LECTURE NOTES ON
NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCTION & HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
ACHI A. N. NCE Geo/Econs, (Agbor), B. Sc. (Ed) Econs. (Abraka), M. Ed. [Phil. of Ed.! (Abraka), PG" Co#$. Sci (Benin), P. h". [Phil. of Ed.! (Nskka) in%&ie' MNM, *(*CN), MCPM, MNES, AB", CB"A, MA"EAS+N, MPEAN, SAC-USA, ATS-
USA
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SECTION A NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION
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Chapter One NATIONAL NATIONAL POLICY POL ICY ON EDUCATION INTRODUCTION The need for a national policy on education came about as a result of the National Curriculum Conference held between September 8 and 12, 1969 in Laos and was orani!ed by the Nierian "ducational #esearch Council $N"#C% now Nieria "ducational "ducational #esearch #esearch and &e'elopment Council $N"#&C%( )t was attended by a cross* section of Nierians( The conference was a culmination of e+pressions of eneral dissatisfaction with the e+istin education system which had become irrele'ant to national needs, aspirations and oals( The report of the conference was compiled by deni-i daralebe, daralebe, the #apporteur #apporteur*.eneral *.eneral and editor*in*Chief editor*in*Chief of the conference in a boo/ titled, 0 hilosophy for Nierian "ducation( fter the National Curriculum Conference, a seminar of e+pert drawn from a wide rane of interest roups within Nieria was con'ened by the 3ederal 4ilitary .o'ernment .o'ernment in 5une, 5une, 197( 197( The seminar, seminar, which which included included 'oluntary 'oluntary aencies aencies and e+ter +terna nall bodi bodies es,, deli delibe bera rate ted d on what what a nati nation onal al poli policy cy on educ educat atio ion n for for an independent and so'erein Nieria should should be under the Chairmanship of Late Simeon debo debo and orani!ed orani!ed by Chief Chief ( "/e "/e who was the then 3ederal 3ederal Commissioner Commissioner for "ducation( The recommendations of the 1969 National Curriculum Conference and the position of the o'ernment on future educational de'elopment as contained in the second National &e'elopment lan $19 : 19;% were considered durin the process of writin the reports of the seminar( The outcome of the seminar was a draft document which, after due comments were recei'ed from the states and other interest roups, led to the
pen and &istance Learnin Learnin roramme roramme by .o'ernment, $b% re'itali!ation re'itali!ation and e+pansion of the National 4athematical 4athematical Centre $N4C%? $c% establishment of Teachers Teachers #eistration #eistration Council $T#C%? $d% intro introduc ductio tion n of infor informat mation ion and Commun Communica icatio tion n Technol echnolo oy y $)CT% $)CT% into into the the school curriculum as a second o@cial lanuae? $e% $e% pres prescr crip ipti tion on of 3rench ench Lan Lanua uae e in the the prim primar ary y and and seco second ndar ary y scho school ols, s, curriculum as second o@cial lanuae? $f% presc prescrip riptio tion n of minimu minimum m number number of sub-ec sub-ectt to ta/en ta/en by SSC" SSC" candi candidat dates? es? $% the interation of basic education in the proramme of Auaranic schools, to ensure eBual opportunity and eecti'e implementation of DE"? $% reposit repositionin ionin science, science, technical technical and 'ocational 'ocational educatio education n in the scheme scheme of national educational for optimum performance? and $h% enera enerall conte+ conte+tua tuall chan chane e to reFec reFectt the state state of profe profess ssion ional al practi practice ce in education, amon others( .o'ernments intention was that the far*reachin pro'isions set out in all sections of the policy should transform all aspects of the nations life o'er time( To this end, .o'er .o'ernme nment nt set up a Nation National al "duca "ducatio tional nal olic olicy y implem implement entati ation on Commit Committee tee to 7
translate the olicy into wor/able blue prints that would uide the bodies whose duty it would be to implement the policy( The Committee was also to de'elop monitorin system for educational plan as it e'ol'ed(
PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA 1( nations policy on education is o'ernments way of reali!in that part of the national oals which can achie'e, usin education as a tool( No policy on education, howe'er, can be formulated without
8( )n conseBuence, the Buality of instruction at all le'els has to be oriented towards inculcatin the followin A-1ES ? $a% respect for the worth and dinity of the indi'idual? $b% faith in mans ability to ma/e rational decisions? $c% moral and spiritual principle in inter*personal and human relations $d% shared responsibility for the common ood of society? $e% promotion of the physical, emotional and psycholoical de'elopment of all children? $f% acBuisition of competencies necessary for self*reliance( 9( )n order to reali!e fully the potentials of the contributions of education to the achie'ement of these oals and 'alues, all other aencies will operate in concert with education( To that end, .o'ernment shall ta/e 'arious MEAS1ES *+ MP-EMEN* *E P+-C ? ccordinly=* $a% education shall continue to be hihly rated in the national de'elopment plans because education is the most important instrument of chare? any fundamental chane in the intellectual and social outloo/ of any society has to be preceded by education? $b% life*lon education shall be the basis of the nations educational policy? $c% education and trainin facilities shall continue to be e+panded in response to social needs and made proressi'ely accessible to aord the indi'idual a far more di'ersipportunity shall continue to be made for made for reliious instruction? no child will be forced to accept any reliious instruction which is contrary to the wishes of his or her parents? and $l% hysical and health education shall be emphasi!ed at all le'els of the education system( 1( The importance of lanuae=* .o'ernment appreciates the importance of lanuae as a means of promotin social interaction and national cohesion? preser'in cultures( Thus e'ery child shall learn the lanuae of the immediate en'ironment( 3urthermore, in the interest of national unity it is e+pedient that e'ery child shall reBuire to learn one of the three Nieria lanuaes= Iausa, )bo oruba( $a% 3or smooth interaction with our neihbours, it is desirable for e'ery Nieria to spea/ 3rench( ccordinly, 3rench shall be compulsory in primary and 5unior Secondary Schools but Non*Jocational "lecti'e at the senior Secondary School( G
The national policy on education has introduced the 6*7*7*; System of education( Ey implication it recommends si+ years of primary education, three years of -unior secondary and three years of senior secondary education in Nieria( Eelow is a brief e+amination of the components of this educational system as enshrined in the 2; edition of the policy(
!ASIC EDUCATION Easic education shall be of 9*year duration comprisin 6 years of primary education and 7 years of -unior secondary education( )t shall be free and compulsory( )t shall also include adult and non*formal education prorammes at primary and -unior secondary education le'els for the adults and out*of*school youths( The speci
Pri"ar# E$%atin rimary education as referred to in this document is the education i'en in institutions for children aed 6 to 11 plus( Since the rest of the education system is built upon it, the primary le'el is the /ey to the success or failure of the whole system( The duration shall be si+ years( a( The Ga's ( Pri"ar# E$%atin are) a( inculcate permanent literacy and numeracy, and ability to communicate eecti'ely? b( lay a sound basis for scienti
$'% specialist teachers of particular sub-ects such as 4athematics, Science, hysical "ducation, Lanuae Arts $in relation to "nlish 3 rench, Sin Lanuae and Nierian Lanuaes%, Librarian, 4usic, 3ine rt and Iome "conomics( $d% Teachin shall be by practical, e+ploratory and e+perimental methods( $e% The medium of instruction in the primary school shall be the lan uae of the en'ironment for the
SECONDARY EDUCATION Secondary education is the education children recei'e after primary education and before the tertiary stae( The broad oals of secondary education shall be to prepare the indi'idual for =* $a% useful li'in within the society? and $b% hiher education )n speci
$% raise a eneration of people who can thin/ for themsel'es, respect the 'iews and feelins of others, respect the dinity of labour, appreciate those 'alues speci
*%nir Sen$ar# Sh' The -unior secondary school shall be both pr e*'ocational and academic( )t shall be tuition free, uni'ersal and compulsory( )t shall teach basic sub-ects which wil l enable pupils to acBuire Hfurther /nowlede and s/ills ( "'ery student shall oer i. a minimum of 1 and a ma+imum of 17 sub -ects= ii. all sub-ects in .roup iii. at least one sub-ect each f rom .roups E M C( GROUP A. Cre $i% "nlish $ii% 3rench $iii% 4athematics $i'% Lanuae of en'ironment to be tauht as Ll $'% >ne ma-or Nierian Lanuae other than that of the en'ironment to be tauht as L2P $'i% )nterated Science $'ii% Social studies and Citi!enship "ducation $'iii% )ntroductory Technoloy The language of environment shall be taught as LI where it has orthography and literature. Where it does not have, it shall be taught with emphasis on oraley as L2. .o'ernment welcomes the participation of 'oluntary aencies, communities and pri'ate indi'iduals in the establishment and manaement of secondary schools( State o'ernments shall prescribe conditions to be met by the communities and others wishin to establish secondary schools( .o'ernment shall reulate the establishment of schools super'ise and inspect schools reularly and ensure that all schools follow appro'ed curricula and conform to the National policy on "ducation( The teacher*pupil ratio at this le'el of education shall be 1=;(
Certi+atin)$a% The 5unior School Certi
4easures shall be ta/en to ensure that culture of the nation is /ept ali'e throuh art( )nter*state e+chane 'isits of students shall be encouraed( $ outh clubs, orani!ations and school societies are important instruments for character trainin and shall be positi'ely encouraed( e Co*curricular acti'ities f orm an essential part of the childHs education and should be acti'ely encouraed( ( .o'ernment shall pro'ide necessary infrastructure and trainin for the interation of )C T in the school system in reconition of the role of )CT )n ad'ancin /nowlede and s/ill in the modem world( TERTIARY EDUCATION Tertiary education is the education i'en after secondary education in uni'ersities, collees of education, polytechnics, monotechnics includin those institutions oerin correspondence courses( The /a's ( tertiar# e$%atin sha'' e t)$a% contribute to national de'elopment throuh hih le'el rele'ant manpower trainin? $b% de'elop and inculcate proper 'alues for the sur'i'al of the indi'idual and society? $c% de'elop the intellectual capability of indi'iduals to understand and appreciate their local and e+ternal en'ironments? $d% acBuire both physical and intellectual s/ills which will enable indi'iduals to be self*reliant and useful members of the society? $e% promote and encourae scholarship and community ser'ice? $f% fore and cement national unity? and $% promote national and international understandin and interaction *er 2iar3 edca2ional i ns2i22ions shall $rse 2hese goals 2hrogh4 $a% teachin? $b% research and de'elopment? $c% 'irile sta de'elopment prorammes? $d% eneration and dissemination of /nowlede? $e% a 'ariety of modes of prorammes includin full*time, par t*time, bloc/*release, day*release, sandwich, etc? $f% access to trainin funds such as those pro'ided by the )ndustrial Trainin 3und $) T3%? $% Students )ndustrial or/ "+perience Scheme $S)"S%? $h% maintenance of minimum educational standards throuh appropriate aencies? $i% inter*institutional co*operation? $-% dedicated ser'ices to the community throuh e+tra*mural and e+tension ser'ices(
ll teachers in tertiary institutions shall be reBuired to undero trainin in the methods and techniBues of teachin( To supplement o'ernment fundin, uni'ersities and other tertiary institutions are encouraed to e+plore other sources of fundin such as endowments, consultancy ser'ices and commercial 'entures( $a% The internal orani!ation and administration of each institution shall be its own responsibility? $b% The traditional areas of academic freedom for the institutions are to= $i% select their students, e+cept where the law prescribes otherwise? $ii% appoint their sta? $iii% teach, select areas of research? and $i'% determine the content of courses( .o'ernment shall continue to respect this freedom as lon as these areas are in consonance with national oals( Uni0ersit# E$%atin 9
Dni'ersity "ducation shall ma/e optimum contribution to national de'elopment by= a% intensifyin and di'ersifyin its prorammes for the de'elopment of hih le'el manpower within the conte+t of the needs of the nation? b% ma/in professional course contents to reFect our national reBuirements? c% ma/in all students, as part of a eneral proramme of all*round impro'ement in uni'ersity education, to oer eneral study courses such as history of ideas, philosophy of /nowlede and nationalism(
Uni0ersit# research shall be rele'ant to the nationHs de'elopmental oals( )n this reard, uni'ersities shall be encouraed to disseminate their research results to both o'ernment and industries( Uni0ersit# teachin shall see/ to inculcate community spirit in the students throuh pro-ects and action research( Joluntary aencies, indi'iduals and roups shall be allowed to establish uni'ersities pro'ided they comply with minimum standards laid down by th e 3ederal .o'ernment, $a% Technically*based professional courses in the uni'ersities shall ha'e, as components, e+posure to rele'ant future wor/in en'ironment( $b% )t is imperati'e that teachers in professional
Teaher E$%atin a Since no education system may rise abo'e the Buality of its teachers, teacher education shall continue to be i'en ma-or emphasis i n all educational plannin and de'elopment( The minimum Buali
Teacher education shall continue to ta/e coni!ance of chanes in methodoloy in the curriculum( Teachers shall be reularly e+posed to inno'ations in their profession( )n*ser'ice trainin shall be de'eloped as an interal part of continuin teacher education and shall also ta/e care of all inadeBuacies( ( romotion opportunities shall be created to allow for professional rowth at each le'el( Teachin ser'ices shall be so planned that teachers can transfer front state to state without loss of status( $a% Teachin is a leally reconi!ed profession in Nieria? in this reard, .o'ernment hasH set up the TeachersH #eistration Council to control and reulate, the practice of the profession( $b% Those already enaed in teachin but not professionally Buali
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SECTION !
HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
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Chapter T1 AFRICAN INDIGENOUS EDUCATION a. Charateristis ( In$i/en%s E$%atin The followin characteristics can be identi
Cntent ( In$i/en%s E$%atin The content of indienous education is the reFection of the aims of indienous education which is the de'elopment of an ideal man who is well interated into his society( s a result of this, the de'elopment of the intellect is secondary to functional s/ills( The content of indienous education is based on the felt needs of the society( This reFects the nature of its local industry such as ariculture, tradin, citti $197%, Eertels 19G% #ead $19G% and >nwu/a $1982%( The whole community ta/es part in dierent ways in the education of her citi!ens, hence indienous education is described as a -oint enterprise( The followin 2eth$s ( Teahin/ are employed in frican indienous education 1( In$trinatin= This is the method by which the learner is
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2( Re1ar$ an$ p%nish"ent= #eward is used to encourae while punishment is used to discourae the actions of a learner 7( Ora' Literat%re= This is done throuh spea/in to the learner( This can be throuh story*tellin, riddles, -o/es, myths or leends( >ral literature helps to enrich the /nowlede, 'ocabulary and s/ill in spea/in their mother tonue( ;( Sia' Cere"nies= These include initiation ceremonies, such as circumcision or ae rade( The learners are participatin obser'ers and learned better than when described to them( Cultural festi'als arc also included in this method( G( I"itatin= This is a method where learners try to do what they ha'e seen others do( This can be done throuh playin the role of a mother, a farmer, a hunter, a warrior or a builder( The followin methods of learnin are employed in frican indienous education( 1( >bser'ation 2( articipation 7( )ntuition ;( &eduction G( lay 6( pprenticeship
Sta/es ( the In$i/en%s E$%atin )ndienous education in many frican societies is based on ae rades( )t does not start from birth but from conception( 3. Pre/nan#) )ndienous education starts from prenancy where the mother of the unborn child has to conform to certain courses of action or order to ensure a desirable future for the child( The e+pectant mother is e+pected to carry out all her domestic chores but she is forbidden from doin strenuous and 'iolent e+ertions in order to ensure easy deli'ery and ood health of both the child and the mother( The prenant woman is made to obser'e many taboos such as e+pectin her not to eat certain food so that the child can be physically stron when deli'ered( The e+pectant mother uses series of myrrh to rub here abdomen and the contortions she drin/s are meant to shape the child to a desired si!e and ood health( This is responsible for the proper care of the prenant mother, as it is belie'ed that the health of the mother will aect the child( &urin this period $prenancy% the child is a passi'e aent of education( 4. In(an#= t birth, the child becomes an acti'e aent of education and his education is i'en by the mother or and e+perienced woman in the e+tended family( "ducation at this stae centres on the trainin of the child to meet his needs such as food, bodily care, e'acuation and sleep( This early trainin to sleep or elimination is usuallyH done by much pettin, cooin, sinin, roc/in and re*assurin appellations in an eort to soothe and communicate pleasure to the child( The child later leans that his cry is always responded to by satisfyin his huner, bein lured to sleep, bein helped to e'acuate or by reardin it as illness( The namin ceremony is performed within the se'enth day to the ninth day 'aryin from one society to another or dependin on whether the child is a female, twins or male( s the child rows, he is encouraed to ma/e eorts such as wal/in or tal/in( "ach time he succeeds, he is rewarded and each time he performs any antisocial act, he is scolded or reprimanded( Thus, reward and punishment are eecti'e instruments for education( eanin of the child occurs at this period, when he is either able to eat solid food or when the mother is prenant( The child is weaned when there is conception based on a belief that the mil/ of the prenant mother is poisonous to the health of the child( There are bases for this belief because at the early stae of conception, the mother needs a reat Buantity of blood for the formation of the foetus but when the child is not weaned the mother may loose, too much blood( )n addition, the mil/ from the breast is no more rich enouh to enable the child row well( To a'oid malnutrition, a child is weaned at the conception of the mother( The mother plays the most important role in the education of the child durin 1;
the infancy period( She uses food as a reat weapon in instillin discipline as she can withhold it to enforce her wishes( 5. Chi'$h$) t the ae of about <'e or si+ years, the child mo'es out for the disco'ery of other RworldsR beyond her mother( &urin this period, he masters her mother tonue which is the means of communication( This ma/es education easy and possible( Learnin at this stae is mostly throuh play, imitation and obser'ation( The males bein their education with their father while the females are attached to the mother( The boys become more associated with the fatherHs trade or occupation( The child is tauht the thins around him such as the names of e'ery tree, animals,
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Chapter Three GREE8 EDUCATION EDUCATION IN SPARTA 9 : ;) The education of a Spartan child beins at birth and it is usually a state aair, with the parents playin -ust minimal role at the early years of the childHs Life( ea/ness is not acceptable on the part of any child, hence( when a child is born, it was ta/en to the elders council for proper scrutiny to ensure that it is healthy and had the potentials of bein a sturdy child( )f the child is disco'ered to be a wea/lin or sic/ly, heshe was ta/en to the cold mountains to die, or i'en to the helots( Iowe'er, if the child was certither*sub-ects that do not include much physical e+ercises such as poetry, architecture, arts, aesthetics were loo/ed down upon by them as courses for wea/lins which were not worthy of soldiers( The Spartan irls were eBually trained to be 'ery patriotic to their state(H Thouh they were not made to li'e in the camps, they were sub-ected to some of the trainin i'en to the boys such as wrestlin, runnin, playin ball, throwin the -a'elins, castin the discus and eneral ymnastics( These were meant to ma/e them healthy, stron and prepared for child*bearin( The Spartans belie'ed that stron children $which were 'ery important to them% would be produced by healthy and stron women, hence the emphasis on physical 16
trainin for the irls( The Spartan women were not i'en opportunity for any sentimentality, they were eBually made to ran/ their state
2erits ( the Spartan E$%atin S#ste" 1( )t bred men and women who were 'ery patriotic( Such patriotism could reduce if not eliminate some social 'ices which would ha'e been )nimical to the success of the society? because e'erybody was committed to wor/in towards the best interest of the state( 2( )t emphasi!ed the education of the women more than the other .ree/ States( 7( )t helped to breed children, who were healthy and physically stron, ;( The state*pro'ided education for He'ery citi!en, this helps both the children and families to ha'e opportunities to acBuire education( G( The idea of boardin and *prefectortal systems practiced today may be attributed to those of the ancient Sparta( 6( hysical education for boys and irls as practiced in our schools today has its oriin in Sparta( ( The scout mo'ement and other similar 'oluntary orani!ations found in our schools today are said to ha'e their roots in the e+peditionary and campin life of the Spartan youths( 8( The public spirit and loyalty to the state which was de'eloped by Spartan education has i'en rise to the sinin of National nthem and the recitation of National ledes in modern educational systems( De"erits ( the Spartan S#ste" ( E$%atin 1( The Spartan system of education was too puniti'e in nature( 2( Children were not i'en opportunity to e+press themsel'es and their .od i'en uniBue talents( 7( The importance of the home was de*emphasi!ed for the children, especially the boys who ne'er spend considerable part of their li'es at home e+cept when they are old( ;( Less emphasis was placed on the aecti'e domain of the children, therefore, their education cannot be said to be an all round one( G( There was no eort made to de'elop Literacy and numeracy s/ills of the children( 6( The Spartan education had a narrow content because it concentrated mainly on military trainin( ( The children are not trained to appreciate aesthetics or the beauty of nature
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Chapter F%r ISLA2IC EDUCATION The )slamic reliion far preceded the Christian reliion for hundreds of years in Nieria( )t was the n the other hand, the pastoralists who ne'er came in contact with )slamic reliion /ept on practicin their indienous reliions( Iowe'er, at about 1G, a leadin 3ulani Dsman &an 3odio, felt that )slam as bein practiced then was not pure, therefore, wanted reforms that would purely toe the lines of )slamic law( )n 18;, he declared the 5ihad $Ioly ar% aainst the Iausa Kins who were the rulers o'er the 'arious empires in the northern parts of Nieria( Ey 189, the territory of all Iausa state was under 3ulani control( The inFuence of )slamic reliion later spread to some parts of estern Nieria( l)orin and )badan became reat*centres for )slamic studies as a result of this inFuence( here'er the 4oslems conBuered, they encouraed educatin the con'erts irrespecti'e of se+( )n other words, men and women were encouraed to learn( )n fact, this period witnessed 'ery hih literary resurence( Those that continued their education by furtherin their learnin in the )slamic learnin centres, went bac/ to their towns or 'illaes establishin their own Koranic or 4adrasahs Schools( Cntri%tins ( Is'a" t Sh'arship an$ =r'$ Ci0i'i>atin 1( )t was )slam that re'i'ed the human pursuit of )slamic "ducaiioti in Nieria science and throuh the rabs the modern world achie'ed liht and power throuh science( 2( The 4uslims introduced the rabic numerals in theR
( The 4uslims established uni'ersities and institutions of hiher learnin in many cities li/e Eahdad, Timbu/tu, Cairo, Cordo'a etc, many centuries before uni'ersities started emerin from the western world( 8( The 4uslim rabs in'ented the pendulum and ad'anced the worldHs /nowlede of optics in the
THE EARLY 8ORANIC SCHOOLS !asi (eat%res?Charateristis The proprietors of the Koranic schools were the teachers in the schools( )nitially /nown as RDrnmaR, but presently they are referred to as R4alamR( The schools were situated in their pri'ate residence, his 'eranda, the mosBue or under a tree(
The main te+tboo/s used for teachin are the 'olumes of the Koran and other )slamic boo/s( The schools are open to 4oslem children only(
There are no riid rules, which the schools must conform to( 3or e+ample, the period for resumption 'aries from one Koranic school to another( lthouh, enerally, the schools start at 8( a(m( The school wee/ starts on Saturday and ends on ednesday( Thursday is for preparation aainst the worship that normally comes up on 3ridays(
The schools run either a two*session*a*day system, in which case lessons end at ;(pm or a three*session*a*day*system and the school closes at 9(pm( 3or that of two sessions, the ( a(m( hile the second session $i(e( afternoon session% starts at 2(pm and ends at ;(pm( The 7 rd session starts at (7pm and ends at 9(pm( The same streams of students run all the sessions(
3ees are paid either in cash or /ind( There is a 'ery close bond between teacher and pupils( The teacher 'isits pupils when they are sic/ and e'en treats them, while pupils Hassist the teachers with certain tas/s particularly those concernin*the arranement or preachin 'enues(
Sta/es ( Is'a"i E$%atin The )slamic education i'en to the children is in three staes= Sta/e One 2a@aranta A'' The First Sta/e is a''e$ 2a@aranta A''B 1hih is e%i0a'ent t the pri"ar# sh' sta/e. The ma-or aims at this stae are $1% To assist the child to memori!e the
Koran( The children are e+pected to master one or two of the si+ty parts $esus% the Koran has been di'ided into( Ia'in mastered the stae abo'e, the pupils mo'e on to the ne+t stae which is that of learnin the rabic alphabets which are twenty*si+ in number( The twenty* si+ alphabets*are di'ided into three sets of 1, 1 and 6( The*children are e+pected to master the
Sta/e T1 2a@aranta I'"i This stae is called Makaran2a l#i U which is eBui'alent to the secondary school stae( The curriculum is wider and deeper than that of the n the other hand, they miht continue learnin under local specialists( t the end of their trainin, dependin on their area of specialisation, they are i'en license to practice either as an )mam $preacher%, l/ali $-ude% or 4allam $Teacher%( 2erits ( Ear'# 8rani Sh's
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1( )slamic education pre*dated estern education for hundreds of years( )t encouraed the con'erts to learn( The beinnin of literacy education in Nieria is traceable to the Koranic schools( 2( The system was able to produce 'ery ood scholars who were able to write boo/s on the )slamic reliion( This not, only ensured the sur'i'al of the reliion durin proselytisation of the Christian missionaries, it also ensured the documentation of facts( 7( The early Koranic schools stimulated the pursuit, acBuisition and dissemination of /nowlede( ;( "'en thouh the Koranic teachers had limited /nowlede, it was enouh for them to brin the peasantry and the learned 4uslim communities toether( They did this throuh the teachin and the propaation of the )slamic reliion( G( )t, encouraed ood school*community relationship especially in the area of the teacher bein concerned with the childrenHs welfare such as 'isitin and treatin sic/ children( 6( &iscipline was hihly emphasised, this ensured the de'elopment of desirable moral attitudes in the learners( ( )t also introduced some rabic words into Nierian lanuaes particularly, Iausa, oruba, Kanuri and 3ulani lanuaes( 3or e+ample such words as HlaftentimesH the teachers were not 'ery Buali
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Chapter 3i'e CHRISTIAN 2ISSIONARY?=ESTERN EDUCATION Intr$%tin Christian 4issionary education is synonymous with the history of western education in Nieria( >ne of the most remar/able de'elopments of education in estern "urope durin the second half of the 19 th century was the crystalli!ation of the National System of "ducation Known as formal education in identi
Initia' atte"pt at Intr$%in/ 2issinar# E$%atin lthouh the ortuuese merchants had traded with other areas such as Seneal and the .old Coast $now .hana% in the early part of the 1Gth century, they did not arri'e in Nieria till about 1;2( fter settlin in Laos they later e+tended their acti'ities to Erass, arri and Eenin( Since commerce was their ma-or aim of comin, they felt that elements of readin and writin should be tauht to the nati'es in order to ma/e them ood tradin partners( They also felt that the nati'es had to be Christianised( They wrote to their /in in ortual reBuestin him to send missionaries( The /in oblied them( The #oman Catholic faith was dominant in ortual at that time( So the missionaries that came were Catholics( The missionaries built schools in the palaces of the rulers of Laos, Eenin and Erass who had been con'erted to Christianity( They tauht readin and writin to the sons of the con'erted /ins and chiefs( 22
Iowe'er, this
The Sen$ Atte"pt !a@/r%n$ Histr# ( the 4 n$ Atte"pt Ey the turn of the 18th century, some whites in "urope, particularly in Eritain, bean to see the e'il, in-ustice and manHs inhumanity to man in the sla'e trade( This period was also characterised by the sprinin up of se'eral reliious bodies such as the Eaptist 4issionary Society $198%, the London 4issionary Society $198%, the Church 4issionary Society and a host of others( These reliious bodies re'olutionised the peopleHs attitude towards reliion and morality( )t was this re'olution that led to the formation of the anti*sla'e*trade mo'ement( The reliious bodies 'iorously campained aainst this uly trade( )n 12, Lord 4ans
27
The abolitionists eBually felt that the wron done to est fricans by the "uropean sla'e traders should be corrected( They arued that the est fricans had seen only the worst sides of "uropean ci'ilisation particularly its acBuisiti'e and destructi'e aspects( So they felt that by oin to est frica the nati'es would be i'en the opportunity to acBuire its moral and material beneut of this number, two were members of the Church 4issionary Society $C(4(S(% and one was a liberated sla'e, a oruba * Samuel -ayi Crowther $Crowther had been liberated as a sla'e on the hih seas( Ie was settled in Sierra Leone( Ie had this education in Sierra Leone and later in "nland%( Coincidin with the eorts of these anti*sla'e trade mo'ements was the call by the oruba emirants from Sierra Leone( 4ost of these emirants were sla'es who had been freed and settled in Sierra Leone( They had been e+posed to Christianity and education as they had come in contact with C(4(S( and the esleyans in Sierra Leone( 4ost of them were also of oruba decent who were able to trace their roots( 4a-ority of them settled in Eadary and beo/uta, ha'in had a foretaste of education and Christianity, they in'ited missionary bodies in Sierra Leone to come to Nieria to help Christianise their /ith and /in and to also assist them in pro'idin education for their children( )n response to this call, the esleyan 4ethodists 4issionary Society led by Thomas Eirch 3reeman arri'ed in Eadary in 18;2( Ie was accompanied by 4r( arid 4rs illiam de .raft from .old Coast( s soon as they arri'ed, they established a mission there and because the emirants needed assistance in the area of education a school was also immediately beun under the super'ision of &e .raft( )n 18;7, the Church 4issionary Society $C(4(S(% arri'ed, but was to study the situation( )n 18;G, they came and established a mission also in Eadary( The Southern Eaptist Con'ention -oined in the establishment of schools in 18G7 in )-aiye, then later at >bomosho( The #oman Catholic 4ission -oined the race in 1862 establishin a stronhold in Laos( )n the "ast the Dnited resbyterian Church of Scotland led by #e'( Iope addell started serious missionary and literacy acti'ities in Calabar in 18;6( The C(4( S( later established schools at >nitsha, )ddah, .bede, /assa and Eonny( Iowe'er, the acti'ities of the missionaries were limited to southern Nieria because the 4uslims in northern Nieria did not li/e western education since they saw it as an instrument of con'ersion to Christianity( The Ear'# 2issinar# Sh's ll the missions came purposely to plant Christianity( )t was not easy for them to con'ert the adult population( They felt it would be easier to con'ert the children( They realised too that the tas/ would be easier if they did do throuh literacy education( Ience they established schools alonside the churches( The 4ethodists established the
hoped that the learnin of these sub-ects would eBually enable the students to e+press themsel'es orally and also in writin( 3or the students to be familiar with the home bac/round of the missions, they were tauht the Iistory and .eoraphy of Eritain( They also paid attention to the teachin of ariculture and the teachin of domestic science to the irls( Lo'e for manual labour was fostered not only in the students but also in the nati'es( 3or instance, monetary awards were sometimes i'en to farmers after tal/in to them on ariculture( There was much emphasis on ariculture because they wanted the children to be able to use their hands after lea'in school Iowe'er, all sub-ects were tauht and e+plained from the EibleHs point of*'iew( The arithmetic tauht was to produce cler/s and messeners for the 'arious o'ernmental o@ces and commercial houses( Ey this time, the Eritish o@cials were already in
Osta'es En%ntere$ # the Ear'# Sh's )t was not all smooth sailin for the early schools( Not e'erybody accepted education without Buestion( )n the n the other hand, the priests and priestesses were afraid of losin their rips on their members( So they persecuted any person that attended the schools and churches( 3or instance, as reported by 3a-ana $198% that in beo/uta, those attendin the churches were depri'ed of ettin marriae mates( s a result of this, most parents withdrew their children from the schools( The 4uslims who were afraid and suspicious of missionary education 'ehemently resisted the attempt to attract their children to the schools( Those that allowed their children to attend the schools did so half*heartedly( They rearded it as a waste of the childrenHs time to send them to school( Those that sent children sent either their sla'es or their motherless children( 4oreo'er, those that sent their children e+pected immediate rewards? if slow to come, they withdrew their children( 3urther, the type of trainin i'en in the schools, made the children oer no *useful ser'ices to their parents at home( They saw themsel'es as too important to assist their parents at home( or to wor/ in the farms( This led to doubts about the 'alue of western education, arents therefore immediately withdrew their children( So the missionaries had to mount admission campain from house to house and from farm to farm bein parents to send their children to school( Those that allowed their children were i'en monetary or other ifts such as clothes, boo/s, slates and pencils( "'en the students were paid for 2G
attendin schools( here fees were paid due to the initial enthusiasm, they were abandoned and schools were made free( ctually, the earliest educated Nierians apart from the children of the emirants were the children of not*well*to*do parents( nother problem encountered by the early schools is irreular attendance( The children that were sent to school did not lo'e schoolin either( They preferred their traditional homes( They preferred huntin,
The 2erits ( Ear'# 2issinar# E$%atin &espite all the shortcomins, early missionary education contributed a lot to the de'elopment of Nieria, )t helped to= 1( Lay the foundation for the western educational bein practiced in Nieria today( 2( Stop the sla'e trade and other e'il practices such as the /illin of twins in the eastern part of Nieria( 7( )nculcate discipline and dinity for manual labour in the children( ;( >pen up a'enues for social and economic mobility : those that had education had limitless -ob opportunities( Those that attended these early schools were employed as teachers, cler/s, messeners, interpreters etc( They thus became 'ery important personalities in the community( They were seen as bein close to the white man and 'ery near to o'ernment( >f course, there been paid salaries e'en thouh not much, placed them at a hiher economic le'el than their counterparts that did not ha'e the missionary education( G( Their intellectual hori!ons were broadened and as a result were able to criticise the system which led to the reforms and self*rule e(( the 'arious education laws and NieriaHs since196, 6( "stablish printin presses which led to the production of boo/s( ( lphabetise many indienous Nieria lanuaes on the basis of which their orthoraphies de'eloped( s a result they were able to transcribe the lanuaes to the written form( )t is on this basis that all Nierian lanuaes could be put in the written form( The !e/innin/ ( Sen$ar# E$%atin ll the missions were not interested in pro'idin secondary education( They felt it was not a prereBuisite for e'anelical ser'ice( They eBually felt that the basic education their con'erts acBuired at the primary School le'el was su@cientH for them to carry out their wor/ e'anelically and secularly( Ience secondary and hiher education were nelected( 26
)t was the demand by inFuential church members, rich merchants and immirants li'in in Laos that led to the establishment of secondary schools( ( T( E( 4acaulay of the C(4(S( opened the
TA!LE3) T=ELE EARLIEST SCHOOLS ESTA!LISHED IN NIGERIA AGENCY FOUNDING C( 4( S( #( C( 4( 4ethodist 4ethodist Eaptist Church of Scotland C( 4( S( .o'ernment ri'ate frican initiati'e C( 4( S( C( 4( S(
SCHOOL
LOCATION
C 4(S( .rammar School St( .reorys Collee 4ethodist Eoys Iih School 4ethodist .irls Iih School Eaptist Eoys Iih School Iope addell )nstitute beo/uta .rammar School Kins Collee
Laos Laos Laos
YEAR FOUNDED 18G9 186 188
Laos
189
Laos Calabar beo/uta
188G 189G 198
Laos
199
Laos
19
)badan )-ebu*>de
1917 1917
"/o Eoys Iih School
)badan .rammar School )-ebu*>de .rammar School #( C( 4( St( 4arys Con'ent ll schools e+cept two were boys school( Source=
Laos 1917 3afunwa, Eabs, ( 19;%
Feat%res ( the Ear'# Sen$ar# Sh's 4ost of the schools were boardin schools( The missions and the o'ernment fa'oured the boardin system because they felt this was the only ci'ilised way the children could be trained to become ci'ilised( They belie'ed this system would i'e them the opportunity to super'ise, control and direct the children properly without the He'il and unci'ili!edH inFuences of their home en'ironment( The secondary schools were purely literary( They tauht a 'ery lare number of sub-ects( ccordin to 3a-ana $1918%, the sub-ects were "nlish and >rthoraphy, writin, &ictation, rithmetic and lebra, .rammar, Iistory $#eliious and secular% .eoraphy, classics, prose and poetry( There were also optional sub-ects which were oered at e+tra costs( They were in two parts= )n the
4ytholoy and antiBuities, physioloy? eoloy and botany( The Iope addell )nstitute added practical courses to the curriculum -ust enumerated( The practical courses included printin, carpentry and mechanics( $ /pochafo, 199%( These lare numbers of sub-ects were tauht in such a way that the students assimilated little or nothin( part from the manner of the teachin, the children who entered these schools then, were inadeBuately prepared from the primary schools( The parents and the children who entered the schools only saw this as an opportunity of ha'in better wae*earnin prospects( t that time there was acute shortae of cler/s and interpreters( )t was so acute that the o'ernment was ma/in its recruitment from the .old Coast $.hana%, Sierra Leone and the est )ndies( &ue to this acute demand, parents ne'er allowed their children to complete schoolin before remo'in them to see/ employment( The schools were eBually poorly staed( Some of the missions were so poor that they could not aord to employ two raduates( The poor remuneration eBually led to the e+odus of the few teachers from the teachin profession( The end result was that there was a eneral fall in the standard( The products of the schools were far below standard(
TECHNICAL EDUCATION The missions were interested in pro'idin technical education but its result was disappointin( The #oman Catholics, for e+ample, established an aricultural school at Topo, Eadary in 18G where they tauht technical sub-ects as well as readin and writin( The school produced its own food from the farms( Iowe'er, technical education was not a success, rather, it was the .rammar schools that Fourished despite all their Faws( The failure of technical education could be attributed to the followin reasons= $ )% Lac/ of
28
6(
They also pro'ided much medical ser'ices in the country( They built hospitals, maternity centres, dispensaries and also Leper Clinics, throuh which many people were treated( This helped reduce considerably many deaths that hitherto occurred out of inorance( ( ith reliious instructions, the missionaries were able to inculcate some worthy moral 'alues in the nati'es, such as respect for the dinity of human li'es, humility, honesty and a eneral code of conduct for teachers and pupils was set( 8( The Christian missionaries can also be credited for contributin much towards the economic de'elopment of the nation( This was demonstrated in the suestion of T( 3( Eu+ton, $a member of the anti*sla'ery mo'ement in London% that the missionaries and teachers should o to the interior part of the Nier with the the plouhR, this was to ma/eH both Christianity and ariculture to Fourish and to brin about commerce which would turn the peopleHs attention away from sla'e trade( 9( The mission schools produced the present day political leaders of Nieria, most of who were bene
Pr'e"s ( Christian 2issinaries 1( thouh all the missions had similar educational policies, these policies were not e+ecuted in the same manner( They also lac/ed central co*ordination( These resulted in dierences( )n the
education in Nieria before their arri'al( So, they tried to shield the pupils from the inFuence of their homes( )n turn, the pupil saw their own culture as inferior and tended to feel superior to those not in school( lso, the children loo/ed down on their own culture due to the teachin i'en to them( 3or instance, the pupils were encouraed to chane the-r Nierian names to "nlish and Eiblical names( The pupils were 'ery proud of the chanes( This was a( sure way of losin their identity as Nierian cultures were not pro-ected( 1( The competition for fame and supremacy also led to the establishment of sub* standard schools( )n most cases, the churches ser'ed as schools on wee/days while the schools became churches on Sundays(
7
Chapter Si+ PU!LIC PRIATE PARTNERSHIP =HAT IS PPP ublic pri'ate partnership has been dene of the shortcomins of that mo'e was that it has depri'ed the leadership of schools the much*needed initiati'e to run their schools successfully( Eureaucracy delays decision*ma/in and mista/es are descended upon with se'erity( School heads therefore wait on 4inistries dictation to run their schools and this has stilled inno'ati'eness and Buality deli'ery( 3reedom to ta/e appropriate decisions is important to leadership success( ;( )n recent times, mar/et forces are ta/in central place in the manaement of many public enterprises includin education( The trend in school manaement in the last two or three decades in some "nlish*spea/in countries $e(( "nland and ales% is a paradim shift to autonomy or decentralisation $Coleman, 199;%( Such terms as charter schools, autonomous or self*manaed schools or school*based manaement ha'e emered to describe this trend( These are public schools that ha'e opted to be independent of bureaucratic control so as to control their own resources and performance( )n the Dnited States of merica, charter schools are Ro'ernment* funded and o'ernment*reulated and they may be operated by pri'ate boards or corporationsR $Coulson, 27, p(;%( Coulsn obser'ed that in the Dnited States of merica= )n times of reater centralised authority, lare administrati'e 71
structures, such as states, school districts, and school boards, maintain control o'er decisions reardin educational policy, budet, and operations( hen the pendulum swins towards decentralisation, much of this control shifts to smaller school boards for e+ample, and more recently, indi'idual schools, $p(l%( G( P'itia' iss%es= This is a 'ery important aspect of public pri'ate partnership because where there is the absence of political will to , then its li/elihood of wor/in will be 'ery slim and also is the fact that the ne+t administration may not be interested in or may want to reconcess it due to dierent reasons amon which is the fact that there is this tendency with new administrations to chane some policies decided upon by the pre'ious administrations, so concessionaires try to speed up commissions of pro-ects before the deadline of the present administration and at the end of the day causin increase in the cost( 6( F%n$in/ iss%es= This is a ma-or problem for any concession areement because raisin that /ind of needed credit locally is almost impossible especially considerin the fact that most ban/s were s/eptical about the pro-ect as it is new and there is no precedent to show for the success or failure as the case may be( ( Le/a' iss%es= Dntil 'ery recently, there were no leal framewor/ for s in Nieria and this has posed a serious challene to both the o'ernment and the concessionaires because there were no leally de
PROSPECTS 1( artnership en'isaed should cuts across dierent but mutually inclusi'e roups of sta/eholders, includin )nternational Non*.o'ernment >rani!ations and &e'elopment encies such as Dnited Nations "ducational, Scienti%, Dnited States ency for )nternational &e'elopment $DS)&%, 4ultinational Corporations such as lesco Cooperation Limited, Shell, Che'ron, Ta+aco, Total 3inal "L3, "++on* 4obile and others >rani!ed ri'ate Sector $>S% such as Nierian ssociation of Chambers of Commerce, )ndustry, 4arine and riculture $NCC)4%, 4N .lobal and selected Non*Buoted pri'ate sector companies such as "conet, 4inneapolis Telecommunications Networ/ $4TN%, .lobalcom, "tisalat, \ain, &anote and 3olawiyo .roups( rofessional Eodies such as Council for the #eulation of "nineerin in Nieria $C>#"N%, )nstitute of Chartered ccountants of Nieria $)CN%, and Nierian )nstitute of 4anaement $N)4%, amon others are not left out( 2( Nierian publicpri'ate sector partnership should o beyond the "ducation Ta+ 3und( Nieria should ta/e ad'antae of the international e+perience and allow for sini
