Universal Primary Education in Nigeria: A Study of Kano State

In 1976, the government and people of Nigeria launched one of the most ambitious educational projects in African history, the Universal Primary Education Scheme, popularly known as UPE. All primary education became free of charge and efforts were made to enroll as many children as possible. Just in the launching year, the number of children in Nigerian primary schools exceeded the entire population of many African countries, and further increases were rapid.

First published in 1981, Universal Primary Education in Nigeria first places Nigeria in the overall context of Africa and the developing world and then goes on to examine in detail the effects and implications of UPE in Kano State, the most populous state of the Federation of Nigeria. It elucidates the main objectives of UPE from both the Kano State and national viewpoints and assesses the extent to which they were achieved. In the process, it pays particular attention to political issues and to the opposing pressures of quantity and quality.

The lessons that can be drawn from the successes and problems encountered in Nigeria and the conclusions drawn about mass education schemes will be of great value to all those engaged in similar projects throughout the developing world.

Mark Bray is the Chair Professor of Comparative Education in the Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC) at the University of Hong Kong. Prior to returning to his post at the University of Hong Kong, Bray was the Director of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) from 2006 to 2010. He has taught at universities in Hong Kong, Edinburgh, Papua New Guinea and London. He has written extensively on shadow education in many settings across the world.