Effect of School Location on Access to Quality Education in Zamfara State

This study investigates the effect of school location (urban versus rural) on access to quality education in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. Geographic location is a well-documented determinant of educational access and quality, with rural schools frequently experiencing deficits in infrastructure, qualified teachers, and educational materials relative to their urban counterparts. In Zamfara State, insecurity, poverty, and nomadic lifestyles compound the challenges faced by rural learners. The study adopts a comparative descriptive design and selects 340 pupils, teachers, and school heads from 20 urban and 20 rural schools across four local government areas using stratified random sampling. Data are collected with structured questionnaires and facility observation checklists, and analysed using independent samples t-tests and analysis of variance. The study is anchored on the Educational Equity Framework. Findings confirm significant urban-rural disparities in teacher quality, learning materials, infrastructure, and pupil performance outcomes. Rural schools in conflict-prone areas of Zamfara are particularly disadvantaged. The study recommends the adoption of a rural education equity policy that prioritises incentive-based deployment of qualified teachers, mobile schooling initiatives, and community-based school feeding programmes. Keywords: school location, educational access, urban-rural disparity, educational equity, Zamfara State.