Interview design

The study was carried out in Ogun State, South West Nigeria.

Ogun State was created on February 3^rd 1976 out of the defunct Western Nigeria.

The State is named after Ogun River which runs right across it from North to South.

Ogun state is situated on latitude 7.00⁰N and longitude 3.35⁰E in the Greenwich Meridian. It covers a total land area of 16,409.26 square kilometers within the South West region of the country. It is bounded in the north by Oyo and Osun States, in the east by Ondo State, in the west by the Republic of Benin which makes it an access route to the expansive market of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and in the south by Lagos State and the Atlantic Ocean. The State Capital Abeokuta, lies about 100km north of Lagos State, Nigeria’s business Capital.⁵³

The projected population of the State as at 2012 is 5.1 million. The people of the State belong to the Yoruba ethnic group of South-West Nigeria. The main ethnic groups of the State are Egbas, Ijebus, Remos, Yewas, Eguns and Aworis. A greater proportion of the State lies in the tropical rain forest zone.⁵³

The State has Twenty (20) Local Government Areas (LGA). Each LGA is headed by an Executive Chairman. It has three (3) Senatorial Districts and is divided into four (4) geo-political zones.

The Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) is in charge of Primary School Education and activities within the State under the Ministry of Education.

There are One thousand, four hundred and forty nine (1,449) registered Public Primary Schools and One thousand, six hundred and ninety four (1694) registered Private Primary Schools within the State making a total of 3,143 Primary Schools.

The Schools have an Administrative Head known as the Head Teacher and he/she supervises all school activities and the activities of the Teaching and Non- Teaching Staff. The Head Teacher and other Staff within the Public Schools are employed by

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the State’s Ministry of Education while the Private School Heads and Staff are employed by a Proprietor/ Proprietress who may also function as the Head Teacher.

All the Public Schools run the Six (6) year programme but some Private Schools run a Five (5) year programme. The Private Schools usually have an attached Crèche and Nursery Units.

The Zonal Education Office (ZEO) is responsible for compliance and adherence to the Educational standards as specified by the Ministry of Education for all Public and Private Schools within each Zone.

In each Local Government, the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) is directly responsible for the supervision and human resource management of Public Primary Schools. The three (3) Local Government Areas where the study was carried out are Sagamu, Abeokuta South and Ado-Odo/Ota.

3.1.1 SAGAMU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.

Sagamu Local Government⁵⁴ is found in Ogun State, South West Nigeria.

The town is an urban area, bounded in the East by Ikenne LGA, in the North by Remo LGA, in the West by Obafemi Owode LGA and in the South by Ikorodu LGA of Lagos state.

The men in the area are civil-servants, artisans, factory workers and farmers while the women are mostly traders.

It is a predominantly Yoruba speaking (Remo dialect being the main local language) town with an estimated population⁵⁴ of 269,744 and an annual growth rate of 3%.

The Local Government as at the time of study had 62 registered public primary schools and 191 registered private primary schools making a total of 253 schools.

3.1.2 ABEOKUTA- SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.

Abeokuta South Local Government⁵⁵ usually referred to as the ‘Premier Local Government’ in Nigeria owing to her historic eminence as well as the seat of the Government of Ogun State and the fact that Local Government administration originated from the ancient city in 1898. There are 4 sections namely Egba Alake, Egba Oke-Ona, Egba Owu and Egba Gbagura.

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It is bounded by the Odeda Local Government in the north, Obafemi-Owode Local Government in the east and Abeokuta North Local Government in the western and southern parts respectively. It has an estimated population of 374,843 people⁵⁵ (1991 population census). It is inhabited mainly by the Yoruba speaking Egbas. It is internationally recognized as the home of tie and dye (Adire and Kampala materials).

Some of its tourist sites include Cathedral Church of St. Peters (The first Church in Nigeria), Alake’s Palace, Ijaye Poultry, Itoku Tie and Dye, Olumo Rock. Majority of the people are civil-servants, farmers, traders and potters.

As at the time of this Study, the Local Government had 65 registered public primary schools and 173 registered private primary schools making a total of 238 schools.

3.1.3 ADO-ODO/OTA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.

The most populous and industrialized Local Government in Ogun State came into existence in May, 1989 following the merging of Ota with Ado-Odo⁵⁶. It is the second largest Local Government in Ogun State with Headquarters at Ota. It is bounded by Lagos State in the south, Yewa South and Ifo Local Governments in the west, and Ipokia Local Government in the north-east. It has an estimated population of 527, 242 (2006 census)⁵⁶ with about 450 towns, villages and settlements.

The people are mainly Yoruba speaking Aworis, Eguns and Yewas. It has a large concentration of expatriates because of the numerous industries.

As at the time of this study, the Local Government had 116 registered public primary Schools and 312 registered private primary Schools making a total of 428 Schools.

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