The study is concerned with the administrative and legal perceptive of prayer in Nigeria public schools. 780 school administrators were randomly selected from the public schools in the 3 geo-political regions in the Southern Nigeria. A 20 item questionnaire was designed by the researcher. This was validated by experts in test and evaluation as well as seasoned school administrators in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The instrument was further tested for reliability using the test-re-test method. The data collected was analysed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient statistics and it was established as 0.82 which shows that the instrument is reliable. The researcher and other research assistants personally administered the questionnaire and the data analysed using the mean and the t-test analysis. From the result and findings, it was observed that most school administrators do not see prayer as a normal school routine but do not have proper knowledge on the legality of enforcing prayer in schools. To the administrators, prayers is for character molding, entertainment and an instrument to instill discipline but the legal perspective is that it must not be forced on the child and must be conducted in line with the fundamental human rights of the child as enshrined in Section 33 – 44 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Keywords: Administration, Nigeria, School, prayer
