INTRODUCTION
The mutual and cherished relationship
between politics and democracy cannot be overstated. But the Nigerian people
would have been happier had the same been extended to education and Nigerian
philosophy of Education. Politics, education and indeed some form of democracy
have been with us for a longtime. However, their proper understanding,
application and extension have deluded us. Nevertheless,
one must not waste
time trying to narrate why Nigerian citizens have not profited more from either
political democracy or formal Western education. In this paper, we examine and
highlight the concepts of politics and democracy and how they affect the
Nigerian philosophy of education. We argue that clear thinking is necessary for
education to benefit Nigerians so as to facilitate national development
materially, culturally, and politically. But we are mindful of the implications
of the impulse to link democracy to universal education, and are of the view
that though desirable, and a longtime goal, democracy flourishes on proper
information flow rather than on everyone having formal education.
Philosophy, Politics and Education
Philosophy, as a social and political
enterprise, can be viewed in two important perspective (Cohen, 2003). Firstly,
it is conceived in terms of practice. Philosophy is thus a group of activities
and this further conveys that philosophy is interpersonal and not solitary.
Philosophy as a group of activities, requires rules to function and the
question of what is proper philosophical methodology. To Cohen, 2003,
philosophy is conceived in terms of its product when philosophizing takes place
in the public realm, it works to establish the values of the entire society not
just those activities of philosophers. It is then clear that philosophy is the
ultimate form of politics. Taylor (1976) maintains that Plato’s Republic,
though a plan of an actual utopian society can be seen as outlining a deeper
sense of political activity for philosophers.
Cohen (2003) further stresses that
philosophy and politics are linked and are in turn linked with education.
Education, in virtue of its inextricable links with both philosophy and
politics makes its dependence on them even stronger. Education is explicitly
present in the methodology passage. Frede (1992) claims that education not only
allows for inequality, for people will surely be of different abilities in
terms of learning but indeed assumes inequality for its leaders. In Calais
(1995) laissez-faire view, education is conceived as a haphazard affair and it
seems to have been like this in ancient Athens, in which all learn at their own
pace. In consequence as in political version this means there is no social
cohesion derivable from western educational theoria and praxis if individual
capabilities are not to be sacrificed on the altar of political populism. To
Hippias (1995) education should be common to all, but this will be at the cost
of high quality in the type of education provided. He believes that enforcing
equality of education will keep everybody together but it will also keep the
best students from moving ahead. This last view is in line with an
industrial-era vision of state schooling. Socrates view about education looks
like that of Dewey (1997). Dewey (1966) conception is that of collaborative
education. He stressed that the best students must be involved in the
enterprise in such a way that their ability benefits the group. According to
Cohen (2003) philosophy searches for wisdom and is indeed synonymous with
education in the sense of individual’s search for learning. But philosophy as
noted above, does not only search for wisdom but it also conveys the wisdom to
others. This corresponds to education as teaching.
Dewey (1966) goes so far to define
philosophy as the general theory of education. This double sense of education as
either a reflexive or transitive helps at the same time to reveal its essential
interconnection with politics. Politics too can be seen as a matter of either
governing oneself or governing others. At best governing others is a matter of
educating them. Thus in Plato’s (1945) understanding, the law is often spoken
of as an educational tool. In the same sense, to be educated means to be
autonomous, as education makes one understand why certain laws are binding and
deserving of obedience.
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