Modupe Adefeso-Olateju: In the beginning was the philosophy of education – Part 3 (Y! Policy Hub)

by Modupe Adefeso-Olateju

Mo Adefeso (Y! Policy Hub)

In Nigeria however, continued tacit resistance of several state governments to recognising private education providers as bona fide partners in providing access to basic education can be observed.

Critical issues

In examining the Nigerian philosophy of education as determined at the 1969 Curriculum Conference, a number of critical thoughts arise, a few of which are briefly discussed below:

  1. Relevance: The foundations of our educational philosophy were established at the first national curriculum conference held over forty years ago.  The resultant document was drafted within the context of a young, fractured nation and reflected our desire for citizenship, reintegration and unity. Whilst the broad statements outlined in the report reflect noble goals, we must ask ourselves if the realities of those days continue to this day.  Have our values changed?  Are we different in our individual and societal aspirations?  Has our world changed? And perhaps most importantly, can we by adhering to the philosophy in its totality achieve our desired future?  Given that a philosophy of education is dynamic and inherently contestable, it is important to revisit the philosophy of education regularly, assessing the stated vision, goals and objectives of education to ensure their continued relevance.
  2. Philosophy diffusion: A clear strategy is needed not only for translating the lofty aims of the philosophy into policy imperatives and practice, but also for continuous internal and external monitoring to ensure that the education sector remains focused on achieving the nation’s desired future. For philosophy to effectively inform policy there must be greater specificity to aims and objectives, and a clear methodology for diffusing these aims to the level of curriculum design, education management, teacher development and pedagogy. It is important to ensure that a) the philosophy is translated into policy and practice without losing the essence of the philosophy b) policy implementation can be evaluated within sound theoretical and practical frameworks and c) the discourse on the relevance of the national curriculum is a deliberate and continuous occurrence.
  3. Scenario planning and non-state participation: Realistic policy planning requires a commitment to determining the sufficiency of revenue sources and establishing functioning and sustained funding mechanisms.  This imperative was stated by S. J. Cookey as far back as 1969:

‘It is therefore important that a country should be aware of the [financial] consequences of change and decide whether it is in a position to effect that change’[1].

‘Alternatively we should have an educational pattern of six years primary, three years junior secondary and two or three years senior secondary and expect our children to attend school at least until the end of the junior secondary school.  The junior secondary will have to be free otherwise we shall come back to the problem of very few being able to afford education after the primary level…the question now is can the country afford nine years of free education?[2]

It is universally agreed that education cross-cuts the public and private domains and in many countries, the contribution of the non-state sector through school establishment is considered crucial for the attainment of the Education-For-All mandate. In Nigeria however, continued tacit resistance of several state governments to recognising private education providers as bona fide partners in providing access to basic education can be observed. Interestingly, this resistance can be traced to the national philosophy.  Although the earliest schools in colonial Nigeria were non-state schools established by missionaries, communities and individuals, it was agreed in 1969 that primary education in particular, should be government controlled and funded.  The directive for government take-over of private and missionary schools in the seventies thus stemmed directly from the philosophical paradigm that basic education ought to be the sole responsibility of the state. The inability to envisage the massive state failure that was to follow in later years can be forgiven, however it is imperative that in subsequent policy convenings, adequate attention is paid not only to crafting goals but also to scenario planning – envisaging risks and planning mitigation of such risks.  The government remains the largest provider of basic education and rightly so.  However, given that today, private schooling remains for many the only means of accessing education of reasonable quality, it is clear that the pervasive concept of the State being solely responsible for basic education needs reviewing.

  1. Leadership: Nineteen years of military rule decimated the shared values of individual freedom and the right to self-expression in Nigeria.  This form of leadership effectively ruptured the still-fragile sense of national cohesion and eroded the values of meritocracy and hard work.  During the period that should have been spent implementing policies to provide meaningful education which would contribute to unifying the citizenry, the thin threads that knit a diverse people together were further fractured. Regardless of the current state of the nation, is it crucial that citizens understand that although a return to military governance may temporarily restore order to a nation in political chaos, in the longer term it will serve to undermine the ideals of democracy.
  2. Foundational education: Early childhood is the foundational phase of a child’s moral, character and intellectual development.  UNESCO states that the ’stimulation a child receives during this period determines to a large extent the level of physical and cognitive development a child can attain’[3]. Although progress is being made in expanding pre-school access, less than 30% of children receive formal early childhood care and education and the vast majority that do, are only able to access it through private providers (in Lagos State for example, almost 80% of pre-primary education is provided by the private sector). This lack of attention to the early stages of a child development can again be traced to the philosophy of education where as a decision area, it is glaringly missing. Only brief mention of is made of kindergarten and nursery schooling in the section defining the purpose of primary schooling.  This pre-school arrangement for four to five year olds was to be funded by parents with government grants only where ‘necessary’.  No mention was made of early childhood care (zero to three years) and the stipulation that pre-school be paid for by parents is played out today with state provision of pre-school education currently being minimal. This situation requires urgent review in light of national and global evidence which suggest that a country without a sound early childhood care and education policy is depriving its citizens of an effective head start on education.
  3. Character education: Over many years, traditional Nigerian values of integrity, mutual respect, dignity of labour, hard work and professionalism have been eroded as citizens struggle to survive in a nation ridden by poverty and institutionalised corruption. Although at the first curriculum conference there were well-reasoned arguments for establishing character education as a priority of primary schooling, only vague allusions to individual and societal ethics were made in the final submission.  The lack of entrenched values and character orientation within the curricula may be partly responsible for the current disregard of the afore-mentioned traditional value in society.

Besides those highlighted above, several more observations and issues arise from an analysis of the national philosophy on education. Nevertheless, the final article in this 4-part series will focus on a number of expedient steps that can be collectively taken to address the shortfalls in our philosophy and re-align it to the benefit of the education sector and the nation as a whole.

 


[1] S. J. Cookey in Adaralegbe and Nigeria Educational Research Council, 1972: xxx

[2] S. J. Cookey in Adaralegbe and Nigeria Educational Research Council, 1972: xxviii

[3] http://www.unicef.org/nigeria/children_1931.html

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Modupe Adefeso-Olateju is an Education Policy Consultant, with expertise in public and private school effectiveness, and the design of Public-Private Partnerships in Education. She holds a PhD in Education and International Development from the Institute of Education, University of London. Modupe sits on the board of the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council London, and is passionate about helping young people fulfil their academic and career potential.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (3)

  1. This article does not just recommend tinkering with the Nigerian education sector which is in a state of crisis, but makes a case for substantive reform. Mo challenges all stakeholders to revisit Nigerian education history; examine the foundation of the education system; and interrogate the philosophical framework that undergirds current education policy and practices. This article is timely and calls for policymakers to take seriously the challenge of reforming the education system so that the objectives of the national policy on education can be fully achieved. The problem is not inherently in the national policy on education per se, but in its implementation and commitment towards revitalizing public education as a matter of national priority. If the right kind of skills, knowledge and competencies are taught, students can develop the critical consciousness required to transform society. Thanks for sharing this insightful article. I look forward to reading the concluding parts.
    Jite Eferakorho

  2. The writer has done a brilliant job of highlighting serious gaps in the current educational setup that should be urgently redressed.

    Some of these include:

    How relevant is a policy drafted over forty years ago, during the height of the civil war, in today’s setting?

    Can we use education and the school curriculum to rebuild society’s crumbling moral fiber.

    Does the state assume that education only start at the primary level and has and virtually wash its hands off pre-primary and early childcare education, even if only from a policy perspective?

    I applaud the author’s brilliant effort at raising these important questions. Hope we can get some answers in subsequent articles.

  3. This article does not just recommend tinkering with the Nigerian education sector which is in a state of crisis, but makes a case for substantive reform. Mo challenges all stakeholders to revisit Nigerian education history; examine the foundation of the education system; and interrogate the philosophical framework that undergirds current education policy and practices. This article is timely and calls for policymakers to take seriously the challenge of reforming the education system so that the objectives of the national policy on education can be fully achieved. The problem is not inherently in the national policy on education per se, but in its implementation and commitment towards revitalizing public education as a matter of national priority. If the right kind of skills, knowledge and competencies are taught, students can develop the critical consciousness required to transform society. Thanks for sharing this insightful article. I look forward to reading the concluding parts.

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