Extent of Implementation of Minimum Standards of Basic Education for the Realisation of the Second Millennium Development Goal in Bayelsa State

The study was carried out in Salga Education Zone of Bayelsa State specifically to determine the extent of implementation of the minimum standards for basic education in order to ensure the realization of the second millennium development goal. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The population of the study comprised of all the 1,566 teachers of both public and private primary schools from the 102 public and private primary schools in the zone. A sample size of 198 teachers from the 28 public and private primary schools was randomly selected. A questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data collection. Two research questions and one null hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the null hypothesis was analyzed using t-test statistic. Results show that both public and private primary schools are lagging in the strict implementation of stipulated minimum standards for basic education Hence, realization of the second MDG is still an illusion. Findings also indicate that the so-called inadequate resources (both qualified manpower and facilities/equipment) have also contributed to poor implementation of the minimum standards for basic education thereby resulting to the failure of Universal Basic Education programmes in achieving its goals/objectives. It was therefore recommended that the private school-owners as well as Government agencies such as the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs) should ensure that resources (both human and school-facilities/equipment) are adequately provided for schools in order to enable them implement the stipulated minimum standards for the full realization of UBE objectives. Also, SUBEB should initiate regular termly supervision and monitoring programmes to ensure strict compliance of primary schools with the minimum standards of basic education. Keywords: Basic Education, Minimum Standards, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), School ownership, School-facilities, Human resources