The National Policy on Education embodies the goals and philosophy of Nigeria’s Basic Education. Primary education in Nigeria encompasses early childhood care and development education, a 10-year formal schooling.
Background
The Universal Basic Education (UBE) at the Federal Government and the respective State Basic Education Board coordinates and monitors the implementation of Basic Education in Nigeria’s private and public schools.
The National Policy on Education (NPE) 2013 provides the guidelines, objectives, standards, structures, strategies, and management for achieving Nigeria’s education goals. We commented on the National Policy on Education 2013 here.
Recently, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education announced the implementation of pre-vocational studies in basic education. The NPE 2013 provided for pre-vocational studies in basic education – its proposed implementation in January 2025 comes a decade after the 2013 revised National Policy on Education.
Nigeria’s basic education is for children and teenagers aged zero to 15, even though the World Bank Report on out-of-school children is the most disturbing.
The World Bank Out-of-School Children Report
According to the World Bank 2024 Out-of-school Children report, 11+ Million Out-of-School children are in Nigeria. More than 50% of the Out-of-school Children have never attended school.
Moreover, about 25% of the Out-of-school Children have dropped out, and another 25% attend Islamic Schools. Nationally, 1 in 5 (22%) children are out of school.
While one in three (31%) of rural and one in ten (10%) of urban children are Out-of-school Children. Over half (56%) of the out-of-school children are from the poorest wealth quintile, and over 80% are from the bottom two quintiles.
Children dropping out of school is prevalent for all ages. Still, it gradually increases for 12 years and older (boys – go for informal training or work, and some are in Islamic schools. Girls drop out of school due to household obligations and child marriage.
The goals of Basic Education
The Basic Education goals are to:
- Provide pupils with diverse basic knowledge and skills for entrepreneurship, wealth generation and educational advancement.
- develop patriotic pupils capable of contributing to social development and performing civic responsibilities.
- Inculcate values and raise morally responsible pupils who are independent, forthright, responsible, and capable of appreciating the dignity of labour.
- inspire national consciousness and harmonious co-existence, irrespective of differences in endowment, religion, ethnic and socio-economic background, and
- provide opportunities for pupils to develop soft and executive skills that will enable the child to function effectively in society within the limits of the child’s capability.
Early Child Care and Development Education
Nigeria’s Early Child Care and Development Education is for ages 0 to 4, plus 10 years of formal schooling.
However, Early Child Care and Development begins in daycare or créches and is entirely in the hands of the private sector and social development services, whilst ages 5-6 are within the formal education sector.
Daycare or créches are not part of government-funded public schools. Government-funded Basic Education is compulsory, free, universal and qualitative. It comprises 1 year of Pre-Primary, 6 years of Primary, and 3 years of Junior Secondary Education.
What is Early Child Care and Development Education
Early Child Care Development and Education is the care, protection, stimulation and learning promoted in children aged 0 – 4 in a créche or nursery.
The goal of Early Child Care and Development Education includes:
1. Effect a smooth transition from home to school prepare the child for the primary level of education
2. provide adequate care, supervision and security for the children while their parents are at work, inculcate social and moral norms and values
3. inculcate in the child the spirit of enquiry and creativity through the exploration of nature, the environment, art, music, and the use of toys, and experiential learning develop a sense of cooperation and team spirit
4. stimulate in the child good habits, including good health habits and
5. teach the rudiments of numbers, letters, colours, shapes, and forms through play.
Governments Role in Early Child Care and Development Education
Although public schools do not operate early child care and development education, Governments regulate early child care and development education in Nigeria.
The government’s role in early child care and development education includes curriculum development and such curriculum.
Additionally, the NPE 2013 proposes an Integrated Early Child Care Development (IECD) Policy, National Minimum Standard for the establishment of Early Child Care Education Centers, Integrated Early Child Care Development Curriculum, Integrated Early Child Care Development Implementation Guidelines and all other materials that enhance the implementation of the Integrated Early Child Care Development.
Nigeria needs a multi-sectoral approach to ensure the teacher education curriculum adapts to the play-way method. The inter-agency responsibility spans the State’s Universal Basic Education Board, Universal Basic Education Commission, Colleges of Education, and the Teacher’s Registration Council.
Even if the immediate community’s mother tongue or language is the medium of early child care and development education instruction, this policy appears impracticable in Nigeria’s urban areas and cities.
Above all, early child care and development education should reduce the incidence of out-of-school and drop-out from the formal school system through improved relevance, quality and efficiency.
Recommended Number of Pupils
We are unsure of the government’s efforts in encouraging both community and private e£fôrts in establishing early child care and development education œntres based on set standards.
Yet, governments should provide teacher education programmes for specialization in early child care and education and teacher retention. The following caregiver-infant ratios apply: 1 10 for Crèche and 1:25 for Nursery education.
Pre-Primary Education
Five years is the nationally recommended age for pre-primary education in Nigeria. Pre-primary education is for one year.
The objectives of Pre-Primary education include:
1. a smooth transition from the home to the school
2. prepare pupils for primary education
3. Pupils’ adequate care, supervision and security while parents are at work
4. inculcate social moral norms and values
5. foster a spirit of enquiry and creativity through the exploration of nature, environment, art, music and the use of toys
6. develop a sense of cooperation and team spirit
7. stimulate in pupils good habits, including good health habits and
8. teach the rudiments of numbers, letters, colours, shapes, and forms through play.
Governments’ Regulatory Functions
Nigerian federal and state governments set and monitor pre-primary education standards and develop and disseminate curriculum materials.
Government policies include the National Minimum Standards, Curriculum, Implementation Guidelines and other materials to enhance pre-primary education.
Teacher Pupils Ratio
For effective teaching and learning outcomes in pre-primary education, a teacher–
pupil ratio shall be one teacher to twenty-five pupils.
Some private pre-primary schools maintain a two-teacher to twenty-five-pupil ratio.
Primary Education
Primary education is the education given to children aged six to twelve years.
The objectives of primary education are to:
13. Inculcate permanent literacy, numeracy and the ability to communicate effectively;
14. lay a sound basis for scientific, critical and reflective thinking;
15. promote patriotism, fairness, understanding and national unity;
16. instil social and moral norms and values in pupils;
17. develop in pupils the ability to adapt to the changing environment and
18. Provide pupils with the opportunities to develop life-manipulative skills that will enable the child to function effectively in society within the limits of the child’s capability.
Governments’ Roles in Primary Education
Indeed, Governments ensure that primary education is compulsory, free, universal and
Qualitative. Additionally, governments develop and approve primary education curricula.
Notably, the National Policy on Education 2013 envisages vocational education as primary education in Nigerian schools.
Teaching Pedagogy
Objectively, primary education should be participatory, exploratory, experimental and pupil-centred learning. The medium of instruction in Schools shall be the language of the immediate environment for the first three years in monolingual communities.
During this period, the English language is taught from the 4th year. English is used progressively as a medium of instruction, and the language of the immediate environment, and French and Arabic shall be taught as subjects.
Teachers’ to Pupils Ratio
Effectively, the teacher-pupil ratio in primary education is one teacher to thirty-five pupils.
Conclusion
A well-implemented basic education philosophy and the revised basic education curriculum ensure Nigeria’s attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development (SDGs) Goals 4.
Due to a deficit in teaching abilities in vocational studies in basic education, we recommend that governments incentivize private-sector participation in vocational education in basic education, especially for public schools.
We discussed Nigeria’s National Policy on Education and Basic Education here.
