Effect of Democratic Governance on Access and Quality of Basic Education in Zamfara State

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of democratic governance on access and quality of basic education in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Persistent challenges in educational access, quality and literacy despite government interventions motivated the study. It focused on Gusau, Kaura Namoda and Talata Mafara Local Government Areas and examined how governance practices influence basic education outcomes. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The study population comprised stakeholders involved in basic education governance, including Parent–Teacher Associations, School-Based Management Committees, Local Government Education Authority officials and SUBEB officials. A sample of 327 was determined; 311 properly completed questionnaires were used for the analysis, complemented by 13 key-informant interviews. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, thematic analysis and linear regression. The findings indicate a strong positive relationship between democratic governance and access to basic education. Regression results showed that democratic governance significantly predicted access (R = .701, R² = .612, β = .433, p = .003), leading to rejection of the first null hypothesis. For quality education, democratic governance also showed a strong positive effect (R = .901, R² = .812, β = .493, p < .001), leading to rejection of the second null hypothesis. Descriptive findings further show that stakeholders perceive government policy support and school-level participation but also identify weaknesses in public consultation, budgetary transparency, infrastructure and literacy practices. The study concludes that democratic governance provides an important institutional foundation for improving basic education, but governance gains must be translated into sustained investment, effective monitoring, inclusive participation, teacher development, infrastructure improvement and literacy interventions.