INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION AND TRUST DEFICIT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL PRIMARY EDUCATION POLICY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The National Primary Education policy, subsumed under the Universal Basic Education programme, has not achieved a reduction in the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. One of the factors responsible for this is the ineffective intergovernmental structures and processes for implementing the policy. This ineffectiveness is traceable to coordination challenges. Consequently, this study aims to identify the coordination challenges associated with the intergovernmental relations framework for implementing the National Primary Education policy. The study employed the qualitative research design using the case study method. Data was collected from secondary sources and analysed using content analysis to identify patterns. The study was guided by the Administrative Federalism theory, which prescribes a functional division of roles and responsibilities for achieving coordination in a federation. Findings revealed several challenges, including power imbalances among implementing agencies, adversarial relationships between different levels of government, ineffective leadership at the national level, overlapping functions and an intergovernmental process characterised by low levels of trust and commitment. The study concludes that these factors impede the coordination needed to implement the National Policy on Primary Education. The study recommends streamlining the multiple agencies to reduce duplication of efforts