Sustaining low-cost private schools under financial and regulatory constraints : evidence from Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The rapid growth of private schooling in Nigeria, particularly low-cost private schools (LCPSs), reflects the increasing preference among families of low economic status who perceive persistent lapses in state education provision, including concerns about quality and management. At the same time, regulatory practices governing private schools impose operational pressures that shape the sustainability and effective operation of these schools while serving marginalized groups. The interest in this study stems from the availability of limited literature that combines financial and regulatory impacts on the operational capacity of low-cost private schools in Nigerian context. This study integrates a bounded embedded single case study design within multiple sites (BESCS) with a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm to explore the sustainability practices and coping strategies of selected low-cost private schools in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The single case is defined as the sustainability of LCPS in Ibadan, bounded by school type (low-cost private schools) geographical scope (Ibadan), and specific lens (financial and regulatory constraints). Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 5 school owners, 5 parents, and 2 educational officials, representing the embedded units of analysis. The three local government areas are defined in this study as multiple sites because schools within these domains are all under one regulatory body, the Oyo State government. The data was analyzed thematically, then subsequently interpreted through the lens of Resource Dependence Theory. The findings suggest that LCPS sustainability is not driven by isolated financial and regulatory constraints alone, but by a multi-dimensional system of regulatory demands, financial limitations, intense local competition, and issues related to household affordability. These systemic factors, interacting simultaneously constrain revenue realization, reduce compliance with regulation, and cause affordability ceiling on school fees. As adaptive strategies, school owners often rely on flexible fees payment, delaying compliance with regulations, leveraging on family and institutional support, informal labor practices, and incremental development. While these strategies facilitate short-term survival, they at the same time create trade-offs between access, affordability, and quality of education. In sum, the sustainability practices observed among low-cost private schools in Ibadan are survival-oriented rather than sustainability in the conventional sense of long-term organizational growth or financial stability. Within this context, sustainability reflected a dynamic process through which school owners continuously modify organizational practices to cope with resource scarcity, regulatory pressures, and market constraints in order to maintain education provision. However, real sustainability should extend beyond organizational survival to allow schools to offer quality education at affordable fees for low-income families without compromising the structural, instructional and regulatory standards needed for effective educational provision. This study contributes a set of conceptual, methodological and contextual evidence to understanding how LCPS operate within constrained environments and indicates a more integrated view on sustainability as a dynamic and multifaceted process.