In 1976, the government and people of Nigeria launched one of the most ambitious educational projects in African history, the Universal Primary Education Scheme, popularly known as UPE. All primary education became free of charge and efforts were made to enroll as many children as possible. Just in the launching year, the number of children in Nigerian primary schools exceeded the entire population of many African countries, and further increases were rapid.

First published in 1981, Universal Primary Education in Nigeria first places Nigeria in the overall context of Africa and the developing world and then goes on to examine in detail the effects and implications of UPE in Kano State, the most populous state of the Federation of Nigeria. It elucidates the main objectives of UPE from both the Kano State and national viewpoints and assesses the extent to which they were achieved. In the process, it pays particular attention to political issues and to the opposing pressures of quantity and quality.

The lessons that can be drawn from the successes and problems encountered in Nigeria and the conclusions drawn about mass education schemes will be of great value to all those engaged in similar projects throughout the developing world.

Mark Bray began his career as a teacher in Kenya in 1970. In 1973 he moved to Benue State, Nigeria, and then in 1976 to Kano. In 1978 he was appointed to a lectureship in the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh. This book is based on his PhD thesis completed at the University of Edinburgh and on subsequent follow-up research. Later in his career, Mark Bray taught at the Universities of Papua New Guinea, London, and Hong Kong. Between 2006 and 2010 he took leave from Hong Kong to work in Paris as Director of UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP). He currently holds the UNESCO Chair in Comparative Education at the University of Hong Kong.