IMPACT OF NURSERY EDUCATION ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN GWALE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KANO STATE

This study aimed to is to determine the relevance of nursery education in enhancing the academic achievement of pupils in primary schools in Kano State. Three research objectives, research questions, and corresponding hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study was a correlational research design guided by three research questions and four research hypotheses. The population consisted of all pupils in primary schools in Gwale local government area who have attended nursery school and those did not attend nursery schools and their teachers. For sample of the study 50 teachers (5 from each primary school) were selected. However, for sampling techniques to be adopted for this study, a multistage sampling technique was used to select a representative sample 10 primary schools in different political ward in Gwale local government area. Structured questionnaires were administered to primary school teachers and descriptive statistics was used to summarize the data, while inferential statistics such as correlation analysis and Regression were used to test the research hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that majority of respondents believe that nursery education positively influences reading, writing, mathematical understanding, problem-solving skills, and overall academic performance. It is identified that nursery education contributes to the social development of pupils. Additionally, the study reveals that family background factors, particularly parental tribe, have a significant impact on overall academic performance. The study recommends that holistic curriculum review should be done to advance play-based learning, language development, literacy, numeracy, and social skills. And also it is recommends that parental involvement in children's early education through workshops, seminars, and community outreach programs should be organized. Governments at both state and federal levels should increase funding for early childhood education, including nursery schools.