Investigating The Barriers And Enablers To Access Quality Basic Education (SDG 4) In Public Primary Schools: A Case Study of Lagos State

The challenge of providing quality basic education in low-income contexts remains a pressing global concern, particularly in Nigeria where education systems often struggle with under-resourced schools, teacher shortages and growing out-of-school populations. As the country with the world’s highest number of out-of-school children, these challenges are acute. This research investigates the enablers and barriers to accessing quality basic education, as defined by Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), through a case study of 20 public primary schools in Lagos state. It focuses on teachers’ professional development as a determinant of education quality. Guided by a pragmatic paradigm and employing a mixed-methods design, this research draws on 213 survey responses from public primary school teachers (59 males, 152 females and 2 unspecified genders)and 18 interviews with education stakeholders (11 teachers, 2 government officials, 3 parents and 2private sector NGO staff). This research reveals a persistent mismatch between the perceived intent and practical impact of teacher training programmes. Notably, 65.8% of surveyed teachers reported that current training fails to translate into improved classroom practices, largely due to poor alignment with contextual realities and inadequate follow-up support. The findings identify systemic challenges such as inconsistent investment in education infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient technological integration and weak enforcement of child safeguarding policies. Despite the presence of policy frameworks, stakeholders expressed concern over the disconnect between policy rhetoric and implementation. This research also highlights underutilised opportunities in stakeholder collaboration, including the potential of Communities of Practice (CoP) to enhance peer learning and proposes the integration of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK) framework to improve technology-enabled teaching. This research provides timely insights into teacher development and proposes specific policy actions to strengthen continuous professional development (CPD), improve resource allocation and foster intersectoral partnerships. Its findings are relevant not only for stakeholders in Lagos state, but also for broader education policy discourse across Nigeria, and beyond, contributing to education reform.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

De Montfort University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Okoya, Silifat Abimbola

Licence

• https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstreams/7e47fe67-0620-4bcf-980f-dcc9e3301c92/download