Evaluation of Government Funding Allocation for Vocational Education Programmes in Zamfara State

This study evaluates the adequacy of government funding allocation for vocational education programmes in public secondary schools and technical colleges in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. Adequate funding is a prerequisite for the effective delivery of vocational and technical education, which requires functional workshops, consumable materials, and qualified teachers. Despite constitutional provisions and policy commitments to vocational education development, schools in Zamfara State frequently report severe underfunding. A descriptive survey design is adopted, with 40 school principals, 20 government officials from the State Ministry of Education, and 80 teachers across 30 institutions in Gusau, Anka, and Kaura Namoda local government areas as participants. Data are collected through structured interviews and document analysis of school budgets and ministry appropriation records. Content analysis and descriptive statistics are used for interpretation. Findings are expected to reveal that allocations are insufficient, inconsistently disbursed, and rarely subject to independent evaluation. The study further examines the gap between approved budgets and actual releases at the school level. Recommendations include the establishment of a dedicated vocational education fund, decentralised fund management with school-level accountability, and engagement of development partners in supplementing government financing. This study provides empirical evidence to support advocacy for increased and more equitable vocational education financing in Zamfara State, contributing to broader national discourse on sustainable VTE funding models. Keywords: government funding, vocational education, Zamfara State, budget allocation, technical colleges