Federation and educational finance: Primary schooling in Nigeria

Primary school enrolments in Nigeria increased substantially in the late 1970s, fell in the early 1980s and are still below peak levels. This behaviour can partly be explained by changes in the system of financing the various levels of government within the federal structure and consequently of changes in the levels of educational finance. The degree of scarcity of educational finance, however, differs across the country leading to wide variations in the contributions of state and local governments, communities and parents. While the hardest hit states have increased non-government revenues greatest, their unit expenditures are still below those in other parts of the country. This paper documents the system of federal finance in Nigeria, its implications for educational funding and the responses using budget and case study material. If, as appears likely, the Federal Government increases its direct contributions to primary schooling in the future it is argued that there is a need for both better data and a greater acceptance of the principle of equal resources per pupil.