Structural Determinants of Inequality in Vocational Education Access Across Nigeria’s Six Geopolitical Zones

This study investigates the structural determinants of inequality in vocational education access across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Despite national policies promoting equitable vocational education provision, substantial disparities in access persist across regions, states, rural-urban divides, and social groups. Existing analyses of these disparities have largely been descriptive; this study aims to identify the structural mechanisms generating and reproducing inequality. A critical realist methodology is employed, combining secondary data analysis of national educational statistics with primary qualitative data from policy actor interviews and community-level ethnographic observations across 12 purposively selected states representing all geopolitical zones. Stratification analysis, spatial mapping, and critical discourse analysis of policy documents are used. The theoretical lens draws on Bourdieus field theory, structural inequality frameworks, and critical geography of education. Findings are expected to reveal that inequality in VTE access is structured by intersecting factors including government resource allocation patterns, colonial legacy infrastructure geography, social and gender stratification, and political economy dynamics that reproduce disadvantage across generations. The study also identifies transformative mechanisms in contexts where inequality has narrowed. Theoretical contributions include a structural inequality model specifically constructed for the Nigerian VTE context. Policy contributions include targeted recommendations for all six geopolitical zones based on zone-specific structural constraints. This study fills a critical gap in equity-focused VTE research in Nigeria and provides a rigorous foundation for redistributive policy design. Keywords: inequality, vocational education access, geopolitical zones, Nigeria, structural determinants