INFLUENCE OF AVAILABILITY AND UTILISATION OF EDUCATIONALINFRASTRUCTURE ON ACCESS TO PRIMARY EDUCATION IN IJEBU ODELOCAL GOVERNMENT, OGUN STATE

Abstract

The role of educational infrastructure in determining access to primary education in Ijebu-Ode Local Government,
Ogun State was explored in this study. The study focused on availability and utilization of educational
infrastructure in the study area. The study was guided by two research questions and three hypotheses which were
tested at 0.05 level of significance. Using a descriptive survey design, data was collected from 218 teachers and
headteachers whose educational qualifications were majorly NCE and Bachelors of Education degrees using a
questionnaire, checklist, and structured interview questionnaire. Instruments for data collection were
Questionnaire on School Infrastructure Inventory Checklist, (r = 0.78), Availability of Educational Infrastructure
(r = 0.81) and Questionnaire for Headteachers on Availability and Utilisation Educational Infrastructure (r = 0.80).
Findings revealed a moderate overall level of infrastructure availability (mean=2.69) and utilization (mean=2.85).
Although basic structures like classrooms were highly available and used, acute shortage of libraries, ICT, and
sanitation facilities exist, as each of them were rated as very low in both availability and use. Regression analyses
showed that both availability (β = .394, p < .05) and utilization (β = .421, p < .05) had significant positive
influences on access individually. Furthermore, their joint influence was significant, explaining 24.8% of the
variance in access (R² = .248), with utilization being the slightly stronger predictor. The study concludes that, to
improve access, there is need for targeted investment to cater for acute shortages in quality-enhancing facilities
and the implementation of policies to ensure the consistent and effective use of all available resources in the
teaching-learning process.