The Impact of Economic Crisis on Mathematics Education Curriculum Delivery: A Case Study of South-East Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of economic crises on mathematics education in the South-East geopolitical zone, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses were raised for the study. The design adopted for the study was descriptive survey. The population of the study was 540 which was stratified into three consists of students and teachers, parents/guardian, officials from State Ministries of Education answered questions on if, where and how the crisis had affected the education in South-east , Nigeria. In all, 10 teachers, 10 parents, 10 students and two officials from state Ministries of Education from each state of the South-East geopolitical zone were randomly sampled. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test was used in testing the hypotheses.  The findings from the study among others indicated that: the economic crisis has drastically affected the rate of government allocation to education sector as well as irregular payment of teachers’ salaries has dampened their morals which at the long run hindered their ability to effectively discharge their duties. The study therefore recommended among others that: There is need for diversification of Nigeria revenue sources through improvement in, solid minerals, agriculture and tourism sectors to boost the economy, Teachers should be more innovative in the utilization of some teaching aid and equipment, Concerted efforts and good attempts should be made by education stake holders to maximize their allocated resources by the government and Government should provide the necessary funds to reduce the effects of the crisis on educational development