EDUCATION’S AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT’S ROLE IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
According to Uwadia (2010), education is the process by which a person acquires the various physical and social abilities needed to function in the society into which he or she is born. It is a country’s equivalent to the mind, just as a sick mind has difficulty coordinating and directing physiological processes. As a result, whether formal or informal, the educational system contains the single most important complex of social-control mechanisms for national growth. Eduwen (2009) defines education as the process of acquiring knowledge that includes both teaching and learning. Formal education in Nigeria dates back to British colonisation. In the pre-colonial and colonial eras, colonial masters introduced reading, writing, and arithmetic, which marked the beginning of Nigeria’s official education. system. Previously, education was informal, in the sense that knowledge was gained through an apprenticeship system. With the arrival of British colonization, there was a shift from an informal to a formal education system. Soon after the country’s independence, Nigerian states established higher education institutions for manpower training and development. As a result, Nigerians’ professionalism has increased (Sandra, 2008). Nigerian education has had a significant impact on the Nigerian nation over time, as evidenced by the country’s growth and prosperity. Civil service, political system, technological expansion, communication, industrial growth, agricultural output increase, medicine engineering, and exploitation of her national wealth are all on the horizon. Vocational and technical education aids in the development of applicable skills and fundamental scientific knowledge (Samalia, 2006). It is a structured program of courses and learning experiences that begins with job exploration and progresses to support fundamental, academic, and life skills, as well as high academic standards, leadership, career preparation, and continuing education (Career and Technical Education, 2009). Unfortunately, Nigeria does not appear to prioritize vocational and technical education. This appears to be the root cause of the country’s rising unemployment and poverty rates, which have exacerbated the country’s security problems. According to Olaitan, this is due to the fact that Nigerian adolescents and graduates from educational institutions lack the necessary skills to harness the country’s abundant natural resources (2006). (Bolu, 2007). He continues by stating that unemployment causes dissatisfaction and despair, which can lead to criminality or drug use in a person. a futile attempt to forget the miseries and humiliation of poverty, which has worsened as millions of school leavers and tertiary graduates are unemployed (Lola, 2007). This is because they lack the necessary vocational skills to be self-employed and perform well in today’s workplace. Nigerian domestic and international relations with other countries have been effectively managed through the use of policies and recommendations from professionals, resulting in improved leaving standards, social economy growth, political stability, infrastructure development, provision of basic amenities, social reconstruction, and so on. With the increased demand for education, there has been a constant drive for a better leaving condition and way of life, which has resulted in modifications (Bill, 2010). Universities in freshly founded nation nations were held in high regard. Due to migration restrictions, new learning opportunities were required in rural areas with no true academic traditions. New faculties were built from the ground up or were based on previous branch departments. The tradition of strong ‘autonomous faculties’ and a weak university facilitated the proliferation of new institutions. The university’s role in society was reconfirmed, as it had been in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: the time for ‘the national university’ had returned. ‘The role and significance of the university were typical for the roles and significances that universities have played in western civilized countries, illuminist and liberator from tutelage of others,’ remarked Rector Rugova (Rugova, 2010). The debate over what constitutes an equitable distribution of expensesThe delivery of education is a critical issue in Nigeria’s educational planning and management. According to the Nigerian Constitution, the provision of education, and thus its financing, is a joint responsibility of the federal, state, and local governments. It is also widely assumed that it is the responsibility of parents to educate their children, and thus they cannot avoid paying for education. The issue of how the financial burden should be distributed has yet to be resolved (Ayetola, 2005). However, the current trend is for the government to seek a greater financial commitment from parents, as evidenced by massive increases in tuition fees implemented by certain state governments in recent years. However, Nwagw (2002) claims that because the federal government receivesIt must provide more funds to support the efforts of state and local governments, as well as parents, despite accounting for nearly 80% of total national revenue; the question is how much. Every country’s economy relies heavily on education. As a significant investment in human capital development, it plays an important role in long-term productivity and growth at both the micro and macro levels (Job, 2006). This explains why education remains a major topic of discussion at all levels of government in Nigeria. As a result, decreasing educational quality at all levels has far-reaching negative implications for a nation’s moral, civic, cultural, and economic survival. At this point, it is critical to recognize that discussions about education and reforms to make it more effective are critical. To meaningfully contribute to national development, we must gradually and systematically shift away from a politicized approach and toward a more analytical approach that acknowledges the complexities involved in proposing genuine and workable solutions for overhauling our educational system (Naomi, 2005). Effective funding of the three levels of government is required in Nigeria for the sector (education) to contribute significantly to national development. If done correctly, the Academic Staff Union of Universities will not need to strike because infrastructure in primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools will be improved; there will be no brain drain because research activities will be carried out effectively; examination misconduct will be eliminated or reduced; and the sector will make a meaningful contribution to national development. Murtala claims that (2010),
Something urgently needs to be done in the educational sector because “illiterates” are leading Nigerians. However, the problem in Nigeria is that there is no difference in leadership between a well-educated president and one who is not. Despite the preceding statement, the primary focus of this research is on the role of education in national development.
1.2 DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM
Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, the education system has grown and expanded tremendously. However, the education system has seen only quantitative improvements in the number of institutions and students enrolled, with little education in terms of capacity to maintain standards and efficiency in the educational process and products (Okoye, 2005). This ailment has been attributed to the crisis-ridden The education system’s organization, planning, and administration. In a paper titled “The Environment of Crises in the Nigerian Education System,” Nwagwu (2007) drew attention to a series of crippling crises in the system, particularly in the previous two decades, and blamed them on insufficient and incompetent system design and administration. Many educational issues have arisen as a result of educational politics. For example, educational funding crises, regular staff strikes, and student rioting have become nearly permanent fixtures as a result of excessive centralization of educational planning and Federal Government meddling in topics that should be handled by the states. “If the Federal Government tries to solve problems that should be handled at the local level, it will be less successful in furthering the goals and interests of the people.”
Adesina believes in “national development” (2002). The power struggle at the federal level between politicians and government officials, whether civilian or military, is frequently complicated by religious and ethnic attitudes and interests. These factors make policy development and decision-making in education extremely difficult, and they also influence how successfully a policy or program is implemented, if at all.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The primary goal of this study is to investigate the role of education in Nigerian national development among secondary school students, with a focus on:
i. Identify the factors that influence Nigerian national development.
ii. Research the factors influencing Nigeria’s education industry.
iii. Investigate the impact of education on Nigeria’s national growth.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
i. What are the components?
that have an impact on Nigeria’s national development?
ii. What factors influence Nigeria’s education industry?
iii. What impact does education have on Nigeria’s national growth?
1.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
The study’s findings may aid Nigeria’s educational and national development efforts. This information would be useful to stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, policymakers, teachers, and parents. The research study has the potential to add to the small body of knowledge in Nigeria about education and its role in national development.
1.6 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVE
This research looks at education and its role in national development in Nigeria.
1.7 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
The process of receiving or imparting systematic instruction, particularly in a school or university setting, is known as education.
National development is defined as “the total impact.”
of all citizen forces, as well as additional physical, human, and knowledge and skill resources.”
The function or part that a person or thing plays in a situation is referred to as their role.
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