Education financing policies and their influence on learning outcomes in public secondary schools in Calabar Metropolis, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/mjrdp.vol15no2.183Keywords:
Education financing, Policies, learning outcomes, public secondary schools, resource managementAbstract
This study examined the influence of education financing policies on learning outcomes in public secondary schools in Calabar Metropolis, Nigeria. The aim was to assess how the adequacy, distribution, and management of educational funds affect students’ academic performance, literacy, and skills acquisition. Survey research design was adopted, with data collected from 360 respondents. Data analysis findings revealed that 30.3% and 23.9% of respondents reported funding as inadequate and very inadequate respectively, while 32.8% and 26.1% indicated that learning materials influenced performance to a very great and great extent. State government allocations constituted the main funding source for 36.7% of schools. Challenges affecting fund utilization included delays in release of funds (28.1%), insufficient allocations (23.1%), and mismanagement (20.0%), resulting in 35.0% reporting very significant negative effects on teaching and learning. Analysis also showed a strong positive correlation between funding adequacy and learning outcomes (r = 0.71, p = 0.000), with regression analysis indicating that funding explained 50.4% of the variation in student performance (β = 0.71, p = 0.000). In conclusion, inadequate and poorly managed funding significantly limits student learning outcomes. Timely and equitable fund disbursement, diversification of funding sources, and strengthened financial accountability within schools is recommended.Downloads
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