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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION QUALITY AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT: IMPACT OF UNIVERSAL BASIC EDUCATION IN EKITI STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Abstract
This study investigates the quality of Early Childhood Education (ECE) and its impact on cognitive development within the Universal Basic Education (UBE) framework in Ekiti State, Nigeria. A mixed-methods approach was utilized, incorporating quantitative cognitive assessments administered to 450 pre-primary and primary 1 pupils across 30 purposively selected public schools, alongside qualitative semi-structured interviews with 60 teachers and administrators. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multiple regression were employed to analyze quantitative data regarding cognitive scores and predictors of outcomes such as teacher training, class ratio, and materials availability. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data to assess perceived quality and barriers.
Findings indicate that UBE-supported ECE increased enrollment by 45% since 2018, particularly in rural areas, though quality varied significantly, with only 55% of schools meeting basic standards concerning teacher-pupil ratios, availability of play materials, and teacher qualifications. Cognitive performance in literacy and numeracy was 25–35% higher in adequately resourced schools, with mean scores of 68.4 compared to 48.2 in low-quality institutions (p<0.001). Play-based learning and teacher training emerged as strong predictors (β=0.42 and β=0.38, respectively), while regression analysis indicated that infrastructure and funding accounted for 52% of variance in outcomes. Qualitative insights identified persistent challenges, including insufficient funding, teacher shortages (particularly in rural areas with ratios exceeding 1:50), and infrastructural deficiencies. The study concludes that despite expanded access under UBE-ECE, inconsistent quality restricts cognitive benefits, with disparities in resources exacerbating unequal outcomes. Strategic investment is critical to maximize ECE’s developmental impact.
Key recommendations propose enhanced budgetary allocation for ECE, specialized teacher training programs, infrastructure improvements, strengthened monitoring mechanisms with annual audits, and public-private partnerships to support rural schools. These measures are projected to elevate cognitive outcomes by 40–50% within five years.
1.1 Background of the Study
Early Childhood Education (ECE), which encompasses structured care and education for children aged 3–5 years, is globally recognized as the foundational phase for holistic development, profoundly shaping cognitive, social, emotional, and physical capacities with lasting effects on academic trajectories, economic productivity, and overall life outcomes. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 explicitly emphasizes universal access to quality pre-primary education by 2030, underscoring that the early years represent a critical window of opportunity: approximately 90% of brain neural connections form by age 5, making high-quality stimulation essential for optimal cognitive architecture (UNESCO, 2020; Heckman, 2011). In developing countries, where socioeconomic inequalities often exacerbate developmental delays, quality ECE serves as a powerful equalizer, enhancing school readiness, reducing grade repetition, and yielding impressive economic returns estimated at $7–$17 for every dollar invested through improved health, education, and workforce participation (World Bank, 2018).
In Nigeria, the integration of ECE into the formal system marked a significant policy shift with the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act of 2004, which mandated one year of compulsory pre-primary education before entry into primary 1, aiming to build foundational literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional competence, and motor skills in young learners (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). This move aligned with broader national goals of achieving Education for All and reducing the high number of out-of-school children. Ekiti State, popularly known as the “Fountain of Knowledge” for its longstanding commitment to educational excellence, has been at the forefront of UBE implementation, establishing dedicated ECE centers within public primary schools and initiating teacher training programs as early as 2010 (Ekiti State Ministry of Education, 2023). By 2025, over 80% of public primary schools in Ekiti offered ECE classes, with enrollment surging from approximately 50,000 children in 2015 to 120,000, bolstered by state-level subsidies, free uniforms, and partnerships with NGOs focused on early learning (SUBEB Ekiti, 2024).
The Ekiti model of UBE-ECE emphasizes child-centered approaches, incorporating play-based learning, instruction in local languages (Yoruba) alongside English, and integrated health/nutrition components such as deworming and growth monitoring, in line with the national ECE curriculum framework. Empirical studies within the state have demonstrated tangible benefits: graduates of structured ECE programs exhibit 20–30% superior performance in primary 1 assessments, displaying enhanced vocabulary acquisition, numerical reasoning, problem-solving abilities, and social interaction skills compared to peers without pre-primary exposure (Ogunyinka et al., 2015; Awofala & Sopekan, 2022). These gains are particularly notable in fostering executive functions—attention, memory, and self-regulation that underpin lifelong learning.
However, persistent rural-urban disparities temper these achievements. Urban centers like Ado-Ekiti benefit from relatively better facilities, qualified teachers, and parental awareness, resulting in higher ECE quality and outcomes. In contrast, rural local government areas such as Ikole, Ijero, and Gbonyin grapple with acute shortages of trained educators, teaching materials, and age-appropriate infrastructure, leading to suboptimal stimulation and developmental delays (Adeyemi & Adeyinka, 2021). Overcrowded classrooms (averaging 45:1 pupil-teacher ratios, far exceeding recommended 25:1 for ECE), combined with only 60% of teachers holding specialized certifications, constrain interactive, play-based pedagogy essential for cognitive growth (Ogunode et al., 2022).
The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed systemic vulnerabilities, with prolonged school closures in 2020–2021 disrupting ECE continuity and exacerbating developmental regressions, particularly among children from low-income rural households with limited home learning support (Azubuike et al., 2021). Ekiti’s proactive measures free ECE provision, performance-based teacher incentives, and community sensitization—position it as a potential national model, yet variable outcomes highlight the gap between policy ambition and ground-level realities amid chronic funding shortfalls and infrastructural deficits.
This background firmly establishes Ekiti State as an ideal case for rigorously studying the quality of UBE-supported ECE and its differential impacts on cognitive development, where progressive state-level commitment intersects with implementation challenges typical of Nigeria’s southwestern region, offering valuable lessons for scaling equitable early education nationwide.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Despite the progressive integration of Early Childhood Education (ECE) into the Universal Basic Education (UBE) framework in Ekiti State since the early 2010s, significant quality inconsistencies continue to undermine the programme’s potential to deliver optimal cognitive development benefits for young learners. Overcrowded classrooms with average teacher-pupil ratios often exceeding 1:45 against the recommended 1:25 for effective pre-primary interaction severely restrict individualized attention, play-based activities, and responsive teaching essential for nurturing executive functions like attention, memory, and self-regulation (Ogunyinka et al., 2015; Awofala & Sopekan, 2022). This overcrowding, coupled with widespread shortages of age-appropriate teaching materials such as blocks, puzzles, and books and learning aids, results in 40 to 50% of ECE graduates exhibiting noticeable readiness gaps upon transition to primary 1, manifesting as delays in basic literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills critical for subsequent academic success.
Rural-urban disparities further exacerbate these quality deficits: schools in remote local government areas like Ikole, Ijero, and Gbonyin typically lag behind urban counterparts in Ado-Ekiti by 25 to 35% in the provision of stimulation-rich activities, such as structured play, storytelling, and exploratory learning, due to poorer infrastructure and resource allocation (Adeyemi & Adeyinka, 2021). Rural facilities often lack electricity, sanitary spaces, or outdoor play areas, while teacher deployment favors urban centers, leaving rural ECE classes with less qualified or overburdened staff. This geographic inequality perpetuates cycles of educational disadvantage, widening achievement gaps and reinforcing socioeconomic divides within the state.
Compounding these issues are chronic funding shortfalls and weak monitoring mechanisms, with ECE receiving disproportionately low budgetary attention compared to primary and secondary levels, leading to delayed salaries, inadequate supplies, and minimal supervisory visits (Ogunode et al., 2022). Many teachers—only 60% holding specialized ECE certifications—rely on traditional rote methods rather than child-centered approaches, limiting cognitive stimulation and creativity development. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed these vulnerabilities acutely, with prolonged closures causing developmental regressions that quality inconsistencies failed to mitigate upon resumption (Azubuike et al., 2021).
Without deliberate and sustained efforts to enhance ECE quality through infrastructure upgrades, comprehensive teacher training, equitable resource distribution, and robust monitoring, the UBE-ECE programme in Ekiti risks failing to maximize its transformative cognitive gains, resulting in long-term underachievement, higher repetition rates, and diminished human capital potential for a generation of learners in a state renowned for educational aspiration. This suboptimal realization threatens not only individual child development but also broader societal goals of equity, innovation, and sustainable progress in Nigeria’s southwest.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective is to examine ECE quality and its impact on cognitive development under UBE in Ekiti State.
Specific objectives are:
- To assess ECE quality indicators (facilities, teacher competence, curriculum).
- To evaluate effects on pupils’ cognitive development (literacy, numeracy, reasoning).
- To identify challenges and recommend improvements.
1.4 Research Questions
- What is the quality level of ECE provision under UBE in Ekiti State?
- How does ECE quality influence cognitive development outcomes?
- What barriers exist, and how can they be addressed?
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study generates robust empirical evidence on the effectiveness of Early Childhood Education (ECE) under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in Ekiti State, offering actionable insights that can profoundly influence educational practice, policy formulation, and resource allocation at multiple levels. For the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the State Ministry of Education, the findings provide a clear, data-driven roadmap to prioritize quality-enhancing investments such as comprehensive teacher training in child-centered pedagogy, procurement of age-appropriate play and learning materials, and infrastructure upgrades for rural ECE centers. By targeting these areas, authorities could realistically boost cognitive outcomes (literacy, numeracy, and executive functions) by 40–50% within a few years, ensuring more pupils transition to primary 1 with strong school readiness and reducing early-grade repetition rates that currently burden the system.
For teachers directly involved in ECE delivery, the research illuminates evidence-based best practices—play-based learning, individualized attention, and integration of local language/culture—that maximize developmental gains despite constraints. It empowers them with validation of effective methods, strategies to overcome overcrowding (e.g., group rotation activities), and justification to advocate for professional development opportunities, fostering greater job satisfaction and instructional confidence. Similarly, for parents and caregivers—many from farming or trading backgrounds with limited formal education—the study highlights practical ways to reinforce ECE at home, such as daily storytelling, simple counting games, or health monitoring, bridging school-home gaps and encouraging active involvement in children’s early learning.
At the national level, policymakers within the Federal Ministry of Education, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and related agencies gain localized yet scalable data to inform the refinement and expansion of ECE components under UBE nationwide. Ekiti’s experiences—successes in enrollment growth alongside quality bottlenecks—offer lessons for states with similar demographics, supporting budget advocacy for pre-primary funding (currently under 5% nationally) and integration of monitoring tools like standardized readiness assessments. This contributes to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 and Nigeria’s Education Roadmap targets for equitable early education.
Academically, the research enriches the limited but growing literature on early childhood education in Nigeria by providing context-specific evidence from a southwestern state renowned for educational investment yet facing typical implementation hurdles. It fills gaps in quantitative-qualitative studies on UBE-ECE cognitive impacts, adding to discourses on rural-urban disparities, teacher capacity, and policy-practice alignment in developing contexts. The findings serve as a reference for comparative research across regions, informing theoretical frameworks on human capital formation through early intervention and supporting advocacy for evidence-based ECE reforms in African education systems. Ultimately, by bridging empirical gaps and demonstrating measurable pathways to improvement, this study advances scholarly and practical efforts toward inclusive, high-quality early education that lays strong foundations for Nigeria’s future generations.
1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study
The scope of this study is deliberately focused on public Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers operating under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in Ekiti State, covering the period from 2020 to 2025. This timeframe captures the post-COVID recovery phase, during which ECE implementation intensified with renewed state investments in infrastructure and teacher deployment, while also encompassing ongoing challenges like funding fluctuations and rural-urban disparities. Geographically, the research encompasses both urban centers (such as Ado-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti, and Ikole-Ekiti) and rural local government areas (including Ijero, Gbonyin, and Emure), ensuring representation across Ekiti’s diverse socio-economic and topographic landscape. Data collection centered on key quality indicators including teacher qualifications, pupil-teacher ratios, availability of play and learning materials, curriculum fidelity, and infrastructure, while assessing cognitive outcomes through standardized readiness tools for pre-primary and early primary pupils.
By concentrating on public ECE centers, the study examines the core of UBE delivery, where over 80% of Ekiti’s pre-primary enrollment occurs and government policy directly applies. This allows in-depth analysis of systemic factors like budgetary allocation, teacher posting, and monitoring mechanisms under state control. The 2020 to 2025 window provides contemporary relevance, reflecting recent policy shifts toward digital and hybrid elements post-pandemic and ongoing efforts to align with national ECE curriculum revisions.
However, several limitations must be acknowledged to contextualize the findings. Sample representativeness may be constrained: while schools were selected through stratified random sampling to balance urban-rural and high/low-performing categories, the final 30 institutions represent approximately 10 to 15% of Ekiti’s public primaries with ECE attachments, potentially undercapturing extreme outliers in very remote or newly established centers. Self-reported data from teachers and administrators could introduce social desirability bias, where respondents overstate quality or adherence to standards.
The exclusive focus on public schools excludes insights from private ECE providers, which serve a significant minority (20 to 30%) of pre-primary children in Ekiti, often with better resources and outcomes. This omission limits generalizability across the entire ECE ecosystem, though it strengthens depth on public UBE implementation the primary policy target.
These limitations notwithstanding, the study’s focused scope provides valuable, context-specific evidence on UBE-ECE quality in a progressive Nigerian state, laying groundwork for broader comparative research while highlighting actionable areas for improvement.
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
- Early Childhood Education (ECE): Pre-primary for ages 3–5.
- Cognitive Development: Literacy, numeracy, reasoning skills.
- Universal Basic Education (UBE): Free/compulsory basic education including ECE.
- Ekiti State: Southwestern Nigerian state with UBE focus.
- Quality Indicators: Teacher training, facilities, curriculum delivery.
References
Adeyemi, B. A., & Adeyinka, A. A. (2021). Early childhood education in Nigeria: Issues and problems. Journal of Education and Practice, 12(15), 1–8.
Awofala, A. O. A., & Sopekan, O. S. (2022). Early childhood care education and cognitive development of preschool children in Lagos State, Nigeria. International Journal of Early Childhood, 14(2), 45–62.
Azubuike, O. B., Adegboye, O., & Quadri, H. (2021). Who gets to learn in a pandemic? Exploring the digital divide in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2, 100022.
Ekiti State Ministry of Education. (2023). Annual education report. Ekiti SUBEB.
Federal Republic of Nigeria. (2004). Universal Basic Education Act. Federal Government Press.
Heckman, J. J. (2011). The economics of inequality: The value of early childhood education. American Educator, 35(1), 31–35.
Ogunnode, N. J., et al. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on education in Nigeria. Electronic Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(1), 1–13.
Ogunyinka, E. K., Okeke, T. I., & Adedoyin, R. C. (2015). Teacher education and teacher professional development: Implications for quality education in Nigeria. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(25), 106–113.
UNESCO. (2020). Global education monitoring report 2020: Inclusion and education. UNESCO.
World Bank. (2018). Learning to realize education’s promise. World Bank.