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review-of-the-literature-on-basic-education-in-nigeria-june-2014-3-1

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Review <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>literature</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>basic</strong> educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> NigeriaWith<strong>in</strong> SMoEs, two <str<strong>on</strong>g>review</str<strong>on</strong>g>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> staff capacity found ‘poor job def<strong>in</strong>iti<strong>on</strong>s and <strong>in</strong>appropriate work methodsand procedures’ (Orbach 2004), as well as:… a lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> clear <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> roles and resp<strong>on</strong>sibilities and overlapp<strong>in</strong>g functi<strong>on</strong>s between departments; a highproporti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> ex-teachers with no management tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> senior positi<strong>on</strong>s; no functi<strong>on</strong><strong>in</strong>gappraisal or performance management system and few pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development opportunities for<strong>in</strong>dividuals (Johns<strong>on</strong> et al. 2007).The need to improve teacher recruitment, management, and tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g has been highlighted <strong>in</strong> severalgovernment <str<strong>on</strong>g>review</str<strong>on</strong>g>s (e.g. FME 2005; FME 2011a). Thomas (2011) notes that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is no process foreffective plann<strong>in</strong>g for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> placement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> teachers, which is centrally driven, lead<strong>in</strong>g to an unequaldistributi<strong>on</strong> between LGEAs. Appo<strong>in</strong>tments are <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten politicised or based <strong>on</strong> pers<strong>on</strong>al <strong>in</strong>fluence.Assessment processes need streng<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n<strong>in</strong>g, as do promoti<strong>on</strong> procedures and opportunities forpr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>essi<strong>on</strong>al development (see Secti<strong>on</strong> 10. 2).Cit<strong>in</strong>g a World Bank study <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> staff<strong>in</strong>g situati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> 26 local governments <strong>in</strong> 13 states <strong>in</strong> Nigeria, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>2004 ESA c<strong>on</strong>cluded that, ‘<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is hardly any discernible norm for recruitment and deployment <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> staffacross <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> states’ (FME 2005: 234).6.5.3 M<strong>on</strong>itor<strong>in</strong>g and evaluati<strong>on</strong>As already highlighted several times <strong>in</strong> this <str<strong>on</strong>g>review</str<strong>on</strong>g>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> accurate data for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> educati<strong>on</strong> sector –nati<strong>on</strong>ally and at state levels – is widely acknowledged <strong>in</strong> Nigeria and regarded as a major problem byboth federal and state governments <strong>in</strong> carry<strong>in</strong>g out M&E (FME 2005; FME 2011a; UBEC 2012a).Santcross et al. (2010) argue, however, that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is a slowly grow<strong>in</strong>g demand for better data, as somestate governments realise <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y need an evidence base for decisi<strong>on</strong>-mak<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>in</strong>formed plann<strong>in</strong>g.Abalu et al. (2013) make <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> case that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is latent capability <strong>in</strong> M&E that is not utilised. They arguethat M&E could be politically successful if framed <strong>in</strong> terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> enhanc<strong>in</strong>g politicians’ credibility and as ameans <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> improv<strong>in</strong>g learn<strong>in</strong>g about policy ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than enforc<strong>in</strong>g accountability. Despite <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se optimisticassessments about future possibilities, however, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y do note that at present <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is very littlem<strong>on</strong>itor<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> spend<strong>in</strong>g and outputs, or evaluati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> public policy.F<strong>in</strong>dlay (2013) <str<strong>on</strong>g>review</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ASC, which <strong>in</strong>forms <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> EMIS and provides <strong>in</strong>formati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> schoolenrolment. The ASC/EMIS was judged to be poorly implemented <strong>in</strong> many states. The EMIS wasdecentralised to states <strong>in</strong> 2007 with little support or additi<strong>on</strong>al fund<strong>in</strong>g from FGN. However, F<strong>in</strong>dlayreported some improvement <strong>in</strong> states supported through ESSPIN, although it is worth reiterat<strong>in</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>po<strong>in</strong>t that any improvement at LGEA and state level <strong>in</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> EMIS <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fices will be underm<strong>in</strong>ed if <strong>in</strong>dividualhead teachers do not produce reliable, school-level data; data <strong>on</strong> teacher and head teacher recordkeep<strong>in</strong>gsuggests that this is a c<strong>on</strong>cern (see Secti<strong>on</strong> 11.2).Informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> teachers and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir qualificati<strong>on</strong>s is more accurate and is collected through<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> teacher payroll managed by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> SUBEBs, although this will not <strong>in</strong>clude teachers who are hiredlocally, paid for by PTAs, for example, or who work <strong>in</strong> private schools.Mezger (2013) <str<strong>on</strong>g>review</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> several household surveys that also estimate enrolment levels, not<strong>in</strong>g thatmany provide <strong>in</strong>c<strong>on</strong>sistent numbers.There is no regular data collecti<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g achievement, but some ad hoc surveys (e.g. MLA, NAUBE,EGRA, etc.) do provide some <strong>in</strong>formati<strong>on</strong>. Results from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se surveys were summarised <strong>in</strong> Secti<strong>on</strong> 5.3.The poor state <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> expenditure data has been discussed above.EDOREN – Educati<strong>on</strong> Data, Research and Evaluati<strong>on</strong> <strong>in</strong> Nigeria 65

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