An Evaluation of Access to Universal Basic Education in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

Basic education is the bedrock upon which the secondary and higher education system is built in any nation’s educational system because it is the foundation or first stage of formal education. Low enrollment of school age children in the country in general and northern part in particular has been worrisome to educationists, stakeholders and the federal government. The 1999 Universal Basic Education (UBE) was practical and pragmatic effort by the Government to address this problem. Sokoto State has been striving on the provision of UBE to its school age children over these years. Nonetheless, there is less academic focus on the evaluation of school age children access to UBE in the state. Therefore, this study evaluates access to UBE in the three senatorial districts of Sokoto State. Purposive sampling technique was adopted from the selection of the study sample. Specifically, the study evaluates the level of access of school age children to basic education in Kebbe, Wammako and Illelah local government areas of Sokoto State, Nigeria. Ex-post facto design was adopted for the study and profoma was designed to collect data from the school administrators and local education authorities. The study revealed that over 60% of school age children in Sokoto state were out of school, while only 33% were in school. It was recommended that there is the need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to plan or make available the type of education system (schooling system) that will suit the community of these school-age children.