Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

Chapter One
CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND TO THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
Dr. (Mrs.) Alice A. Jekayinfa and Dr. D. O. Kolawole

History: According to Fafunwa (1974). History is to a people what memory is to the individual. A people with no knowledge of their past are a victim of collective amnesia, groping blindly into the future without guide-posts of precedence to shape their course. Individuals, communities, societies could scarcely exist if all knowledge of the past were wiped out. It is by a sense of history that communities establish their identity, orientate themselves and understand their relationship both to the past and to other communities and societies. Without a knowledge of history, we, and our communities, would be utterly adrift on an endless and featureless sea of time. History familiarizes us with customs, though processes, and standards different from our own, tells us about humanity and its various environments and then helps to know and understand our fellow human beings. The knowledge of our past gives us greater freedom in the control of our present. I constitutes a valuable training of the mind. Assisting critical judgement and the orderly presentation of argument. Without history, people may not be able to understand the problems of the present and will be without the basic knowledge essential for coping intelligently with the future. History is an account or a record of past events, the stories of men and women, heroes, king and queens, statesmen and crooks who lived in the past, in this and other lands. History is the account of past events investigated, analyzed and interpreted in order to discover generalizations that are helpful in understanding the present and to a limited extent, in anticipating the future. History is not mere story-telling. A story could be fantasy, based on imagery and imaginations. Herodotus, a Greek, has been called the father of history because it was he who started to write stories on the Peloponnesian war, moving from camp to camp to gather his materials. He wrote down what he was told, without comments and judgment. But stories do not become history until the writer has put in his comment and judgment. This we know from the work of Curtis and Boultwood (1966) and other renowned historians. As applied to education, History is the record or account of educational activities that have taken place all over the world. Development Development relates to the idea of growth in quality and quantity, the process by which someone or something increases in size or structure and shape. It

Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

refers to the changes in time and space. As applied to education, it refers to the changes that have taken place in the policy and practice of education in all countries of the world: the growth of educational institutions, the growth in enrolment and numbers of schools and students at various levels of education, the growth in the number of teachers and othersupporting staff, changes in curriculum, changes and improvements in the methods and resources for teaching. Education The word education was derived from the Latin word educare meaning to bring up, to lead out, to raise up, to educate. In its original sense, to educate means acting in order to lead out fully all the potentialities of an individuals. In others, it means the process of helping society to which he has been to live, work and die. There are today many definitions of education, varying with educational philosophers, scholars and students. Even one person can define education in more than one way, and ones definition of the word may change from time to time. A few of the current ideas and definitions of education are given below. Frankenna (1965), a well-known writer in philosophy of education gives a four-fold definition of education thus: Education is: 1. What parents, teachers and schools do, or in other words, the activity of educating the young. 2. What goes on in the child, or the process of being educated; 3. The result, or what the child acquires, or has in the end, namely an education; 4. The discipline that studies, that is, the discipline that studies (1), (2) and (3). The field that reflects on all of the above to build up a body of knowledge is education; roughly, what is studied and taught in schools of Education. What we are doing in this book is giving attention to the fourth part of Frankennas definitions. The first part of Frankennas definition includes hometraining, socialization processes, formal schooling and non-formal experiences. Dewey (1938) belongs to this class of thinkers. Educational psychologists are keenly interested in learning and what goes on the child. Locke and Rousseau according to Jarman (1963) studied the child in this realm. Some writers argue that education is a means to an end. Other believe that is it an end in itself, and other still say the end becomes the means again. Some scholars relate education to culture.
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Many others like Kaunda (1963) and Castle (1966) claim basically that education is transmission of culture from the older generation to the young. This concept is often expressed not only by educational historians but also by
Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria,2

sociologists and psychologist who study education. Callaway (1975) holds the view that life is education and education is life meaning that the process of education spans through a mans life. On the other hand, he believed that a good education consists in giving to the body and the soul all the beauty and all the perfection of which they are capable. To Taiwo (1986), education is the total efforts a community to raise its social, economic and political standard of life. To Majasan (1967), education is the process by which society passes its culture from one generation to another, while Ajayi (1965) holds the view that education should aim, not merely at creating and transferring technology, but also at developing people and resources. Further, Fafunwa (1974) is of the opinion that the end objective of education is to produce an individual who is honest, respectful, skilled, co-operative and who would conform to the social order. Another popular definition of education is that of Good (1945), who sees educaiton as the art of making available to each generation the organized knowledge of the past, which is the process by which the traditions andculture of a society are passed on from one generation to the other, from the older to the younger ones. From the above definitions and views on education, one could see that any giving definition of the term is contingent upon who is giving it. This is not withstanding, education can be said to be the whole process of the development of an independent and integrated personality. It entails training and acquisition of special skills, knowledge, attitudes and values needed by an individuals to be responsible and which would enable him to contribute his own quota, to the growth of the society of which he is a member. The needs and values of the society cannot be left out if a concise definition of education is to be given. Education is a life-long process, and aims at imparting skills needed to live meaningful life and for an individual to adjust well to his immediate environment and the ultimate world or universe in which he finds himself. It can be said to be the process by which a sound mind in a sound body is developed. For education to be worth its while, it must be able to produce a refined mind, body and soul. The main purpose of education, therefore, is to develop the individual so that he can be useful to himself, his family, and the society generally. Development in this case does not mean physical development that we can always see; but it also includes intellectual and emotional development that only manifest themselves in the behaviour and mental activities of the individuals. In an age of science and technology, such an individual, as a result of his training, would be equipped to serve the nation and use his acquired skill to develop and maintain the tools that are essential for the scientific and technological development of the nation. A nation that ignores education in
Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

science and technology cannot be fully developed; and the tendency for such a nation would be to continue to depend on the technologically advanced countries for its own industrial and economic development. Education is the process whereby the adult members of a community help the younger ones to learn. as Nduka (1975) stated, education is the process of cultural transmission and renewal, it is a three-way process of cultural transmission and renewal, it is a three way process of inheriting a culture, changing that culture for better or for worse, and passing it on to the younger generation. Traditional Versus Progressive Education The concept of traditional education may very with different cultures. Dewey (1938) and some other authors in modern literature on education used the concept to describe traditional western culture and the educational system in Europe especially when comparing it with progressive or new ideas in education, such as liberal education. Noteworthy are the following remarks by Dewey (1938) that traditional education is a process of overcoming natural inclinations. The history of educational theory is marked by opposition between the idea that education is developing from within and that it is formation from without; that it is based upon natural endowments and that education is a process of overcoming natural inclination and substituting in its place habits acquired under external pressure (p. 25). The idea of traditional education here is further amplified by Sydney Hook (1963) in his remarks that: Those who speak of the great tradition of the Western World, and charge decades liberals with attempting to ignore it, betray an insensitivenessto the riches, complexity, and contradictory features of what is summed up by the phrase. The dominant traditions of Greek culture are at least as fundamentally different from those of medieval. Christendom as the latter are from the traditions of the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Industrial Revolutions. In different aspects, we are the inheritors of them all. Our indiscriminate allegiance to them testifies to a basic confusion in our purposes and values (of education). (p. 48). Hooks states further that a liberal education in the modern World is to bring some degree of order to minds that have inherited conflicting traditions.

Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

Traditional African Education This concept as used by Fafumwa (1974) is synonymous to indigenous Education expressed by other writers on Nigerian Education. It has connotation of the past African Culture . this is seen in Fafunwas assertion that: No study of the history of education in Africa is complete without adequate knowledge of the traditional or indigenous educational system prevalent in Africa before the arrival of Islam and Christianity. (Fafunwa, 1974. P. 15). Fafunwa (1974) listed seven cardinal goals of traditional education as follows: 1. To develop the childs latent physical skills. 2. To develop character. 3. To inculcate respect for elders and those in position of authority. 4. To develop intellectual skills. 5. To acquire specific vocational training and to develop a sense of belonging and participate. 6. To develop a sense of belonging and participate actively in family and community affairs. 7. To understand, appreciate and promote the cultural heritage of the community at large. Concepts of Nursery Education Nursery education is considered as formally or informally organized education for children who are three to five years old. Informally organized education in Nigeria is evident in the traditional or indigenous education. Other related concept are pre-school or pre-primary education, kindergarten education, day care/play group education and early childhood education. Concepts of University Degrees in Nigeria The origin of Western education in Nigeria is British University degrees awarded are similar to those which had their origin in the Middle Ages in Europe. Students, especially those in the Faculty of Education in Nigeria, may find it interesting that the term university was originally applied to any group of people organized into a guild for any common purpose; but the term gradually was applied especially to Universities of faculties and students. A students then usually entered the University at the age of 14. There he attached himself to a master under whom he studied until he was able to read, write and speak Latin. When able to demonstrate proficiency by examination he was declared a bachelor. Then for a period of four to seven years he continued his studied under several masters until he could defend his thesis or masterpiece. A group of masters teaching the same subject was called Facultas.
Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

Each of these was elected a Dean. Dean of faculties and councilors of the University were known as the University Council and they conferred degrees. Dimensions of Education What do we mean by Dimensions of Education? For this discussions, it will be regarded as different areas into which education is divided for easy identification. The list given below is a sample of possible lists which could be arranged as dimensions of education; dimensions of concepts used by scholars in education, a list which may take different dimensions in the new millennium. As knowledge increases, dimensions increase. computer education, Cybernetics education, Summative evaluation in education are concepts introduced in 20 th century. It is therefore necessary to review dimensions of education from time to time in History of education.
Education consists of the formal, non-formal and informal components. The formal aspects of education, sometimes referred to as schooling, is characterized by specially built institutions (schools, colleges, universities etc) with formalized and highly structure curricula (programmes) syllabi. Course outlines etc. Another mark of formal education is the award of prescribed certificates for different levels and courses after the use of approved method, facilities and examination.

The non- formal part of a nations education system is any organized learning activity aimed at meeting specific leaning needs of a particular group in the community. Included in the non-formal type of education are the community. Included in the non-formal type of education are the adult of functional literacy classes, health and family planning courses, various types of skill training in community service, the types given by the Boy Scout, Red Cross Movement etc. This component of education is slightly formalized and structured with considerable flexibility regarding the venue, method so instruction and learning. Informal education consists of teaching content and activities that are generally unstructured and which largely result in unconscious and unorganized learning. This is the type of education that occurs in the home, with peers and social groups. The dimensions below are in three parts; 1. Contextual areas 2. Terminologies used, and 3. Sources for easy reference in literature

Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

Contextual Areas

Common Terminologies Sources in Literature (prefixes to education) Farrant, National Policy on Education Fafunwa; Taiwo; History of Nigeria, Textbooks

Contextual Area I Formal, Non-formal; Nature of Education Life long Contextual Area II Indigenous, Traditional, Forms of Education Koranic, Missionary, Western,Modern, Islamic Terminologies Contextual Area III Levels of Education and Education in Special areas(s)

Basic education, National policy on pre-primary Education, Education Nursery, Kindergarten, Early childhood education, pre-school education, secondary education. Teachers Education, Technical Education, Higher Education, Tertiary education, Professional education, special education, Women education; Female education
UNESCO & UNICEF

Literature

Contextual area IV Time-frame Contextual Area V Educational Discipline

Educational Finance; Educational Planing; Educational Management Ancient Education; Medieval Education, Modern Education. Education takes its cues from various academic disciplines related to teaching and learning in formal setting.

European History of Education

Some of these are: History of Education Faculty of Sociology of Education Education Philosophy of Education Library Comparative Education Educational Psychology Educational Evaluation Educational Guidance. Contextual Area VI Any other terminology Any professional innovations which might be classified literature in education as innovation in Education may be listed here, if not included in the list above.
Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

In summary, it may be said that education is a universal practice engaged in by societies at all stages of development. Whatever Terminologies are used to classify, taxonomic inferences are justified by the nature, functions, and dimensions of education acceptable to the society. There is a tendency for philosophers of education to be grouped into idealists, realists or pragmatists as may be illustrated from epochs of history. The history of idealism (study of the nature of man and the world as ideas in the mind of God, or a creator) can be traced through the ages past in connection with education. The idea of reality is in connection with senses. The pragmatists view of functionalism has delved into all aspects of modern education. This has brought us back into the traditional African education and its purpose. History of Education This term, therefore, refers to the account, record or stories of all educational activities in the past, across the ages, and changes or developments that have occurred in the process of educating or bringing up children both in formal institutions of learning and otherwise all over the world. For the purpose of better understanding, however, a course run in Nigeria on the history of education would emphasize the history and development of education in our own country, Nigeria and the extent to which we are indebted to the Western world in this development. The purpose of Education The singular purpose of education is to produce a useful citizen. A useful citizen is useful both to himself and the society in which he lives, and generally, to the world community. If there is one aim of education, it is to become useful as a human being Education thinkers takes off from this point and diverge into how to become useful, what one must do, how one must think and behave to become useful in certain skills, knowledge and attitudes. Debates over their differences form a large part of all disciplines of education. Consequently, we may conceive of the purposes of education rather than a singular purpose. Let us examine the purposes of education in Old Africa; Ancient Greece, Middle Ages and Modern Age in Europe, where western civilization started. If the purpose of education is to become a useful citizen, the purpose of education in Old Africa, and in any other place is to become useful in the community into which a person is born. Emphasis on how to become a useful citizen in Ancient Greece was placed on physical and intellectual development. In ancient Rome it was on social development. In the middle ages, one might be born into a culture which tired to promote quality of the life through Christianity and Islam. In modern times (which might be back
Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

dated to the 16th century A.D) the emphasis of living useful life began with the awakening of knowledge (renaissance) in Europe when the application of Greek ideas increased. There had been more activity on free inquiry from nature which extended to religion, and government. This was followed by how to live a useful life in the industrial economy of England, France and the United States. In recent times the trend towards nationalism and internationalism is strong. The purpose of education includes unparalled development of science and its application to industry and technology for better living. In Nigeria, the National Policy on Education spells out the nature and purpose of education thus: An instrument par excellence for effecting national development to use education as a tool to achieve its national objectives to make education relevant to the needs of the individual and set its goals in terms of the kind of society desired in relation to the environment and realities of the modern world, and rapid social changes(FRN, 1981,P). Nigeria is a developing country. What is the aim of education in other developing countries? Aims of Education in Developing Countries Over the years countries classified as developing are those that are not as technologically advanced as in Europe, United States of America and the Soviet Union. Among developing countries are those in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Generally speaking people in the developing countries are known to be poor and largely illiterate. They lack medical facilities, especially, when compared with other countries known as technologically advanced. It is obvious then that the aims of education in these countries will be how to eradicate these problems. These aims could include: 1. Learning to live according to the old traditions of the people (society) 2. Learning the traditions of other countries in order to imbibe their religion, their culture, their social life, e.g. clothing, language, hair-dos and so on 3. Learning to live modern life of technologically advanced countries. In Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Lesotho, all in Africa, there is a common trend. They were colonies under European countries. These African counties became independent after being governed by foreigners for a number of years. Christian missionaries visited these countries to evangelize, colonial masters were there to rule and to trade. Both Christian missions and the colonial masters tried to introduce western form of education, and their culture. After gaining independence, those countries have been striving for a stable government, dynamic economy and education that can deliver the goods. This in brief is the root of the aims stated below:
Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

In developing countries, educational aims are: To promote national unity and international understanding. To remove social inequalities, poverty, violent crimes, hunger, disease, squalor, illiteracy, ignorance, superstition, pride and fear. To provide individual happiness and pleasure, self-realization, public morality and aesthetic development. To train for good citizenship, health improvement, vocational competence, industrial and commercial developments, and adult literacy. To produce adequate manpower for economic development, so that there could be less dependence on expatriates. To create a society with high moral standards. To eradicate the problem of economic and technological dependence on the advanced countries of the wold. To provide public enlightenment and civilized behaviour. Relative values of Informal and Formal Education Informal education is the kind of education that goes on in the society all the time, everywhere, with every member of the society either as student or as teacher, no classrooms, no emanations, no certificate or graduation. The community in general is the sole agent and beneficiary of its own education. There is no limit to the time or length of study and there is no limit to the content of instruction. This is kind of education that was practised in the Spartan society and the traditional African society. Indigenous education in Nigeria was also mainly a kind of informal education in which all the people were involved, and it which all the people were involved, and it was basically intended to serve their immediate needs and aspiration. As its name implies, formal education is the formalized process of education, the type that is based on particular curricular and clearly defined content or subject syllabuses, a teaching learning process with a classroom or school as base; an education that is based on the principle of examinations and certification. This is the kind of education that was prevalent in the Athenian society of the days of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and it was also prevalent in Roman society of the days of Cierro and Quintillion. When Greece-Roman education was brought to Western Europe during the middle ages, education in Western Europe became formal like that of Greece and Rome. With the introduction of western Education into Nigeria and other Africa, countries, the western type of formal education prevalent in most countries in African, as in other third world countries was replaced by the formal education of the western type.
Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

The formal system of education was introduced by the white men to Nigeria and other parts of Africa. This is the western system of education, where education is given formally within the school system i.e. in schools, colleges and universities. Though the educational process is conducted mainly through the formal system, however, a great deal of ethical education is given formally, with adults of a given society the necessary direction and guidance. In the traditional system of education, which was practised before the advent of the western system of education, education was conducted informally. Adults in any given society imparted the necessary or required knowledge and skill(s) to the young ones. The traditional system of education aimed at producing a total being, that would function effectively within a given community. Education in those days, was therefore functional by nature; for example in time of war, the focus would be on imparting war-like skills to the young ones. Both the formal and informal education therefore aim at producing a total and integrated human being; one who possess the required skills that would enable him fit into the society to which he belongs. Why we Study History of Education We study history of education because: 1. It enables us to understand what our educational institutions and process are and what they are not. 2. It enables us to understand the major trends in the development of education (formal and non-formal) in various parts of the world. 3. It enables us to appreciate the major skills and influence in the education development in our country. 4. It gives us an insight into the philosophical ideas behind certain innovations in educational systems. 5. It enables us to make use of the educational philosophies of earlier scholars in the development and selection of our educational policies and practices. 6. It helps us to know the processes involved in the development of our educational systems. 7. It enables us to know the problems of education in our country, and how to solve them. 8. It enables us to plan for the future. 9. It enables us to contribute our own quota to the development and progress of our country.

Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

Tutorial Questions 1. Before you studied this chapter, what was your own concept of education? 2. How is it similar or different from Frakennas four-fold definition? 3. What is the latest concept in Nigerian education launched in Sokoto in 1999? 4. In this chapter, eight aims of education are used as conceptual framework of education in developing countries. How does each tally with the purpose of UBE (the free compulsory Universal Basic Education) which is becoming very popular in Nigeria this year, 2007? 5. (i) Compare the Decree No. 31 of the Federal Military Government in supplement to official Gazette Extraordinary NO. 53, Vol. 75, of 17 th August, 1988 on National Primary Education Commission and (ii) Extraordinary Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette, No. 66, Vol. 9 dated 4th August, 2004 on compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act 2004. On the Concept of Education. In terms of (a) the concept of early childhood education and (b) the commissions that were set up for each (i) and (ii) above.

Perspectives on the History of Education in Nigeria, 2008

References Aisiku, J.U. and Fafunwa, A.B. (1982) (eds) Education in Africa: A comprehensive Survey, London George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Akinpelu, J.A. (1981) An introduction to Philosophy of Education, London Macmillan Education Ltd. Brown, G.N. & Hiskett (eds) (1971) Conflict and Hamony in Education in Tropical
Africa, London George Allen and Unwin Ltd.

Castle, E.O. (1966) Growing Up in Africa, London George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Dewey. J. (1938) Experience and Education, London Collier Macmillan. Fafunwa, A. (1974) History of Education in Nigeria, London George Allen, and Unwin Ltd. Federal Republic of Nigeria (1977, 1981) (1998) National Policy on Education, Lagos: Federal Ministry of Education. Frankenna, W.A.K. (1965) Philosophy of Education, New York. The Macmillan Co. Good, C.U. (ed) (1945) Dictionary of Education, New York. Hooks, S. (1963) Education for Modern Man, Canada: Random House of Canada. Jarman, T.L. (1963) Landmarks in the History of Education, London John Murray. Kaunda, K. (1973) London Letter to my Children, London Longman Group Ltd. Mallinson, V. (1977) Introduction to Comparative Education, New York; Mc Graw-Hill. Nduka, O. (1975) Western Education, and the Nigerian Cultural Background, Ibadan. Oxford University Press. Ukeje, B.O. (1976) Education for Social Reconstruction, London Macmillan Education Ltd.