Evaluating The Level of Community Participation among Primary Schools in Kaura Namoda Educational Zone of Zamfara State, Nigeria

This study adopted descriptive survey research design to assess the views of head teachers, teachers and community leaders on community level of community participation in primary schools in Kaura Namoda educational zone, Zamfara state. In all, the target population of the study was 4,486 which comprises of 360 head teachers, 3,676 teachers and 1,800 community leaders in Kaura Namoda educational zone. A sample of 72 head teachers, 368 teachers and 180 community stakeholders were sampled from Kaura Namoda educational zone of Zamfara State, totaling 620 respondents used in the study. The sample size for Head teachers represented 20% while that of teachers and community stakeholders represented 10% of the entire population and was drawn using simple random sampling technique. Instrument named “Community Participation Questionnaire (CPQ)” was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts, in measurement and evaluation and educational management. The instrument was used to obtain responses from head teachers, teachers and community stakeholders in the sampled schools in Kaura Namoda educational zone. A reliability index of 0.89 for CPQ was obtained after pilot study and was assumed to reflect the internal reliability of the instrument. Descriptive statistics were used to answer the research questions using mean and standard deviation. The study revealed that, the level of community participation in primary schools in Zamfara State is high with Grand Mean 3.20. The paper therefore recommends that, state government should build on existing high level of community participation by providing training and support to community members and schools. Also, regular monitoring ad evaluation of community participation initiatives should be conducted to ensure their effectiveness and identify areas of improvement.