ORIGIN AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL

STUDIES: THE CASE OF NIGERIA.

PRESENTED BY:

BISINA AUGUSTINE - REG. NO: UBN036904/08

M. Sc (Ed) SOCIAL STUDIES (FULL TIME)

2008/2009 SESSION

COURSE CODE: EPC 829 - HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL

FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL STUDIES
INTRODUCTION

The origin of social studies assumes a duality among scholars who bare their mind

on the development of the subject. While scholars such as Ezegbe (1987) and

Udoh (1989) are of the school of thought that ascribe the origin of social studies to

the United States of America (Mazieobi & Domike n.d). Another school of thought

headed by Saxe, an astute American professor of social studies noted that the

foundation of social studies education had its beginning in Great Britain after

1820s and quickly spread to the United States (Ibid). Osakwe and Itedjere (1993)

gave credence to the former school of thought when they categorically stated that

the concept of social studies was first developed in the United States of America

and later, the subject find its way into Europe, with particular reference to Britain.

ORIGIN OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN NIGERIA

The wind of controversy over the origin of social studies in U.S.A and Britain did

not end abruptly as it also finds its way into Nigeria during the importation of the

subject. Iyamu and Onyesom (n.d) are of the view that there would seem to be no

agreement among social studies scholars on the origin of the subject in Nigeria.

Whiles so many scholars are of the view that the subject founds its way into the

African continent and Nigeria via America and Britain, Mazieobi (1992) argued
that it is axiomatic only to the extent that the concept social studies was borrowed

and that the content of social studies in Nigeria is Nigerian and has been an integral

part of the Nigerian indigenous curriculum right from the earliest times except for

certain modifications to accommodate societal dynamics and international

prescriptions.

There is also a school of thought that believes that the establishment of schools by

the Christian Missions in Nigeria beginning from 1859 and the accompanying

introduction of the discrete subjects such as history, geography, civics, economics,

government and religion marked the formal introduction of social studies into

Nigeria’s school curricula. This parent disciplines skewed school of thought is of

the view that the formal introduction of social studies in Nigerian classrooms dated

back to the pre-independence days of colonial rule. Obebe (1987) reinforced the

view that social studies made its first appearance in the Nigerian school curriculum

in pre-independence days in the canopy of general knowledge, general studies or

civic education. Before 1960 a similar subject to social studies under a different

title has been taught in the schools, the title then varied from region to region such

as general knowledge, general studies and civics (Mazieobi n.d,).

Adewuya (2010) is of the view that the term social studies as a school subject in

Nigeria was first used in 1958 by educators of the Ohio University Project which

sought to introduce its teaching into teachers’ college in the former western region
of Nigeria. He added that the project of pre-independence introduction of social

studies was perfunctory in concept and implementation because the inductees

found no schools to disseminate the rubrics of the subject. He therefore expressed

the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID) and Ford Foundation

sponsored experiment at the Aiyetoro comprehensive secondary school of 1963 in

the then western region of Nigeria as “ the second coming of social studies.”

However, from the discrepancies in the account of the origin of social studies

among scholars, Osakwe (1993:10) opined “the Aiyetoro experiment sponsored by

USAID and the Ford Foundation, marked the early beginning of a truly indigenous

social studies programme in Nigeria.”

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN NIGERIA

The development of social studies was born out of the need to construct a better

and ideal society to compensate for the great suffering and the destruction

experienced during the two world wars. Akubue (2008) opined that after the

Second World War in 1945 there was the need for a more relevant liberal

education that would provide greater understanding of mandkind and enable the

pupils as adults to become socially conscious and responsible members of the

society. Okobia (1984) states that social studies by understanding human

relationships aims at producing citizens with skills, competencies, moral values

and reasoned judgment to effectively live, interact, interrelate and contribute

positively to the economic, social, political and cultural development of the

Nigerian society (Osakwe 1993:15). The development of social studies in Nigeria

was aimed at divorcing the pursuit of the colonial educational policies which was

alien to the cultures and ways of life of the people. Some scholars have argued that

the type of education produced Nigerians in blood with English opinions.

Thus at the verge of independence around 1960 Africans including Nigerians rose

up and instituted committees to look into the various school curricula to find ways

of indigenizing them (Ezeudu 1996). This led to the initial meeting of African

leaders at Queen’s College, in the Oxford conference of 1967 organized by the

Educational Development Centre, U.S.A and the Centre for Curriculum Renewal

and Educational Development Overseas (CREDO), England. At the conference the

needs and priorities in African curriculum were discussed and participants resolved

to prioritize the development of social studies (Iyamu n.d. p.26). The Oxford

conference paved the way for the Mobassa (Kenya) conference of 1968 in which

the introduction of social studies to all schools in the continent was seriously

considered. The conference also focused attention on the need to design the

African Social studies Programme Approach (ASSP) to the teaching of social

studies and urged African educators to evolve a realistic social studies programme

that would meet the needs of the continent. The 1963 Aiyetoro comprehensive high

school experiment was the first attempt to develop social studies in Nigeria. The

1965 conference of principals in the then western region helped to popularize the
message of the Aiyetoro experiment which was highly fruitful (Ezeudu 1996:4).

The former Comparative Education study and Adaptation Centre (CESAC) of

UNILAG was also instrumental in the development of social studies through the

organization of conferences and writers workshop in social studies. In 1971 the

now Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) worked

on the primary social studies programme and organized workshop on Nigerian

Teachers College social studies programme in 1972. Ezeudu (1996) states that

worthy of note is the Institute of Education of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria

that propagated the social studies programme in the Northern states right from

inception.

It is also worthy to note that UNICEF also played a leading role in the revision of

the 1973 social studies curriculum guide (Iyamu n.d). The Social Studies

Association of Nigeria (SOSAN), higher educational institutions, publishers and

manufacturers of instructional materials also contributed immensely to the

development of social studies education in Nigeria.

The National Policy on Education (FRN,1981) brought social studies to the

limelight by making it a compulsory subject both at the primary and Junior

Secondary School (JSS) levels. Today social studies is taught at most colleges of

education and in many Nigerian universities with the objective of producing

citizens that can participate effectively in national development programmes,

armed with the key to unlock and a tool to understand the world phenomena.

CONCLUSION

The origin and historical development of social studies in the world and Nigeria

has witnessed a lot of discrepancies among scholars. While some scholars are of

the view that the subject originated from U.S.A and spread to Europe others have

argued in the reverse flow. Also within the Nigerian context while a school of

thought is of the view that subject social studies was imported into Nigeria from

America and Britain others have argued that the statement is only correct to the

extent of concept otherwise the content of social studies as been an integral part of

the Nigerian curriculum right from earliest times. On the development of the

subject in Nigeria, scholars agreed that it was borne out of the need to Nigerianize

the Nigerian in the overall development of the Nigerian society. The roles of

international organizations, local groups as well as the academia were key

instrument in the development of the subject. Worthy of note is the Mobassa

conference of 1968 and the Aiyetoro comprehensive high school experiment.

REFERENCES

Adewuya , S. A (2010) Historical Development of Social Studies Teaching in

Nigerian Secondary Schools.

Akubue, F.N (2008) Introduction to Social Studies Education and Nation Building:

Fundamentals of Social Studies for Universities Education. University

of Nigeria Virtual Library. Retrieved from (http://www.unn.edu.ng)

Osakwe, E.O & Itedjere, P.O (1993) Social Studies for Tertiary Students in

Nigeria; Benin City, Justice Jeco Press and Publishers

Ezeudu, S.A (1996) Foundations of Social Studies: University of Nigeria Virtual

Library. Retrieved from (http://www.unn.edu.ng)

Iyamu ,E.O & Onyesom, L.O (n.d) Readings in Social Studies (vol. 1)