ASSESSING PRIMARY EDUCATION RESPONSE TO GLOBAL ECONOMIC CHALLENGES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL (8) IN RIVER STATE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

This study aims to assess the response of primary education in River State, Nigeria to global economic challenges and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8. This study employed a descriptive survey design to investigate the response of primary education to global economic challenges. A stratified random sample of 800 respondents was selected from a population of 23,223 individuals, comprising 500 primary six pupils, 200 teachers, and 100 school administrators from 3,982 public primary schools across 23 Local Government Areas in Rivers State. Two survey instruments were developed and validated by experts: the Primary Education Response to Global Economic Challenges Questionnaire (PERGECQ) and the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (8) for Pupils Survey (ISDG8PS). The instruments demonstrated good reliability, with Cronbach Alpha coefficients of .86 and .89, respectively. Data collected were analysed using mean and standard deviation. Finding revealed that the significant challenges facing the quality of primary education in Rivers State are largely attributed to the global economic downturn. It also indicated that the respondents identified inadequate government budgetary allocation, lack of private sector partnerships, shortage of qualified staff, outdated infrastructure and low national economic productivity as significant obstacles faced. The standard deviation values also indicate consensus around these key challenges according to those surveyed. It was also found that increasing government funding, stronger public-private partnerships, continuous teacher development, upgraded school facilities, and job creation initiatives are approaches that should significantly strengthen education quality and advance SDG 8 targets according to those surveyed. Keywords: Primary education, Global economic challenges, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, School assessment, Workforce preparation and Educational policy