ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study was to analyse poverty alleviation programme and education in Anambra State of Nigeria. The study adopted a survey design approach in which three research questions were posed and three hypotheses tested. The population of the study consisted of 5,413 offficials and beneficiaries of poverty alleviation programme in the six education zones that make up the 21 local government areas of the state. All the twenty three officials of poverty alleviation programme were used because of their manageable size while proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting the 931 beneficiaries used for the study. Questionnaire having four-point rating scale (modified Likert-type) was used as the instrument for data collection. Mean scores were used in answering the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the analyses, it was found that the training of 3,040 youths in their trade of choice and the allowance of N3,500 paid to each of them per month never helped in alleviating poverty in both urban and rural sectors of the economy. Also observed in this regard is the poor conceptualization and ineffective targeting of the poor and lack of political will and commitment in sustaining poverty alleviation programmes by the implementers. Furthermore, the negative effect of poverty on education which reduces access of people to educational opportunities and brings about high rates of school dropouts and illiteracy is among the numerous factors that never helped the state poverty alleviation programmes in alleviating poverty in the state. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended that the three tiers of government should take the lead in matters of poverty alleviation by acting the service-provider and by designing people-oriented poverty alleviation programme. It is also recommended that poverty alleviation policy makers, planners, co-ordinators, community-based and non-governmental organizations and international donor agencies in the country be more proactive in complementing the efforts of government in matters of poverty at grassroot levels. It is further recommended that our educational system be made functional because of its importance in nation building and in alleviating poverty.