Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The impact of economic recession on UPE in Nigeria

2000; Elsevier BV; Volume: 20; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0738-0593(99)00056-5

1873-4871

Emma Obasi,

African Education and Politics

The article reports on the impact of economic recession on the demand for primary education in Nigeria where the free Universal Primary Education (UPE) scheme was launched nationwide in 1976. Towards this purpose time series data on primary school age (6–11 years) population and primary school enrolment in Imo State of Nigeria were analysed for the period 1976 to 1990. The findings are: (i) the economic recession which hit Nigeria severely in the 1980s caused a corresponding decline in primary school enrolment in the country; and (ii) the decline was more pronounced for the girls. The situation could be explained by the fiscal austerity measures introduced to stabilize the ailing economy which raised the private costs of schooling thereby curtailing the demand for primary education by the poor especially for the girls. To mitigate the situation which retards the progress towards UPE and Education For All (EFA) especially for the girls, it is concluded that there is the need for internationally assisted relief programmes that substantially reduce the private cost of primary schooling in a poor adjusting country like Nigeria.