The Impact of Government Budgetary Allocation on Adult Literacy Rates in Nigeria: Implications for Educational Policy and Human Development
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Abstract
This study explores the impact of the government's budgetary allocations on adult literacy rate in Nigeria as well as the implications for educational policy and human development. The study utilizes secondary time-series data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, National Bureau of Statistics, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and the World Bank for the period 2000 to 2023, and then uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique to estimate the relationship between the allocation of the education budget and adult literacy outcomes. The results indicate that there is a positive and lasting impact of government spending on education on literacy rates among adults; however, the impact is too weak to reach the UNESCO targets. The study also suggests that the Nigerian government should allocate between 15–20% of its total government expenditure to education, placing a particular emphasis on adult literacy programmes, non-formal education, and the development of basic education facilities, especially in the northern part of the country where there is the highest literacy deficit.
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