The main aims of missionary schools were religious and vocational education or the “Bible and the People” a slogan coined from the statement of Thomas s Fowell Buxton. According to Thomas Buxton, “It is Bible and the Plough that must regenerate Africa”. The idea of the Bible and the Plough meant that in addition to literacy education that was religious in content, the Mission schools should pursue vocational training. Also included in the aims and objective of the curricula were “the development off the local and the identification and training of bleaders”.
cookery for girls, music and singing, art and handwork, English and the Language of the locality which is taught as a subject and used as medium of instruction for the first three years.
The first major nationwide Military Government, under the leadership of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo launched the universal Primary Education (UPE). Before then, the development of education at the primary level, especially, was left to the states and local government. The result was uncoordinated and haphazard development of primary education. Consequently, many children of school age could not attend school for so many reasons, including inability of their parents to pay fees. That of course meant that primary education during the pre UPE era was inaccessible and unavailable to many Nigerian children. Generally, teachers were in short supply; infrastructure was in adequate in quality, while apathy to education was experienced in many communities. This was definitely an intolerable situation for a country hungry for development.
Worldwide, education is recognized as the most important catalyst for national development. That explains why nations that have achieved an appreciable level of development invest massively in education. This is in line with Nwagwu’s (1976) observation that:
Today, education is universally accepted as a form of investment in human beings. Which yields economic benefits or returns and contributes to a nation’s future wealth and development by increasing the productive and consumptive capacity of its citizens? Viewed in this way, all expenditure on education can to a great extent be justified in terms of the potential contribution of education to economic growth and national development (pp 12-13).
While education generally gives impetus to national development, basic education is its cutting edge. That is why the world over, there has always been the concern to provide basic education to the greater majority of the people. Basic education not only lays foundation for further education; It also equips beneficiaries with survival skills. Against this background, it was not a surprise, therefore, that the federal Government in 1976 singled out primary education for intervention. This intervention among other things, attempted to make primary education free and universal throughout the federation. The overall purpose was to boost school enrolment throughout the country and correct educational imbalances between the different parts of the country and boys and girls. Funds were massively injected into the primary education sub-sector in such vital areas as construction pf new schools, additional classrooms and new teachers colleges, training and recruitment of teachers and provision of facilities and instructional materials.
To all intents and purpose, the UPE Programme succeeded in raising school enrolments to an all time high. It also raised the consciousness of the populace for education. According to Taiwo (1980), “The UPE is a great contribution to education in Africa and of immense benefit to Nigeria in mobilizing its human resources, adjusting its educational imbalance and providing for the Nigeria children equal access to education”. In concrete terms, the UPE scheme brought about a phenomenal increase in enrolment from six million in 1976 to twelve million in 1980. However, for many reasons, including lack of political will, subsequent governments failed to sustain the programme by building the social and physical infrastructures already established. The result was a gradual, but steady, decline in all facets of primary teachers, infrastructure and facilities. While launching the UBE Programme in Sokoto on September 30, 1999, President Obasanjo (1999) observed, “The UPE programme was, by the middle of the which rendered it virtually unsustainable”
The aims and objectives of programme reflected the needs and aspiration of the missionaries rather than those of the society. The aim and objective of education, however, vary from mission to mission. Some missionaries thought education “Is necessary to enable the native to read the Bible and understand the Spirit of Christianity”. But the local chiefs themselves had different idea about the school. They wanted the school to acuter for their economic needs. For example, the Bonny Chiefs told Rev. Samuel Ajayi Crowther that they did not want any religious education for their children because they had enough at home. They would prefer schools to teach their children how to gauge palm-oil and get involved in their mercantile businesses. The communities wanted education objectives structure around socio-economic needs and problems of the society; but the curriculum did not emphasize this.
Generally, the purpose of education to the missionaries was to bring up devout Christians who would be able to read and understand the Bible, preach the gospel, win converts, serve as interpreters teach in Sunday and primary schools. They also wanted people to work in mission hospital as nurses and dispensers and serve them at home as obedient cooks and stewards.
The various mission schools differed from one another in the content of instruction in the schools. For example, 1882, the subjects taught in majority of the primary schools under the C.M.S were scripture, English Grammar, English Composition, Mathematics, Geography, Singing, Reading, Writing, Dictation, Handwork, (Needlework, drawing, etc) Hygiene, Rural Science including practical agriculture; and for girls, sewing in addition. The medium of instruction in the school was the local language at the lower level of primary education while English was used at the higher level.
For the Wesleyan Methodist Society, which had six elementary schools around Lagos, English and Yoruba were the medium of instruction. The subjects taught by the Wesleyan Methodist schools included English Composition, Writing, Arithmetic, English History, Geography, Yoruba, and Composition. In addition, girls were taught Needlework. In Eastern Nigeria, the Presbyterian, the C.M.S, the Roman Catholic and Qua Iboe Mission schools designed content of instruction, which was basically religious in orientation though the scope of subjects covered varied.
The textbooks used were the same as those in primary schools in England. They were planned to meet the requirements of the education code of England. They did not reflect the Nigeria background. Good examples were “the Queen Premier” for the teaching of Reading at the lower level of primary education and “the Oxford Reader” for the higher classes.
The eastern region government also attempted a universal free primary education, but the scheme ran into difficulties right from the beginning and it later collapsed. The eastern government later introduced a half free and half fee paying system (that is the first three years while the last three are fee paying).
The stated or implied aims of primary education in all the states of the federation are to help the child to:
Generally, the purpose of education to the missionaries was to bring up devout Christians who would be able to read and understand the Bible, preach the gospel, win converts, serve as interpreters teach in Sunday and primary schools. They also wanted people to work in mission hospital as nurses and dispensers and serve them at home as obedient cooks and stewards.
The various mission schools differed from one another in the content of instruction in the schools. For example, 1882, the subjects taught in majority of the primary schools under the C.M.S were scripture, English Grammar, English Composition, Mathematics, Geography, Singing, Reading, Writing, Dictation, Handwork, (Needlework, drawing, etc) Hygiene, Rural Science including practical agriculture; and for girls, sewing in addition. The medium of instruction in the school was the local language at the lower level of primary education while English was used at the higher level.
For the Wesleyan Methodist Society, which had six elementary schools around Lagos, English and Yoruba were the medium of instruction. The subjects taught by the Wesleyan Methodist schools included English Composition, Writing, Arithmetic, English History, Geography, Yoruba, and Composition. In addition, girls were taught Needlework. In Eastern Nigeria, the Presbyterian, the C.M.S, the Roman Catholic and Qua Iboe Mission schools designed content of instruction, which was basically religious in orientation though the scope of subjects covered varied.
The textbooks used were the same as those in primary schools in England. They were planned to meet the requirements of the education code of England. They did not reflect the Nigeria background. Good examples were “the Queen Premier” for the teaching of Reading at the lower level of primary education and “the Oxford Reader” for the higher classes.
The Purpose of Primary Education of the Regional Government
The Western region government made a bold attempt in granting a free universal primary education to its citizens in 1955. During the declaration of this scheme the Western region minister of education Chiefs S.O. Awokoye said, “Education development is imperative and urgent. It must be treated as a national emergency second d only to war. It must move with the momentum of a revolution. This universal primary education shortened the duration of primary education from eight to six years. The U P E abolished all school fees and made promotion from one class to the other automatic. The government did not make enrollment compulsory for all children of the school age but it hoped that by January 1959 all children between the ages of six and seven years would be registered in school. Commenting on this scheme, Babs Fafunwa said that “the boldest and perhaps the most unprecedented educational scheme in Africa south of the Sahara was launched by an indigenous government as a meaningful demonstration of its commitment to the Vital interests of the people it governed”.The eastern region government also attempted a universal free primary education, but the scheme ran into difficulties right from the beginning and it later collapsed. The eastern government later introduced a half free and half fee paying system (that is the first three years while the last three are fee paying).
The stated or implied aims of primary education in all the states of the federation are to help the child to:
- Master the three Rs-reading, writing and Arithmetic and thus to develop permanent literacy.
- Develop sound standards of individual conduct and behavior.
- Acquired some skills and appreciate the value of manual work.
cookery for girls, music and singing, art and handwork, English and the Language of the locality which is taught as a subject and used as medium of instruction for the first three years.
The purpose of Universal Primary Education
Since Nigeria’s attainment of independence in 1960, educational development has been a major challenge for successive governments.The first major nationwide Military Government, under the leadership of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo launched the universal Primary Education (UPE). Before then, the development of education at the primary level, especially, was left to the states and local government. The result was uncoordinated and haphazard development of primary education. Consequently, many children of school age could not attend school for so many reasons, including inability of their parents to pay fees. That of course meant that primary education during the pre UPE era was inaccessible and unavailable to many Nigerian children. Generally, teachers were in short supply; infrastructure was in adequate in quality, while apathy to education was experienced in many communities. This was definitely an intolerable situation for a country hungry for development.
Worldwide, education is recognized as the most important catalyst for national development. That explains why nations that have achieved an appreciable level of development invest massively in education. This is in line with Nwagwu’s (1976) observation that:
Today, education is universally accepted as a form of investment in human beings. Which yields economic benefits or returns and contributes to a nation’s future wealth and development by increasing the productive and consumptive capacity of its citizens? Viewed in this way, all expenditure on education can to a great extent be justified in terms of the potential contribution of education to economic growth and national development (pp 12-13).
While education generally gives impetus to national development, basic education is its cutting edge. That is why the world over, there has always been the concern to provide basic education to the greater majority of the people. Basic education not only lays foundation for further education; It also equips beneficiaries with survival skills. Against this background, it was not a surprise, therefore, that the federal Government in 1976 singled out primary education for intervention. This intervention among other things, attempted to make primary education free and universal throughout the federation. The overall purpose was to boost school enrolment throughout the country and correct educational imbalances between the different parts of the country and boys and girls. Funds were massively injected into the primary education sub-sector in such vital areas as construction pf new schools, additional classrooms and new teachers colleges, training and recruitment of teachers and provision of facilities and instructional materials.
To all intents and purpose, the UPE Programme succeeded in raising school enrolments to an all time high. It also raised the consciousness of the populace for education. According to Taiwo (1980), “The UPE is a great contribution to education in Africa and of immense benefit to Nigeria in mobilizing its human resources, adjusting its educational imbalance and providing for the Nigeria children equal access to education”. In concrete terms, the UPE scheme brought about a phenomenal increase in enrolment from six million in 1976 to twelve million in 1980. However, for many reasons, including lack of political will, subsequent governments failed to sustain the programme by building the social and physical infrastructures already established. The result was a gradual, but steady, decline in all facets of primary teachers, infrastructure and facilities. While launching the UBE Programme in Sokoto on September 30, 1999, President Obasanjo (1999) observed, “The UPE programme was, by the middle of the which rendered it virtually unsustainable”
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