Assessment of Government’s Involvement in Implementation of National Policy on Early Childhood Education in Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the areas of government's involvement as stated in
the national policy on early childhood education in Southwestern Nigeria.
It determined the implementation processes of the national policy on
early childhood education on the areas of government's involvement and
investigated the level of compliance in the implementation processes of
the national policy on early childhood education. The study population
comprised all parents and head teachers and classroom teachers of early
childhood education centres as well as State Ministry of Education
officials. The sample for the study comprised 72 head teachers, 144
classroom teachers and 144 parents of early childhood education pupils
as well as 30 State Ministry of Education officials. Multistage sampling
procedure was used to select the sample for the study. Three instruments
were used for this study. The results of the study showed that
governments were involved in the regulation of the establishment and
registration of pre-school facilities at 91.7% and 96.7%, development
and implementing educational support services to orphans and vulnerable
children at 51.4% and 90%. The study concluded that governments’
involvement in the implementation of the national policy on early
childhood education is only to a little extent and implementation
processes were not followed by the government.