A SURVEY STUDY ON EDUCATIONAL INDICATORS IN GOMBE STATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: IMPLICATION FOR PLANNING AND POLICY

This study examined the educational indicators (repetition, completion, retention rates & out of school children) in Gombe state public schools and implication for planning and policy. Four research questions were raised and answered in this study. This study adopted descriptive survey research design. The target population consisted of 100 headteachers, 100 principals of public schools and 100 EMIS Staff in Gombe state, totaling 300 respondents. Multistage and simple random sampling technique were used in selecting headteachers and principals across all the local government in each of the schools sampled. A Checklist was designed by the researchers to gathered data and Descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages was used to analyzed the data collected. The study found among others that repetition rate is high at schools, the completion rate of pupils/ students in public schools. The completion rate is high at primary, increased at junior schools but falls from year 2020 to 2021. Similarly, the completion rate at senior secondary shows improvement , and increased in out of school children. Based on the findings of the study the following recommendations were made that government should develop policy guidelines on inclusive education, focusing on how best to integrate learners with special needs, indigenous language minorities and religious minorities. The guidelines could serve as the point of reference for all interventions in the school system, government should develop, disseminate and enforce a policy on repetition and progression in all public basic schools, and free and compulsory education should be enforced and expanded throughout the nation.