting stage of development before the advent of formal education. Nigeria use to have indigenous system of education which involves the participation which involves the participation of all members of the communities. The western kind of education was introduction an country this education was welcome by the local communities because it create room for their participation of the local communities hence the members of the missions. When government assured the full control of education responsibility, all alone with financing it with oil money the participation of local communities were not encouraged and this enhance distortion to the entire educations system. But note, before this assumption of schools by the government, the voluntary agencies such as Christian, Muslim and other organization were these responsible for education. The communities were not left out their effort in participating for the financing of education, some events beyond construction of schools, staff rooms for the teachers. A case in point is that of Iguogun primary school Iguogun in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State. Where communities did participate in the construction of school and even the staff rooms for the teachers. The efforts were focus towards government of education in these days before the takeover by the government.
But now the area of government expenditure is widened and the economics of the nation is in state of paralysis. In their regard the strength of government to provide the necessary schools materials is weak, now the government sick for alternative of sharing the responsibilities with other source of income. Sincerely speaking, there is no head hidden in the fact that Nigeria schools are below standard of normancy in view of scarcity of resource to finance their schools and its facility are out of use and irregular payment of teacher salaries. It the predicament that government transformed the funding and administration of primary education to local government has generated a lot of difficulties in the educational sector because; the local government could not afford to shoulder this responsibilities of primary schools. Primary education is left unconcerned for since federal government couldn’t make authentic policy statement about whose responsibility is it to handle this important level of education and this has been the problem since till date. Now, the primary education is been handle by the federal government but things are not done in a normal ways, this research therefore set act to analysis the community participation in primary school administration in Ovia South West Local Government.
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