Decentralisation of Education Management and Quality of Primary Education in Benue State

This study investigates the effect of decentralised education management on the quality of primary education in Benue State, North Central Nigeria. Decentralisation, as a governance strategy, shifts administrative authority from central agencies to local government education authorities and school-based management structures with the aim of improving responsiveness, efficiency, and accountability. In Benue State, the decentralisation reforms introduced through the Universal Basic Education Act have produced mixed outcomes, and the relationship between management decentralisation and primary education quality requires systematic examination. The study uses a descriptive survey design and samples 180 education officials, headteachers, and teachers from three local government areas. A validated questionnaire is administered and data are analysed with regression analysis and analysis of variance. The study draws on the Decentralisation Theory of educational governance. Findings reveal that decentralisation has improved parental participation and local resource mobilisation in some areas while generating coordination failures, capacity gaps at the local level, and uneven quality outcomes across schools. The quality of local governance structures emerges as the key moderating variable. The study recommends investment in local government education authority capacity building and the development of a state-level accountability framework for decentralised education management in Benue State. Keywords: decentralisation, education management, primary education quality, local governance, Benue State.