14 a functional education will make nigeria attain the goals vision 202020
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A FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION: KWARA STATE AS AREFERENCE POINT IN 20/2020
By
Suleiman Nasiru ArisekolaPresident National Association of Kwara State Students,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Chapter
14.1 INTRODUCTION
Nigerias economic potential is well recognized. It
is the biggest economy in the West African sub
region. Given the countrys considerable resource
endowment and coastal location there is potential
for strong growth. Yet Nigeria has realized very
little of this potential. Previous efforts at planning
and visioning were not sustained. The history of
economic stagnation, declining welfare and socialinstability, has undermined development for most
of the past 30 years.
But in recent years, Nigeria has been experiencing
a conditions seem right for launching onto a path
of sustained and rapid growth, justifying its
ranking amongst the N11 countries. These are the
countries identified by Goldman Sachs to have the
potential for attaining global competitivenessbased on their economic and demographic
settings and the foundation for reforms already
laid.
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The previous administration had declared the
intention to pursue the vision of placing Nigeria
among the 20 largest economies in the world by
2020 and the current administration is committed
to the attainment of this vision.
A vision is a clear mental picture of the future
which must represent a significant improvement
on the current state. It however must be
supported by a clear and realistic path to itsrealisation and requires consistent and sustained
effort for its achievement.
Though the key mission statement for the vision
2020 state thus:
By 2020 Nigeria will be one of the 20 largest
economies in the world able to consolidate its
leadership role in Africa and establish itself as a
significant player in the global economic and
political arena.
Education has been an integral part of national
development strategies in many societies because
of its impact on productivity and economic
development. In a weak political and economic
system, and persistent ethnic and religious
conflicts in a country like our (Nigeria), education
provides the best alternative for national stability,
security, unity, and prosperity. John Dewey, one of
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the most influential American philosophers,
writing for the America audience in the early 20th
century, believes that democracy was important
not only because it stood for freedom and equality
but because of its educational consequences.
Despite its contributions the leaders of Nigeria
have not given this education the attention it
deserves. And that is one of the reasons for the
nations underdevelopment. However, for Nigeria
to attain the goals of vision 2020, the functionaleducations have to be the paramount focuses,
with reformation systems. A modern and vibrant
education system which provides for every
Nigerian the opportunity and facility to achieve his
maximum potential and provides the country with
adequate and competent manpower has to
employ.
14.2 THE CONCEPTOF FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION
The terms "Functional Education" have several
meanings:
(1) In the United States and in Germany (starting
around 1920), the adjective "functional" refers to
education that comes spontaneously from the
influence of the environment; It is a kind of
undirected, "natural" education, that is different
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from the deliberate, goal-oriented education, that
is directed by man.
(2) In Western Europe this term refers to
education that comes from the child's needs, and
that uses the child's interest as a mechanism for
activating him and towards his desirable
activities; Its purpose is to develop the life of the
mind, that acts from the wholeness of organic life,
with relation to practical life in the present and inthe future.
However, these are two basic processes in
shaping a human, and they have to be combined
for educational success, just for the mutual
influence of the members of society and of their
life-styles that acts on every human.
Thought, education is a planned program of
courses and learning experiences that begins with
exploration of basic academic, supports of career
options and life skills, and enables achievement of
high academic standards, leadership, preparation
for industry-defined work, and advanced and
continuing education. In other words, it is an
education designed to develop occupational skills
to live, learn and work as a productive citizen in a
global society.
14.3 THE ROLEOF EDUCATIONIN SOCIETY
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1. Aim of Education
Education is a continuous and creative process. Its
aim is to develop the capacities latent in human
nature and to coordinate their expression for the
enrichment and progress of society, by equipping
children with spiritual, moral and material
knowledge.
2. Education to Realise Truth
Within this creative process, it is possible to
achieve an essential harmony between faith and
reason through an approach to education that
encourages the free investigation of all reality and
trains the mind to recognize truth, irrespective of
its origin.
3. True Education
True education releases capacities, develops
analytical abilities, confidence in himself, will
power and goal setting competencies, and instills
the vision that will enable him to become self-
motivating agent of social change, serving the
best interests of the community.
4. Expanded Definition of Education
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Today, education needs an expanded definition
that frees it from today's largely economic context
and acknowledges its role in transforming both
individual lives and entire society.
5. Objectives of Education
Education in terms of the knowledge, qualities,
skills, attitudes, and capacities that enable
individuals to become conscious subjects of their
growth and active responsible participants in asystematic process of building a new world order.
6. Education as an Instrument of Change
Educated persons should understand their
positions as members of both a local community
and the world community and they must believe
that their lives can make a difference.
7. Education for Individual & Community Growth
Education makes the child a collaborator both in
his own growth and in the development of his
community.
A well-educated community member is a
determined yet humble participant, who helps
overcome conflict and division thereby
contributing to a spirit of unity and collaboration.
8. Education not only for Economic Growth
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Although economic considerations are recognized
as necessary in educational planning, resistance is
growing against the conventional view that
education is chiefly a means for only improving
the individual's own economic situation.
9. More than Words Alone
An educational approach directed towards
personal growth and social transformation, and
based on the belief that human beings areessentially spiritual, however, must go well
beyond a mere statement of purpose.
10. Tapping Inner Forces
But moral values are not the only constructive
elements of social processes, rather, they are
expressions of the inner forces that operate in the
spiritual reality of every human being, andeducation must concern itself with these forces, if
it is to tap the roots of motivation and produce
meaningful and lasting change.
11. The purpose of Education
The purpose of education for individuals both
male and female --- is to develop the powers and
capacities latent within them, so that they may
contribute their share to an ever advancing
civilization.
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12. The Relevance of Education
Universal education must be relevant to the true
needs of a community and contribute to the
unification of mankind. It must enable people both
to move in the direction of their own choosing and
help them appreciate those universal qualities
that distinguish the entire human race.
13. Women & Education
Women must be educated not only for the service
they render to humanity as the first educators of
children, but ultimately, for the special
contribution women must make to the creation of
a just world order, an order characterized by such
compassion, vigour and scope which has never
been seen in human history.14. Education should help self discovery
Education should lead to the discovery and
perfection of one's capabilities and instill a
commitment to serve the best interests of the
community and the world as a whole.
15. Moral Education Community Responsibility
The dual responsibility of developing the childs
character and stimulating his intellect, belongs
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also to the community as a whole, including the
father, grandparents, and neighbours. Indeed the
extended family and a close community may
provide the best environment for nurturing
children.
16. Spiritual Approach to Moral Education
Awareness of the necessity to free people from
religious bigotry and fanaticism gives rise to a
non-sectarian yet spiritual approach to moraleducation.
17. Words and deeds supported by Moral Force
When words and actions are not directed by a
moral force, scientific knowledge and
technological knowhow lead us readily to misery
as they do to prosperity and happiness.
18. Education for Social Change
At certain moments in history, education must
also act as a powerful instrument for profound
social transformation.
19. Education for Individual & Social Growth
Increasingly, it is becoming evident that education
should be examined in the light of its contribution
to individual growth and to bring about
fundamental structural changes in society,
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changes which are necessary for the creation of a
just, peaceful, and harmonious environment.
20. Concern for Social Progress
Education should lead to an adequate
understanding of some of the concerns of
programmes of social progress, such as health
and sanitation, agriculture, crafts and industry, at
least in the local context.
21. Service Un-Locks Capacity
The realization that it is chiefly service to
humanity and dedication to the unification of
mankind that unlock individual capacity and
release creative powers latent in human nature.
22. Balance between Culture and ValuesCommitment to the unity of mankind implies a
balance between the study of ones own cultural
heritage and an exploration of those universal
qualities that distinguish the entire human race.
23. Cultivate Virtues and Skills
Human beings are inherently noble, and the
purpose of education is to cultivate suchattributes, skills, virtues and qualities as will
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enable them to contribute their share to the
building of an ever advancing civilization.
24. A Positive Attitude Towards Learning
Indeed, the cultivation of positive attitudes
towards learning is now coming to be perceived as
a precondition for the achievement of most social
and economic goals and objectives.
25. Excellence in Productive Skill
A reasonable degree of excellence in at least one
productive skill through which individuals can
experience the truth that work is worship, when
performed in a spirit of service, and can secure
the means of existence with dignity and honour.26. An Aid for Intellectual Investigation
Some development of the individuals capacity for
intellectual investigation as a distinguishing power
of the human mind and as an indispensable
instrument for successful community action.
27. Dignity and Decision Making
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Individuals should be skilled in the art of
consultative decision making and empowered with
the sense of their own dignity and worth.
28. Recognize Nobility and Capacities
This notion of the student as inherently noble, yet
in need of patient cultivation, implies that the
teacher must be a model of nobility, self-
actualization and discipline. Sound character is
ultimately more important than intellectualbrilliance. The teacher must also see the nobility
and capacity in each student recognizing that a
lack of opportunity is different from lack of
capacity.
14.4 BRIEF HISTORY OF NIGERIA EDUCATION FROM
60STO DATE
As the nation evaluates the new education reformplan, it is necessary to revisit briefly what we
know about education reform in Nigeria. The
federal government issued the first National
Development Plan (1966-1970), the plan
emphasized modernization and technological
training. In 1969, a national curriculum conference
was staged to overhaul the Nigerian education
system. One of the goals as outlined in the
National Policy on Education (1981) identifies
citizenship education as: "a basis for effective
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participation in and contribution to the life of the
society; character and moral training, and the
development of sound attitudes; developing in the
child the ability to adapt to his changing
environment."
In the Second National Development Plan (NDP,
1970-1974), the objectives of the plan became
the foundation for the National Policy on
Education. The aim of the NDP was to: build a freeand democratic society, a just and egalitarian
society, a united, strong and self reliant nation, a
great and dynamic economy, and a land of bright
and full opportunity for all citizens (Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 1981). As Federal government
attempts to correct the gross injustices and level
the playing field, and define our democracy, and
move toward a market economy, it is crucial that
the new education plan reflect the current
realities in the country. This generation of
Nigerian youth must be prepared to think
nationally and globally. They must be prepared to
compete in the global economy.
Since independence in 1960, Nigerians have
worked to develop a federal and unitary form of
government that could effectively serve peoplewith such disparate traditional political systems.
For example, fostering national unity, stability,13
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and security through the social studies education
curriculum was tied to the National Educational
Policy in 1981 and to the national aspiration for
citizenship education.
In 1996, a new curriculum for citizenship
education was developed to reflect the transition
to constitutional democracy and the new
Constitution in 1999. The philosophy of the social
studies education hinges in part on the idea thatNigerian schools should not only train individuals
to be just and competent individuals, but to
function as contributing and participatory
members of a free constitutional democratic
nation. This implies that students must rely on the
knowledge, skills and awareness of the rights of
minority and majority groups to coexist and
worship freely; respect for law and order; and
respect for public and private property of
Nigerians and non-Nigerians. This includes the
awareness of the rights and obligations of citizens
to government and society, and reciprocal
government responsibility to citizens.
In 1999, Nigeria became a constitutional
democratic nation. The new Constitution
addresses core national issues such as citizenship,fundamental human rights, the legislature, the
executive branch, the judiciary, national identity,14
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and political parties etc. The assumption here is
that the new Constitution can be a catalyst and
stimulus that engenders national consciousness,
political reconstruction and participation, and
economic stability and growth, and ethnic
sensitivity and individual development.
Education in Nigeria has been interrupted by
regime change since independence from Britain in
1960. For example, between 1960 and 1999,there have been eight military and four civilian
regimes in the country. Now that our nation has
embarked on sustaining unity, democracy and
economic growth, the next president should make
a budgetary commitment to education. The United
Nations has recommended that African nations
should allocate about 21% of their national budget
to education. With our National Domestic Product
(GNP) and the petrodollars in good shape, Nigeria
can sustain a comprehensive educational plan. If
this is done correctly, the future of the country will
not only be secured, education and democracy
will be enhanced. This generation of Nigerian
youth therefore must demonstrate a commitment
to the democratic principles, economic goals,
develop the skills, and values needed to sustain a
constitutional democratic nation. The sustainedrecord of corruption and human rights violations
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and abuses in Nigeria continue to undermine our
potential as a nation. The political corruption and
the lack of human respect and human dignity
combined with weak governance are attributable
to the years of authoritarian military rule, but this
will change, as Prof. Wole Soyinka and others
continue to remind us of our responsibility as
citizens and our authoritarian past.
The challenges to education and democracy areobvious. Nigeria embodies 250 ethnic groups
speaking approximately 400 languages and
practicing traditional African religions, Christianity,
and Islam. Three major ethnic groups continue to
strongly dominate and influence social and
political events. These groups represent different
political traditions. The Hausa-Fulani, in the north,
are mostly Muslim and traditionally support a
centralized authoritarian system with a strong
village chief and local Emir. The Igbo, in the
southeast, are mostly Christians who traditionally
live in autonomous village communities and are
noted for indirect democracy. The Yoruba, in the
west, follow a mixture of religions and lie midway
between the direct democracy of the Igbo and the
authoritarian systems of the Hausa-Fulani in their
traditional government.
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The Yoruba have traditional leaders and a council
of hereditary chiefs who make decisions in
addition to those made by local self-governing
units. Although the Yoruba and Igbo differ greatly
in culture and traditional political system, they are
often viewed as southerners in contrast to Hausa-
Fulani northerners. Politically, the Igbo and Yoruba
are lumped together (not any more) because of
the generally higher levels of education as a result
of early exposure to Western ideas brought in bythe missionaries. The regionalization (north north,
north central, north east, south south, south east,
and south west) of the country is intended to
realign the political power structure and
dominance of the north.
In any democratic society, education remains at
the core of national stability, security, and an
instrument for political and economic growth and
development. Nigeria has a blend of cultural
diversity. This diversity is symbolic of our national
unity and diversity. Many people believe that the
issue of co-existence was resolved after the Civil
War ended in 1970. Today, co-existence is
seriously threatened by religious fundamentalism
both in the north and now in the south. It would
require a huge national effort, funding, and a long-term vision and commitment from our federal
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government to address concomitant effect of
religious fanaticism. Dewey believes that "a
society which makes provision for participation in
its good of all its members on equal terms and
which secures flexible forms of associated life
promotes democracy. Such as a society must
have a type of education which gives individuals a
personal interest in social relationship and control,
and the habits of mind which secure social change
without introducing disorder."
The new education plan should endeavor to create
viable and enabling programs amidst the
challenges of private vs. public education,
funding, instructional methods, research, and
teacher education, citizenship education
programs, and activities that have become crucial
to sustaining the goals, objectives, and aspirations
of the nation.
The major policy speeches for YarArdua (and his
army of sycophants) these days revolve around
his unrealistic aspiration of transforming Nigeria
into one of the first 20 largest global economies
by the year 2020. And he recently assembled a
405-member panel to realize the project.12The
political leaders can make all the noise they wantabout transforming Nigeria into an industrialized
nation, but they should be warned that rhetoric18
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cannot make the society an economic super-
power. YarArduas Vision 2020 and the Seven-
point Agenda will remain a paper tiger without
technical and vocational education being a major
part of the strategy. Any person who thinks that a
country that lacks skilled technical manpower and
cannot generate electricity for more than three or
four hours in a day, and unable to fix its roads and
bridges could be transformed into an
industrialized nation in less than eleven yearstoday must be living in a different planet. No
society has ever become an industrialized nation
without technological capability.
14.5 GLOBAL TRENDS IN EDUCATION
Education systems in economically successful
countries tend to be characterised by universal
adult literacy, universal access to primary andsecondary education, a significant size of
enrolment in technical /vocational education and a
30% enrolment in tertiary education. They also
tend to have high transition and success rates
between the various levels and in the terminal
examinations and other external assessments. In
those countries, learning is often student-centred
and problem solving and skills-centred, ratherthan cognition-centred. This is because it is
realised that owing to the knowledge explosion,19
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facts may change rapidly but skills endure and are
improved upon through life-long learning.. In
those countries, teaching is fully professionalised
and well remunerated in comparison with other
professions. Expansion is anticipated well in
advance and planned for, so that the delicate
balance between educational inputs and outputs,
which determines quality, is always maintained. In
those countries, education is not merely regarded
as a social sector service but as the most crucialvehicle for economic development.
14.6 Comparative Benchmarking Analysis
Nigeria appears to be lagging behind countries
that it aspires to be like in most of the important
indices of education such as gross enrolment
ratios for all levels, proportion of GDP and national
budgets spent on education etc as indicated bythe Table 1 below:
Comparative Education Indicators: Club of 20 Vs
Nigeria
The table shows comparative education between
the countries is aims to attain the goals of vision
2020:20
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Country
SecGER
TertiaryGER
%TVeEnrolment
AdultLiteracy
ExpenditureonEducationas % ofGDP
EducationExpenditureas % oftotalGovtExp
UK 170
60 51 100 5.3 9.8
US 95 82 NA 100 5.7 15.3Japan
102
13 100 3.6 11
China
N.A
13
Brazil
75 2 88.6 112.1
Korea
15 4.1 110.9
Iran 8 4.9
Nigeria
35 69.1 0.9
From the above table, one will deduce that Nigeria
have some critical roles to play to be in the group
of this club.
14.7 THE CRITICAL NEEDIN EDUCATIONFOR KWARA
STATETO ATTAIN VISION 2020
Basic Education
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According to the Federal Ministry of Education
Ten-Year Strategic Plan, Basic Education is the
education offered to children aged between 3 and
14 years. It comprises: 3 years of Early Childhood
Care Development and Education (ECCDE), 6
years of primary and 3 years of Junior Secondary
Education. It also covers special interventions
directed at nomadic and migrant children, mass
literacy as well as the almajirai and other
vulnerable and excluded groups. Early ChildhoodCare Development and Education (ECCDE) Early
Childhood Care Development and Education
(ECCDE) is defined by the National Policy on
Education (2004) as the education given in an
educational institution to children aged three to
five plus prior to entering the primary school, it
includes the crche, the nursery and the
kindergarten (p.11-12). The main objectives areto:
Effect a smooth transition from home to the
schools; Prepare the child for primary level
education; Provide adequate care and supervision
for the children while their parents are at work;
Inculcate social norms; Inculcate in the child the
spirit of enquiry and creativity through the
exploration of nature, the environment, art, musicand playing with toys, etc; Develop a sense of
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cooperation and team-spirit; Learn good habits,
especially good health habits; Teach the
rudiments of numbers, letters, colours etc,
through play (2004, p.31)
Primary Education
Primary education is described as the education
given in institutions for children aged 6 to 11 plus
with the following objectives: Inculcate permanent
literacy, numeracy, and the ability to
communication effectively; Lay a sound basis for
scientific and reflective thinking; Give citizenship
education as a basis for effective participation in,
and contribute to, the life of the society; Mould
the character and develop sound attitude and
morals in the child; Develop in the child the ability
to adapt to the childs changing environment;
Give the child the opportunities for developing
manipulative skills that will enable the child
function effectively in the society within the limits
of the childs capacity; Provide the child with basic
tools for further educational advancement
including preparation for trade and crafts of the
locality (NPE, 2004).
Under-funding of the education sector is a big
problem in Nigeria, although it is difficult to gauge
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total education expenditures because of the way
the three-tiered federal system works. Still, best
estimates are that the country spends about 2.3%
of GDP for education, less than half the
percentage of GDP spent by the 19 sub-Saharan
Africa countries on average. Moreover, only about
35% of the education budget is currently devoted
to primary education, whereas to reach EFA goals
it is estimated that about half of the education
budget needs to go to the primary subsector.(USAID, 2003).
The primary school infrastructure has badly
deteriorated, with many of the existing structures
needing repairs, and it is difficult to attract
sufficient numbers of teachers to teach in primary
schools, despite salary increases of more than
500% since 1998. At the same time, some states
are experiencing large numbers of teachers who
are unemployed after obtaining their teaching
credentials, and those who are employed
frequently go through many months of
uncertainty worrying about when (or whether)
they will receive the salaries due them. (ibid).
The learning conditions in schools are alarming:
paucity of teaching materials (few textbooks, inmany schools no charts or teaching aides, children
in many cases having only their exercise books for24
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taking notes), absence of adequate furniture in
some schools, over-crowded classrooms, lack of
ventilation, and generally run-down condition of
many of the school buildings. Also, in many cases
teachers appeared to be de-moralized by the
conditions under which they were working and by
the fact that they had so very little with which to
help the children learn. (ibid).
Junior Secondary EducationThis is the education received by children 12-14
years. According to the Road Map the expected
enrolment figure for JSS is 9.27 million but the
actual is 3.27 million, leaving 6.0 million as the
unenrolled in Junior Secondary Schools. Figures
indicate that only a little over half of all students
who complete primary education progress to
junior secondary level. Transition rates haveincreased over the years. Figures also show that a
higher percentage of girls are progressing to
Junior Secondary School than boys (2005: 55%
female, 49% male). The completion rate is much
lower at JSS level than at primary level (about
34%).
Nomadic Education
The National Commission for Nomadic Education
implements basic education with respect to
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nomadic groups (pastoralists, migrant farmers
and migrant fisher folks). The Nigerian Federal
government recognizes that the occupational
roles of these groups do affect their response to
education hence the tailoring of education to suit
their peculiar circumstances. The education of
nomadic groups apart from being premised on the
fact that education is the birth right of every
Nigerian, also has economic importance as they
supply over 80% of the animal requirements ofNigeria. At the moment the NCNE is able to cater
for the Pastoralists (the split movement group)
and Migrant fisher folks. It has collected baseline
data with respect to Migrant farmers in the South-
East. Its intervention in basic education is so far
restricted to primary education and adult
education.
Adult and Non-Formal Education
The National Policy on Education (2004) describes
mass literacy adult and non-formal education as a
form of functional education given to youths and
adults outside the formal school system such as
functional literacy, remedial and vocational
education. The NMEC is the agency established in
1990 with the mandate in the areas of monitoring,coordination and research on adult education. The
States agencies for Mass education established in26
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the 36 states of the federation and Abuja are
responsible for the implementation of adult
education programmes. The Local Government
councils are responsible for the day to day control
and administration of local mass literacy and adult
education programmes. Adult literacy, which was
57% a few years ago is now sliding to 49%.
According to ESA (2003) Adult and Non-formal
education offers basic literacy, post literacy,women education, functional literacy, continuing
education, Arabic integrated education, literacy
for the blind, workers education, vocational
education, literacy for the disabled and Prison
education.
Post-Basic Education
The Nigerian post-basic education cycle has three
years of senior secondary education. Only about
28% of the children in this age cohort are
attending school, while 72% (representing 7.2
million children) are out of school. Only 3.6% of
senior secondary school students were enrolled in
technical/vocational education in 2005, which
explains why there are serious skills gaps in this
sector to the extent that our best plaster of Paris
technicians are now Togolese or Beninois, forinstance.
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Tertiary Education
Tertiary Education comprises the following sub-
sectors namely, Universities, Polytechnics,
Colleges of Education, Monotechnics, and
Innovative Enterprises Institutions (IEIS). The
primary core responsibilities of this sub-sector
are: academic teaching, research and community
development.
The major thrust of tertiary education is theproduction of highly skilled, knowledgeable,
competent, conscientious and globally
competitive citizens. According to the Education
Road Map (2009), there are currently 94
Universities in Nigeria, 115 Polytechnics and
Monotechnics, 86 Colleges of Education and 62
Innovative Enterprise Institutions. The Universities
have staff strength of 99,464 consisting of 27,394academic staff and 72, 070 non-academic staff,
the Polytechnics and Monotechnics 12, 938
academic staff and 24,892 non-academic staff
while the numbers for the Colleges of Education
are 11,256 and 24,621, respectively.
With regards to enrolment, the Road Map showed
that as at 2007, there were a total of 1,845,952
students in all the three types of tertiaryinstitution. When combined with the estimated
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number of students in other post-secondary
professional institutions such as Schools of
Nursing and Midwifery, the aggregate enrolment
figure comes to approximately 2,000,000, which is
about 10% of the 18-25 year old age cohort.
Approach to Developing the NV 2020
Education Plan
In developing this plan, the following parameters
were considered for each level or type of theeducational system:
Access and Equity; Standards and Quality
Assurance; Infrastructure; Teacher Quality,
Motivation and Development; Curriculum
Relevance; Funding and Planning and
Management.
14.7 CONCLUSIONAND RECOMMENDATION
Without a real commitment to education, without
the official realisation that education is critical not
only for economic concerns but also for society as
a whole, then the civilised nature of Nigeria
society will continue to be under threat.
On July 5, 1948, the British Government
introduced its National Health Service, following
several years of discussion and argument on the
topic of healthcare. It was their aspiration that
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the NHS would provide first class healthcare for all
people from the cradle to the grave. Equality of
access, for everyone, was the guiding principle. It
was successful in this aim when there was the
political will to guarantee that the importance of
this guiding principle was honoured.
In Nigeria, we need to adopt a similar and all
encompassing approach to the provision of
education for us to attain the goals of vision2020:20. Education for all, from the cradle to the
grave, should be our motto. And there are many
reasons why this should be so.
Certainly, education is vital for our future
economic successes. We can see that the
cornerstone of our recent economic development
was laid in the educational achievements of
earlier decades. Also, the developers of Nigeriasfuture industries are currently in schools,
institutes and universities around the country. But
education goes to the core of our society also, and
should mean more to us than the means to earn
the bread and butter of our daily lives.
Education offers people the ability to step outside
what is usual, what has been their personal
experience, and to imagine different experiences,
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feel affinity for different peoples, and expand their
personal horizons beyond the norm.
It gives many people the capacity to appreciate
that there is more in heaven and earth than is
dreamt of our conventional day-to-day existences.
It can incentivise people to push themselves
towards greater achievements, build self-
confidence, self- awareness and a feeling of self-
worth.All of these effects have a profoundly important
social benefit that is all too often overlooked in
our narrower concept of what it means to receive
an education.
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REFERENCES
1. Victor E. Dike: Vocational Education: Missing
link in Nigerias Development Policy; online:
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/victo
r-dike/vocational-education-missing-link-in-nigeria-
s-development-p-2.html, March 2, 2005.
2. Career and Technical Education: Washington-
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction:
http://www.k12.wa.us/CareerTechEd/
3. Vocational Education:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education;
online-
ww.dest.gov.au/sectors/training_skills/policy_issue
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4. N. F. Duffy (ed.): Essays on Apprenticeship,
1967.
5. The Columbia Encyclopedia- (6th edition)-
Columbia University Press, 2001.
6. Bart van Ark: Vocational education and
productivity in the Netherlands and Britain;
National Institute Economic Review, January 5,
1992.
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7. Milton Friedman: Capitalism and Freedom;
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8. Chaedar A. Alwasilah: Vocational education
must provide students with life skills, The Jakarta
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9. This Day: Shun Social Vices, Youths Told,
March 17, 2009; Daily Trust, 80% of Nigerian
Youths Unemployed-FG, November 26, 2008.
10. Victor E. Dike: Youth Unemployment in
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Technical Education; in NESG Economic
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11. Victor E. Dike: Vocational Education: Missing
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r-dike/vocational-education-missing-link-in-nigeria-
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12. Punch: Vision 20-20 is FGs craziest concept
Sagay, February 17, 2009; Daily Trust: Yaradua
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inaugurates Vision 2020 business support group
today, February 16, 2009.
Victor E. Dike is the author of Leadership without
a Moral Purpose: a Critical Analysis of Nigeria and
the Obasanjo Administration, 2003-2007
(forthcoming)
13.
http://www.cmseducation.org/rolegoal/role.htm
14. Chris Livesey: www.sociology.org.uk
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role.html
16. Report of the Education Sector National
Technical Working Group
17. Adaraledge, A. (1972). A philosophy of
Nigerian education: Report of the NationalCurriculum Conference, September 8-12, 1969.
Ibadan, Nigeria: Heineman
18. Federal Republic of Nigeria (1981). National
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19. Osokoya, O.I. (1994). 6-3-3-4 education in
Nigeria: History, strategies, issues, and problems.
Laurel Educational Publishers, Ibadan, Nigeria.
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20. Spring, J. (2004). How Educational Ideologies
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www.title2.org/ADAtitleIIReport2002.pdf
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