Early Childhood Education in Nigeria: A Reality or a Mirage?

Abstract

Education is the right of every child and must not be denied it for any reason. This has been the assertion of the World Summit on the state of global children, which has led to the inclusion and expansion of early childhood care and education in the global Education for All programme (EFA). As Nigeria has pledged its commitment to this, with the recent inauguration of the policy on this educational arm, this article therefore examines the situation on the ground, on the prospects, and on the problems, and gives recommendations that could make the educational programme a reality in the nation in the interest of the children.

Assessment of government’s involvement in implementation of national policy on early childhood education in Nigeria

“…Previous researchers who have explored the subject matter (Ajayi 2008;Osho, Aliyu, Okolie & Onifade, 2014) focused on how well the government has achieved the stated goals in the National Policy on Education as well as the level of sustainability that has been achieved. This present study bridges the gap in the literature by providing empirical answers and clarification to the areas of Government's involvement as stipulated in the national policy on early childhood education, implementation processes, level of compliance and stakeholders' assessment of Government's involvement in the implementation of the national policy on early childhood education in Southwestern Nigeria.…”

A Qualitative Analysis of Universal Basic Education Policy Implementation Strategies in Nigeria: Effective Management for Goals Realization

“…The conceptual clarification of the role of educational policy attests to Nigeria's commitment to policy initiatives for the collective will of citizens, and for the growth and national development of the country. The saying that no nation can rise above its educational development explains educational philosophy of the country which centres on building a free and democratic society; a just and egalitarian society; a united, strong and self-reliant nation; a great and dynamic economy; and a land full of bright opportunities for all citizens (NPE, 2004;2008;. Therefore, educational policy refers to a set of prescribe rules and a planned course of actions to be taken in order to achieve already stated objectives of an educational programme.…”

“…Also, the trend of fluent speaking of English Language, as well as the dustbin position given to the mother tongue by most people in Nigeria, has made many parents and teachers to avoid the use of mother tongue in homes and schools respectively. According to Ajayi (2008), another problem associated with teaching in the mother tongue is that there are not sufficient books for children at this level to interact with. The majority of those available are foreign-based and expensive, making them unaffordable and not readily available to these children.…”

Teacher Preparation for Effective Management of Early Childhood Schools in Nigeria

“…This special preparation of teachers will be very useful because Bush in (Ajayi [1]) stated that the years between birth and age five are the foundation upon which successful or otherwise lives are build and 85% (percent) of the brain is formed within the first five years of life which leads to greater performance in education. Hess and Croft as noted by (Maduewesi[9]) opine that children who through some special intervention, had pre-school programmes tend to be more positive about school, more out going and verbally assertive, more able to work independently and more comfortable in school situation.…”

“…This is in agreement with the assertion of the World Summit on the state of global Education for All Programme (EFA). Ajayi [1] stated that Nigeria has pledged its commitment to this, with the inauguration of the policy on early childhood education.…”