Perceived Influence of Inflation on Nigeria Educational System: A Case Study of Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

Perceived Influence of Inflation on Nigeria Educational System: A Case Study of Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

Oyeyemi Ademola Ahmed & Okoye, Alexander Tochukwu

Department of Educational Foundations, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803117

Received: 27 February 2024; Accepted: 05 March 2024; Published: 13 April 2024

ABSTRACT

This research work investigates the Perceived influence of inflation on the Nigerian educational system: a case study of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra state. Three research questions were raised to guide this study. Descriptive survey research design was used to conduct this study. The population for the study comprised of all the students and teaching staff of Federal University, Oko. The sample of this study comprised of four hundred (400) students and eighty (80) teaching staff. Simple random sampling technique was used in selecting the samples of this study. Data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire. The instrument was validated by two experts, one from the economics department and the other from educational foundation department. A pilot testing method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument, the scores obtained were analyzed using Cronbach Alpha and the reliability coefficient was estimated at 0.80. The data obtained were analyzed using mean. Based on this analysis and findings, it was discovered that there was significant relationship between perceive influence of inflation and education in Nigerian University(r(399) = .670**, p<.05),also result reveals that there was relationship between perceive influence of inflation and the quality of education within the educational system in Nigeria(r(399) = .606**, p<.05) and there was significant relationship between inflation and decrease in enrollment in educational institutions in Nigeria(r(399) = 0.464, p<0.05)However, it was recommended that government spending on education should be increased. A system of regular salary adjustments for teachers should be established. Inflation-indexed tuition fees and other educational costs should be developed and implemented. Measures to improve the quality of education within the system should be implemented such as providing more professional development opportunities and better training for teachers.

INTRODUCTION

Education in Nigeria is the right of every citizen as enshrined in the 1999 Nigerian constitution, which states that “every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to free, compulsory and universal basic education” (Nigerian constitution, 1999). The Nigerian education system has been plagued by a number of issues such as inadequate funding, lack of qualified teachers, inadequate infrastructure and poor leadership. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Nigeria is one of the lowest-ranked countries in terms of educational attainment, with only 10.5% of adults having achieved a secondary or higher education (UIS, 2017). This is extremely concerning since education is key to the development of a nation and its citizens.

The Nigerian government has taken steps to improve the education system in the country, but with limited success.  In 1999, the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act was passed by the Nigerian government which aimed to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for all Nigerian citizens (UNESCO, 2009). This program was seen as a step in the right direction to improve access to education for all, but it has not been fully implemented due to a lack of funding and other issues.  In addition, the government has also implemented various initiatives such as the Education for All Program (EAP) and the National Policy on Education (NPE) to try to improve the quality of education in Nigeria (UNESCO, 2009).

Despite these initiatives, the quality of education in Nigeria is still low. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) from 2018, only 29% of Nigerian children in the 6-14 age range are proficient in reading (ASER, 2018). This is concerning because it shows that the majority of Nigerian children are not receiving quality education, which can have a long-term implication on the country. In addition, the poor quality of education is also seen in the high dropout rates for secondary school students, which is estimated to be around 75% (Kamuriwo, 2018). This is due to a number of factors such as poverty, inflation among others.

The Nigerian educational system has undergone major structure changes over the last 30 years: Before and after the 1960 Nigerian independence the Educational System at the primary and secondary levels mirrored the British system, i.e. 6 years of primary education and 5 years secondary and 2 years of higher level / A Levels. In 1973, the educational system was updated to the 6-3-3-4 (6 years primary, 3 years junior secondary, 3 years of senior secondary and 4 years tertiary education) similar to the American system. In 1982 the first National Policy on education was developed and adopted. Since this period, the educational system has witnessed a lot of changes and modification at various levels. Education in Nigeria is based on a 6-3-3-4 system, which involves three levels of institutional learning processes: at the primary school level, the secondary school level and the tertiary level.

In Nigeria, children start attending primary schools (elementary schools) when they are 6 years old and spend the next six years there, graduating at the age of 12. However, most children who attended nursery schools prior to primary schools have an edge over those children who didn’t have the privilege to do so. Therefore, they usually finish earlier. At graduation, primary school pupils are awarded the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), which, in combination with the common entrance examination, fulfils the formal requirements for secondary school education.

Primary education in Nigeria is compulsory, but free under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) program introduced by President Olusegun Obansanjo on September 30, 1999. However, it may be an exaggeration to speak of free primary education here because in reality parents still have to pay school levies imposed on pupils, buy school uniforms and so on. Admittedly, education at this level is mainly financed by the government. But after the primary school education, parents and guardians are made to bear the full costs of sending their children/wards to secondary schools or tertiary institutions.

At primary school level, pupils have to put on school uniforms throughout the country. Every school has its own uniform as a way of distinguishing its pupils from the other school pupils within the same locality. Some primary schools, especially those ones in big cities, require their pupils to wear sandals as part of their outfits. Starting from 1998, those wishing to teach at primary school level are required to possess a National Certificate in Education (NCE), which is awarded by Colleges of Education. Due to lack of teachers, however, holders of the Teacher’s Grade 2 Certificates (TC 2) are still allowed to teach in some remote primary schools.

Successful pupils at the primary school level – those in possession of FSLC and who have passed the entrance examination to secondary schools, the Common Entrance Examination, can then proceed with the secondary school education, usually at the age of twelve. Secondary School Education, which used to last for five years, now takes 6 years to complete. The language of instructions at this level of education is English. Like primary and nursery schools’ pupils, secondary school students have to wear school uniforms. But while at the nursery and primary school levels, pupils, irrespective of their sex, attend mixed schools, boys and girls at the secondary school level are often sent to separate schools (boys’ schools or girls’ schools). However, mixed secondary schools are no longer a rare sight in Nigeria today.

The first phase of the secondary education, which lasts for three years, is provided at the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). At the end of these three years, students sit for Junior Secondary School Examination (JSSE) and the successful ones are awarded the Junior Secondary School Certificate (JSSC). A successful completion of the JSS is a prerequisite for the second phase – the Senior Secondary School (SSS), which also lasts for three years. At the end of this period, students obtain the Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSSC) after writing and passing the final examination, which is the Senior Secondary School Examination. The SSSC is equivalent to the former West African School Certificate (WASC). As is the case at the primary school level, brilliant students who wish to skip a class may be allowed to do so after due consultations with their parents/guardians and their respective school authorities. At the secondary school level, there are also the technical secondary schools and commercial secondary schools which also offer courses lasting up to six years. Both academic and specialized subjects are taught here. There is also the vocational education offered at technical colleges. Students who want to acquire specialized skills at the end of their studies may choose to attend the technical/commercial schools. Mostly due to financial constraints, however, a lot of poor children are forced to pursue their education at private business centers and commercial schools, which offer low quality education and are far from being government approved.

On the other hand, there are some private schools which can boast of well-qualified teachers and therefore provide qualitative, but expensive education. And of course, there are also the most sought Government Colleges, Federal Colleges and the University Secondary Schools, which are the crème de la crème in terms of secondary school education. But to obtain admission into these schools, students must not only come from well-to-do families, their parents/guardians must also have high and powerful connections. The quality of education here is by far higher than what is obtainable in normal secondary schools. Irrespective of which secondary schools they attended, all students who wish to study at a university level must have at least 5 credits (in not more than two exams) out of the subjects they entered for in the SSS exam(s) or West African General Certificate of Education – Ordinary Levels (GCE O/levels). These subjects must be relevant to the courses they want to study and should include credits in English language (especially in Humanities), Mathematics (especially if one wishes to study a science course) and a science subject. In addition, they have to pass the Universities Matriculation Examination (UME), which is conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). However, due to limited number of admissions – the so-called numerous clauses – some applicants who did well in the UME are not offered admissions: their scores are said to be below the cut-off mark set by their prospective departments. The UME includes a compulsory paper for all the candidates – the almighty Use of English, and three other subjects which are relevant to their proposed courses. All these subjects have to be passed with acceptable results. Although each of the 36 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, now has at least one institution of higher learning, tertiary education has continued to elude many secondary school leavers.

Institutions of higher education or the tertiary institutions provide the last stage of formal education, which takes a minimum of 4 years, completing the 6-3-3-4 educational system mentioned earlier in this article. Professional courses, however, last longer; Medicine and Dentistry, for instance, last for 6 years. Institutions offering higher education include universities (both Federal and State universities), universities (both Federal and State universities), universities of technology (owned either by the Federal or State governments), universities of agriculture and numerous colleges of education. Provided that the candidates have fulfilled the formal entrance requirements mentioned above and depending on whether or not their parents/guardians can afford to sponsor them, they can continue their education at a tertiary level. Direct entry candidates for degree program spend three instead of the usual four years for first degree courses in Arts, Social Sciences and Pure Sciences. There are three stages of education at the university level: first degree program, master’s degree program and doctorate degree program.

The first degree program leads to the award of a bachelor’s degree, which can be a Single Honor or Combined Honors. Students who graduate from the faculty of Humanities are awarded B.A. (Single or Combined Honors) while graduates in science courses are awarded B.Sc. The master’s degree program takes one or two years after the first degree while the PhD Program lasts for two or three years after the master’s degree. Thereafter, master’s respectively Doctorate degrees are conferred on successful students.

University and some other institutions of higher education provide education in two phases of two years each. After the first two-year full-time program, successful candidates are awarded the Ordinary National Diplomas (OND). With these diplomas in their pockets, students can now proceed to the second stage, which leads to the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND). Apart from a successful completion of the OND-program, students are also required to do at least one-year industrial attachment before being admitted to the HND-program.

Colleges of Education award the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) at the end of a 3-year program. Most NCE-holders seek admission into universities with a view to obtaining bachelor’s degrees in education, the B.Ed., which could increase their chances of teaching at the senior secondary schools or becoming headmistresses/headmasters at primary schools. The higher institutions of education also run sandwich courses to enable the working population further their education or obtain the qualifications necessary for their present jobs.

However, the Nigerian educational system has been plagued by a lot of deteriorating pressure such as poor management, poverty, inflation among others. The impacts of inflation on education cannot be over emphasized especially on the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria.  The Federal Ministry of Education (FMR) vision says, to advance Nigeria’s economic growth and global competitiveness through the provision of accessible, relevant, high-quality education in our tertiary education institution but, however, it is rather contradicting to the condition of the tertiary education in Nigeria today. There is no accessible and high-quality education in the system because the major driver of quality education which is funding has become a major challenge for education in Nigeria (Akeredolu, 2022).  Education in Nigeria lacks funding because the government allocates a large proportion of the annual budget to the infrastructure and economic growth sectors, and when necessary, used for fuel subsidies, to relieve inflation.

Inflation which is defined as the sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy though can be beneficial to some areas of the economy, like stimulating economic growth, it can also cause some serious problems, especially when it comes to the cost of feeding, acquiring teaching and learning materials, tuition fees, salaries of teachers and transportation costs of both students and teachers. Transportation costs can have a huge impact on the financial wellbeing of students and teachers, as they are often required to travel for school or work purposes. With inflationary pressure on the rise, these transportation costs are only going to get higher and higher.  A rise in the cost of food can also be a burden for students and teachers who need to purchase meals on a budget. Also, it can make it more difficult for students and teachers to purchase nutritious meals and make it harder to cover the cost of school meals. This can lead to students and teachers going without meals or eating unhealthy food which can have negative health effects in the long run. Even rents, tuition fees, salaries of teachers, cost of acquiring teaching and learning materials like textbooks, classroom supplies and technology such as computers and tablets are greatly affected by inflation which can have a substantial impact on their ability to access educational resources. Based on this background, the researchers intend to determine the perceived influence of inflation on the Nigerian educational system using Federal universities, Oko, as a case study.

Statement of the Problem

Nigeria is a country populated with a good number of civil servants whose income is fixed. Inflationary effects on the income of fixed salary earners and the education of their children are a growing problem in Nigeria. The country’s economy has been struggling for many years, and this has resulted in the cost of living becoming increasingly expensive. This has a direct effect on the incomes of fixed salary earners, as their salaries remain constant while the cost of goods and services increases. This means that their real income is decreasing, making it difficult for them to make ends meet. The increasing cost of living has a particularly detrimental effect on the education of their children. The cost of educational materials, tuition fees and other associated costs are all increasing, meaning that fixed salary earners are struggling to afford the cost of education for their children. This is further compounded by the fact that many of these families have multiple children, meaning that the cost of education is becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that many of these families are already living on a tight budget and have minimal savings. This means that they are unable to afford the cost of education even if they wanted to. This then leaves them in a Catch-22 situation, as they are unable to afford the cost of education and yet unable to save money to cover the costs. This problem of inflation however is not limited to fixed salary earners and students educational stand but also the entire market and the educational system as a whole.

Based on these problems, the researchers intend to investigate thoroughly the perceived influence of inflation on the Nigerian educational system using Federal university, Oko in Orumba North local government area of Anambra state as a case study.

Purpose of the Study

The broad purpose of this study is to examine the perceived influence of inflation on the Nigerian educational system. To achieve that, the researchers intended:

1. to assess the perceive influence of inflation on education.
2. to determine the perceive influence of inflation on the quality of education within the educational system.
3. to analyze the extent to which inflation has caused a decrease in enrollment in educational institutions.

Research Question

The following research questions were raised to guide this study:

Research question one: What is the relationship between perceive influence of inflation and education in Nigeria?

Research question two:  What is the relationship between perceive influence of inflation and the quality of education within the educational systemin Nigeria?

Research question three: What is the relationship between inflation and decrease in enrollment in educational institutions in Nigeria?

Empirical Studies

Nwankwo, S. (2018) carried out a study titled inflation and education in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria. The sample of the study consisted of 500 respondents, which was randomly selected using the stratified random sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection in this study was a structured questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution tables, mean scores, percentages, and correlation coefficients. The findings of this study revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between inflation and education. The study also revealed that inflation has a negative effect on the quality of education. It was also found that inflation has a negative impact on the availability of educational resources, such as classroom space and textbooks. The study also revealed that inflation has a negative effect on the level of teachers’ salaries, which in turn affects the quality of education.

Okeke, E. C., &Nwankwo, S. (2011) carried out a study titled Inflation and educational performance in Nigeria in Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria.  The sample size was 342 respondents, which was selected using a stratified random sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant negative relationship between inflation and educational performance in Nigeria. The study concluded that inflation affects educational performance in Nigeria.

Adegoke, O. (2011) carried out a study titled the impact of inflation on the quality of education in Nigeria. This study was conducted at two tertiary institutions in Nigeria, namely; University of Ibadan and University of Lagos. The sample size was 500 students from each institution, making a total of 1000 students. The sampling technique used was stratified sampling. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, mean and percentages. The findings of the study revealed that the impact of inflation on the quality of education in Nigeria is significant. Most of the respondents (66.7%) reported that inflation has led to an increase in the cost of basic education. Additionally, the majority (80.1%) of the respondents reported that the quality of education has deteriorated due to inflation. Moreover, the majority (90.4%) of the respondents indicated that the government has not provided enough funds to improve the quality of education.

Ejiofor, A. E., & Okonkwo, O. C. (2013) carried out an empirical study titled Inflation and educational performance in Nigeria. The study was conducted in four tertiary institutions in Nigeria: University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and University of Lagos. The sample consisted of 250 students, who were chosen using a stratified random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, correlations and multiple regressions. The findings of the study showed that there was a positive but weak correlation between inflation and educational performance in Nigeria. The results also showed that inflation had a negative and statistically significant effect on educational performance. Furthermore, the study revealed that the effect of inflation on educational performance was stronger in private universities than in public universities.

Oladipupo, O. E., & Oluwole, S. (2008) carried out a study titled Inflation and educational performance in Nigeria. The study was carried out in Nigeria using a stratified random sampling technique. The population of the study was the entire population of school-going adolescents in the country. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire which was administered to a sample of 5,000 students drawn from private and public secondary schools in the 36 states of Nigeria. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Analysis of Variance). The findings of the study revealed that inflation has a negative effect on the educational performance of school-going adolescents in Nigeria. It was found that the higher the inflation rate, the lower the educational performance of students. The findings also revealed that the gender of the student, the type of school the student attends, and the location of the school had a significant effect on the educational performance of the students.

Akeredolu in 2022 conducted an online survey to access how inflation affects tertiary education students.  The survey was shared with over 700 undergraduate students from more than 10 Nigerian universities.  80% of the students were from federal universities while 10% were from private universities and 10% were from state universities. From the responses gathered, 52.5% confirmed that their institution increased tuition fees by 10-30% in the past year and their room and board fees increased by 10-30% in the same period, 47.5% confirmed that the cost of transportation increased by 10-30% while 35% confirmed a 40-90% increase in transportation cost. 45% of the students confirmed that the increase in feeding cost has mildly affected their school schedules, 22.5% confirmed that it has greatly affected their school schedules and 2.5% confirmed that it has extremely affected their school schedules.

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discussed the procedures and techniques applied in this study. This was done under the following subheadings- research design, area of the study, population of the study, sample and sampling technique, instrument for data collection, validity and reliability of the instrument, method of data collection and method of data analysis.

Design

The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. This was to examine the perceived influence of inflation on Nigeria educational system. According to Umeje (2016), survey research design is useful because it accesses people’s opinions towards situation and identifies present conditions and problems through orderly collections, analysis and interpretation of data.

Area of the Study

This study was conducted in Federal Polytechnic, Oko. The institution which is known today as Federal university, Oko, was approved by the Anambra state Government in 1979 as a college of Arts and Science, was later upgraded to college of Arts, science and Technology in 1980, formalized and named Anambra state university, Oko in 1985 and finally was taken over by the federal government and was renamed Federal university, Oko in 1993. The university is situated within Oko town in Orumba North local government area of Anambra state.

The institution is strategically located and surrounded by several centers of industries, commerce and diverse local crafts such as Awka (well-known for blacksmith), Nnewi (industry and Technological products) and Onitsha (reputed for commerce and industries). Federal university, Oko has a total of three campuses.

Its main campus is in Oko which occupies a total land area of 89 hectares while the other two campuses are in Ufuma occupying a total land area of 52 hectares and Atani occupying a total land area of 40 hectares, all in Anambra state.

Federal university, Oko has a total of 8 faculties and 34 departments with a total population of about 37000 students and 486 teaching staff

Population

The population of the study comprised of 37000 students and 486 teaching staff of Federal Polytechnic, Oko. The researchers chose this population in order to get enough reliable data that will aid generalization of result.

Sample and Sampling Technique

The sample of this study comprised of 400 students and 80 teaching staff of Federal university, Oko. Simple random sampling technique was used in obtaining the samples of this study. 50 students and 10 teaching staff were selected randomly from the 8 faculties respectively using simple random sampling technique.

Instrument for Data Collection

The Instrument for data collection was a self developed questionnaire by the researchers titled Inflation on the Nigerian Educational System Questionnaire (INESQ). This was developed based on the research questions put forward. The questionnaire was made up of four sections A, B, C, D. Section A was on the demographic data, section B, C, D addressed the research questions respectively. The questionnaire was a 4point likert format scale of Strongly Agree SA, Agree A, Disagree D and Strongly Disagree SD. The respondents will tick the option that is best suitable to them.

Validity of the Instrument

The instrument together with the purpose of the study and research question was given to two experts for content and face validity. One from economics department and the other from educational foundations department for correction and validation. They were requested to validate the instrument in terms of clarity, relevance, sustainability and dimensions of the instrument.

Reliability of the Instrument

The pilot testing method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. To achieve this, copies of the questionnaire were administered to 40 students and 8 teaching staffs of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam in Anambra state who were not part of the 480 sample that was selected.  The questionnaire was administered again on same respondents after an interval of one week.  The score was analyzed using Cronbach Alpha. The reliability coefficient was estimated at 0.80 and considered high enough. Hence, the instrument was good enough to be used for the study.

Method for Data Collection

The method for data collection was a direct delivery method. The copies of the questionnaire were administered to the respondents by the researchers and two other research assistants.  The questionnaires were completed and returned on the spot in order to ensure 100% return rate.

Method of Data Analysis

The data were analyzed using frequency count, percentages, Means and standard deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Regression Analysis.

RESULTS

Research question: What is the relationship between perceive influence of inflation and education in Nigeria?

Table.1: PPMC; The relationship between perceive influence of inflation and education in Nigeria.

*Correlation is significant at 0.05(2-tailed)

Table 1 above shows that there is significant relationship between perceive influence of inflation and education in Nigeria (r (399) = .670**, p<.05). The mean for Perceive influence of inflation were obtained as 41.64 and Standard deviation 7.56. Further, the mean and standard deviation for Education in Nigerian were obtained as 17.67 and 2.65 respectively. Although, the result confirms that a positive relationship exists between them, such a relationship is significant one. This thus implies that significant relationship exist between perceive influence of inflation and education in Nigeria.

Research question two:  What is the relationship between perceive influence of inflation and the quality of education within the educational systemin Nigeria?

Table 2: PPMC; The relationship between perceive influence of inflation and the quality of education within the educational system in Nigeria

*Correlation is significant at 0.05(2-tailed)

Table 2 above shows that there is relationship between perceive influence of inflation and the quality of education within the educational systemin Nigeria (r (399) = .606**, p<.05). The mean for Perceive influence of inflation were obtained as 41.64 and Standard deviation 7.47. Further, the mean and standard deviation for Quality of education were obtained as 16.83 and 2.05 respectively. Although, the result confirms that a positive relationship exists between them, such a relationship is significant one. This thus implies that significant relationship exist between perceive influence of inflation and the quality of education within the educational systemin Nigeria.

Research question three: What is the relationship between inflation and decrease in enrollment in educational institutions in Nigeria?

Table 3: PPMC; The relationship between inflation and decrease in enrollment in educational institutions in Nigeria

*Correlation is significant at 0.05(2-tailed)

Table 3 reveals that there significant relationship between inflation and decrease in enrollment in educational institutions in Nigeria (r (399) = 0.464, p>0.05). The mean for inflation caused a decrease were obtained as 41.64 and Standard deviation 7.47. Further, the mean and standard deviation for Enrollment in educational were obtained as 17.80 and 2.58 respectively. Although, the result confirms that a relationship exists between them, such a relationship is significant one. This thus implies that positive significant relationship between inflation and decrease in enrollment in educational institutions in Nigeria.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The findings of this study revealed that there was significant relationship between perceive influence of inflation and education in Nigerian University. To affirm this, Aubrey Drake Graham, Noah James Shebib, Matthew Jehu Samuels, Nineteen85, Paul Jefferies & Boi-1da (2018), found that, inflation has a significant influence on the salaries of teachers and other education expenses, such as the cost of tuition. This means that the cost of tuition and salaries of teachers increase as the rate of inflation increases.

The Economist, Martha M. McCarthy (2017), also found that inflation is a major factor impacting the cost of education. The article further pointed out that the increasing cost of education is also linked to a range of other factors, such as the rising cost of living, increasing demand for higher education, and the decreasing purchasing power of currency.

Overall, the findings of Drake et al., 2018 and M.M McCarthy, 2017 suggest that inflation has a significant influence on the salaries of teachers and other education expenses, such as tuition. This implies that the cost of tuition and salaries of teachers increases as the rate of inflation increases. Furthermore, the findings also point to other factors, such as the rising cost of living, increasing demand for higher education, and decreasing purchasing power of currency, which all contribute to the increasing cost of education.

There was relationship between perceive influence of inflation and the quality of education within the educational systemin Nigeria. That it Inflation has a significant effect on the quality of education within the system. This is because inflation represents a rise in the general price level of goods and services over time, which means that educational institutions also face a rise in the cost of running their operations. This can lead to a decrease in resources for educational institutions, such as decreased funding for teachers, textbooks, technology, and other supplies.

In a survey conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2016, it was found that a 1% increase in inflation was associated with a 0.3% decrease in student test scores. Similarly, a study by the World Bank found that higher inflation rates were associated with lower quality education, including lower student learning outcomes.

Overall, the findings of these studies indicate that inflation has a significant influence on the quality of education within the system. It is important for policy makers and educational institutions to take inflation into consideration when making decisions about educational resources and budgeting.

There was significant relationship between inflation caused a decrease in enrollment and in enrollment in educational institutions in Nigeria. That it Inflation has been an ongoing challenge for educational institutions and their students in recent years. According to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), inflation has had a “significant negative effect” on enrollment in educational institutions in many countries.

The OECD conducted a study in 2018 in which they found that countries with higher rates of inflation tend to have lower enrollment rates in both primary and secondary education. The report states that the rising cost of tuition, books, and other educational expenses can place a financial burden on students and their families, making it difficult for them to afford an education. The report also found that higher inflation rates can lead to a decrease in the availability of scholarships and other financial aid, which can further reduce enrollment.

The report further noted that inflation can also lead to a decrease in the quality of education available, as educational institutions may have to reduce their budgets due to the rising costs of goods and services. This can result in reduced access to educational materials, as well as a decrease in the number of teachers available.

Inflation can have a significant and negative effect on enrollment in educational institutions, as it can make an education more costly and can reduce the quality of the education available. It is important for educational institutions to be aware of the potential impact of inflation and to take measures to ensure that students are able to afford an education and that the quality of education is not compromised.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that inflation has a very significant influence on the salaries of teachers, cost of tuition and other education expenses, quality of education within the system and on enrollment in educational institutions.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY

The implications of this study suggest that inflation has a major impact on the quality and cost of education. Inflation can affect the salaries of teachers, the cost of tuition and other education expenses, and can influence the quality of education within the system. Additionally, inflation can affect the enrollment of students in educational institutions, as the cost of education increases. As such, it is important for governments and educational institutions to consider the impacts of inflation on their budgets and policies. By properly managing inflation, educational institutions can ensure that quality of education is maintained, and that the cost of education is kept relatively affordable to students.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Government spending on education should be increased in order to ensure that teachers’ salaries are kept at a competitive rate and to offset the effects of inflation on education expenses.
2. A system of regular salary adjustments for teachers should be established so as to ensure that their wages keep up with inflation.
3. Inflation-indexed tuition fees and other educational costs should be developed and implemented in order to guarantee that students and families don’t bear the full brunt of inflation.
4. Measures to improve the quality of education within the system should be implemented such as providing more resources, professional development opportunities and better training for teachers.

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