Financing Education in Nigeria: Implications for National Integration and Economic Recovery (Published)
The financing of education in Nigeria plays a critical role in both national integration and economic recovery. Adequate funding ensures equitable access to quality education, fosters social cohesion and contributes to human capital development. However, challenges such as underfunding persist. This paper focuses on financing education in Nigeria and its implications for national integration and economic recovery emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach that considers cultural diversity, economic factors, and political dynamics. It highlights past and present governments’ initiatives and some concerted efforts made by the government towards national integration and economic recovery. The paper adopted the content analysis approach in examining the nexus between financing education, national integration, and economic recovery. The challenges of inadequate funding, inefficient resource allocation, and unequal access to quality education, may have a hinderance towards Nigeria’s quest for national integration and economic development. The analysis found that adequate financing of education corroborates national cohesion and promotes economic recovery. This paper concludes that effective financing of education is critical to achieving national integration and economic recovery in Nigeria. The recommendation includes increasing government funding for education and implementing realistic programs and policies that foster national cohesion and economic empowerment, stronger institutions, sweeping reforms, and more importantly increased funding for education at all levels.
Keywords: Economic Recovery., Education, Financing Education, National integration
Education for All in Nigeria: Finance Management Constraints and the Way Forward (Published)
The paper examined the issue of financing Education for All (EFA) in Nigeria with a view to identifying the finance management constraints and the strategies for the way forward. The study adopted a survey research design which utilized a researcher-made questionnaire duly validated and tested for reliability using the Cronbach Alpha with a reliability coefficient of. 76 and .87 obtained for CEAPFM and SEEAPFM respectively to collect data. The study, involved a population of 152, namely: 32 principal and 120 head teachers in Afikpo Education Zone, Ebonyi State of Nigeria. Means, Standard Deviation and t-test analysis, tested on .05 significance level was adopted in (he data analysis Findings revealed, among others, that poor governments’ allocation to schools, inadequate financial knowledge base of school administrators, diversion of funds into private purse, poor economic state of the schools, poor attitude to financial management, poor project supervision, hence inability to keep accurate account, were among the finance management constraints. Concluding, the researcher suggested among others, that ceiling funding of education programmes on school enrolment should be removed from the education systems as a way forward in attainment of education for all in Nigeria
Keywords: Finance Management, Financing Education, Nigeria