AFRICAN INDEPENDENT CHURCHES ON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN AKURE SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ONDO

The education sector is in Nigeria today happens to be one of the under-budgeted sectors by both State and Federal Government. Formal education which was brought in by the early Christian missionaries and promoted by the orthodox churches, have equally witnessed the contribution of some indigenous churches. Thus, the African Independent Churches have been able to provide schools that offer quality educational services from Nursery to Tertiary level. This work therefore examined the role of African Independent Churches on Education in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. The population of the study comprised all teachers in public and private Secondary School teachers in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. The research adopted purposive sampling techniques to select 100 teachers from five church based own schools in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. Findings show that: African independent churches played some roles in the development of education in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. That African independent churches played positive roles in the development of education Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. That factors that interfere with role of African Independent Churches in educational development in Akure South include government takeover, inadequate finance, fierce competition and lack of government support. That the possible solutions to the factors include the return of all mission schools to churches and government grant to church owned schools. The work recommended that The state and federal government should make funds available to African independent churches who are investing in the educational development of Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. That the government should ensure that external examination fees paid by students in any of the African independent churches’ schools are paid by the government. That African independent churches contributing to the development of education in Akure should enjoy government support. That government should return all mission schools ceased by the government. That the government should take up the payment bills of staff schools owned by in African Independent Churches.