Policy Issues in Nigerian Educational System
The 2007 education laws of Enugu
state were provided to enable the government take proper control of education
and all activities connected to staff growth and development. Staff especially
teachers are meant to be empowered through the implementation of different
educational schemes and programmes such as in-service training, staff
promotion, scholarship scheme and mandatory continuing professional development
programme.
The existence of 1996 education laws of Enugu state provided some regulations for the development
of the system and also for the curriculum changes.
Secondary Education
Secondary education in Nigeria is
a level of education that subject students to six year of intensive social,
cultural and academic training. The current education in Nigeria originated
from the Banjo’s commission of 1960.
The commission structure of secondary was
set up by the then western region of Nigeria to revive the educational system
in the region. Ayodele (2010) stated the reforms recommended by the commission
as follows:
The
existing post-primary schools in the western region of Nigeria in 1960 were of
two types. There was the six years grammar school which concentrated on the
reaching of academic disciplines,
There existed the three years modern school
which was designed to provide general education. Bajo’s commission recommended
that, secondary school education should end after six years which will be divided
into two phases. The junior level would offer a three year course of diversified
type combining academic discipline and pre-vocational disciplines.
The entry qualification
into junior secondary level was to be the primary school leaving certificate.
Accordingly, the senior secondary level could run a four year programme in two
stages of two years each. At the end of the first stage of the senior .secondary
education, the students would sit_/or the school certificate examination
It
is worthy of note that concrete steps towards repositioning secondary education
to take its position in national development started after independence. This
came with the events of the National conference on curriculum development.
The
Nigerian Educational Research council (as it was then called) in I969 sponsored
the National conference on curriculum Development which was attended by
Nigerians drawn from all works of life to deliberate on the school curriculum
for the Nigerian schools.
The
conference was then followed by a seminar of experts drawn from a wide range of
interest group within Nigeria in 1973. The seminar deliberated on the national policy
on education for an independent and sovereign Nigeria.
Federal Republic of Nigeria
(2007) provides that, the outcome of the seminar was a draft document which
after due comments were received from the states and other interest groups and
this led to the final document, the National policy on education first published in 1977. Of course the best thing
that has ever happened to secondary education in Nigeria is the introduction of
the National policy on education.
Several editions and the 2004 latest edition
of the document have been structured in line with the dynamics of social change
and demands on education. Federal Government of Nigeria in National Policy on
Education (2007) set goals for secondary education as follows, to:
i.
Provide all primary school leavers with
the opportunity for education of a higher level.
ii.
Offer diversified curriculum to cater for the difference in
talents, opportunities and, future roles.
iii.
Provide trained manpower in the applied
science, technology and commerce.
iv.
Inspire students with a desire for self-
improvement and achievement of excellence
v.
Raise a generation of people who can
think for themselves.
2.1.6 Concept of policy
Policy
can be regarded as a general principle or a major guideline for actions. It can
also he viewed as a plan of action agreed upon or chosen by a group of persons
or an individual or government to guide their actions. A policy must contain
intention, action and result.
A policy intention explains the mind of the
policy maker. This intention is translated into an observable form by ways of
action and the result is the consequence which is usually determined through
the evaluation of the policy objectives.
Some scholars have used the concept of
policy interchangeably with such concept as goals, objectives, statements,
frameworks, covering rules, operative rules, guideline, actions, decisions, and
patterns of behavior, governmental activities and conditional imperatives.
Though the above mentioned words can be used synonymously with the concept of
policy but within the context of government programmes and administrative
actions the word policy has been used so recurrently.
This is because; the use
of some of these concepts may not aptly capture the regulatory impacts of
government programmes. This lgbafen (2Ol l) argues that, a policy a principle
or protocol to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a
statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Polices are
generally adopted by the Board of or senior governance body within an
organization.
The
term policy may apply to government, private sector organizations, groups, and
individuals. Thus Nwankwo (2010) views policy as, a description or expression
of an organization’s official attitude, setting up purpose and modifying
established purposes, guide for taking future actions as well as a guide to the
action or decision of people. Egotanwa (2011) shared the above views when he
stated that policy is government programme of action.
To him, it stands for
various degree of goals articulation and normative regulation of government activities,
which is what government, intends to do or to achieve and how it intends to do
it. It goes without saying from the above definition of policy that, policy is
a course of action, guiding principle or procedure considered expedient,
prudent, or advantageous.
Policy is a plan of action used by the ministry of education
to set out clear rules and expectations for the delivery of programmes and services
to the public. Policies come from legislation or decisions made by elected officials,
such as ministers and schools trustees, or public servants and school administrators.
Policies can be communicated through various instruments, including policy
documents, laws, contracts, partnerships, and government directives.
Diror (2008) collaborated this view and maintained
that, policy is a major guideline for action. It in most cases lay down general
directives, rather than detailed instructions on the main lines of action to
be- followed. Jenkins (2000) also supported the views of Diror when he stated that,
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