ABSTRACT
The researcher choose the topic that is titled “the effect of
political instability on the implementation of the Nigeria policy on
secondary school education, which is aimed at identifying the effect of
political crisis in education.
Five research questions were generated from the research topic which sought to find out the following:
- To what extent does political instability affects the educational policy in Nigeria.
- To what extent does political instability cause teachers disruption in academic calendar.
- To what extent does political instability affects teachers’ productivity in Nigeria.
- To what extent does political instability leads
to indiscipline and examination malpractice among students.
The researcher decided to use one set of research questionnaires
which was designed and administered to principals and teachers of ten
(10) selected secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. The
information obtained from the respondents were analyzed in chapter four
using the simple percentage method which is best convenient to the
researcher. The result of the findings revealed that political
instability has advance effect on the implementation of the Nigeria
policy on the secondary school education.
In chapter five, the researcher summarizes the major findings,
conclusion as well as recommendation for further studies. One of the
recommendations was that education should be separated from politics.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The problem of political instability on implementation of Nigeria
policy on secondary education cannot be fully comprehended without
briefly highlighting the circumstances and environment within which
education system functions.
Education cannot be divorced from politics because, one of the
crucial issues characterized in the relationship between education and
politic, is the likelihood for the political powers to use the
educational system as the main instrument for promoting the political
interest, the values and beliefs of the government in power. This is
why any political group that comes into power quickly punches on the
educational system by way of promising great expansion and support for
education, dictates what the schools should be and not. It is possible
that in some cases, the goals and interests which the political powers
may want to provide may or may not be ideal for the society. But the
educational system by virtue of its political context must follow itself
to the new demands of the government in power.
Be that as it may, Nigeria as an environment within which our
educational system functions today was founded by Mrs. Flora Shaw, a
wife of Frederick Lugard. This entity described as Nigeria today begins
with the amalgamation at Lagos by John De Craft in 1951. Nigeria has
been regarded as the early twentieth century colony that gained her
independent in 1960 and became a republic nation in 1963. That is a
nation without a monarch as the head.
Moreover, Nigeria is popularly known as multi-ethnic society due to
various groups with different speaking languages that live within its
borders such as ethnic, religious and linguistics groups. Among these
groups there are dominants ones; Hausa in the Northern region, Yoruba in
the Western region and Igbo in the Eastern region. Among the minor
ones are Ijaw, Ibibio.
According to Ikelegbe (2004) the Nigeria-colonial state that the
British set up emerged from conquest, force subjugation and domination.
It did not flow from the people that were compelled to be Nigeria and
they did not have any role to play in it for a long time. It was
therefore an alien contraption.
In 1914, the Northern and Southern protectorates by Sir Frederick
Lugard who was noted as the first Governor of Nigeria as a nation was
forcefully amalgamated. This forceful amalgamation had created a lot
of problems in the political and educational system, as people having
different beliefs and values were forcefully emerged together as one
nation state.
Historically, no attempt was made at amalgamation in 1914 to create a
Nigeria state that is cohesive and ready to carry everybody along.
This will now make us to have a system that it’s education is different
from government. It was obvious that schools established during this
period were to provide clerks and cheap labour for colonial
administration.
Obviously, Nigeria has a viable and diversified economies with great
potentialities for development given the seize of it’s markets and
substantial resources.
Furthermore, in 1991, December to be precise, there was movement of
Federal capital from Lagos to Abuja as a desire to locate its capital at
the central area that lacked association with particular ethnic groups.
In the same year, Babaginda was made the president of OAU thereby
enhancing his mediator role. He met with the Prime Ministers of Chad
and Niger and president of Cameroon in respect of borders problems
between Nigeria and these countries.
Soon after, Nigeria adopted several constitution for achievements of
national aspiration and values, such as transition to democratic
government and some issues on education. Some of the constitutions are
as follows:
i. 1999 constitution which stipulates that Federal
government should place education under the concernment list because of
dwindling resources; it’s also states the full responsibility in the
Federal, state and local governments. This constitution also empowered
Federal Ministry of Education to control and monitor education.
Similarly, the education acts of 1983 cited as Education Decree No. 16
of 1999. A committee was also appointed to advice the government on
process of funding education by the various tiers of government.
ii. The decree endorsed the establishment of four
management levels; Federal, States, district and villages. The decree
also spelt out the statutory allocation by the three terms; Federal 65%,
states 20% and local government 15% all the states of the federal
enacted relevant edicts to reflect the current trend. Each state has
its own state primary education board.
iii. There was also adoption of 1989 constitution.
Constitution was borrowed from United States, federal system as a
process for its transition to democratic government while 1979
constitution popularly known as Second Republic Constitution was also
observed. It was as a result of this constitution that education
ordinance became possible in this country.
In 1946, Nigeria was divided into three regions in respect of Auther
Richard Constitution by British colonial government. The regions were
Northern, Eastern and Western regions. Each region had its own
legislative at the centre. The regions were granted internal self
government, whereas in 1963 remarkably, there was addition of one
region, that is mid western region to the former exiting three regions
at independence making it four regions with creation of more states in
1967 by Gowon Yakubu.
The three leading political parties in the regions then were; the
Northern People's Congress (NPC), the National Council of Nigeria
Citizen (NCNC) and the Action Group in the Wet (AG). All inherited and
adopted the western style of parliamentary democracy and educational
system unlike most African states. In its first year of sovereignty,
she was plunged into a thirty-month civil war. Sadly enough,
forty-seven long years after her independence Nigeria had not been able
to fashion out the best way to change its leadership.
Over the years, election results in the country attracts
cancellations because of rigging and other electioneering vices. And
also, politicians who were defeated in the elections, instead of seeking
redress through the appropriate quarters often carry their hangovers to
the corridors of power and governance. Some times, unconstructive
criticism of government in power tends to bring downward trend into our
educational policies.
There is no doubt that frequent change in leadership and government
policies coupled with incessant military coup de tat in Nigeria have
affected the educational system adversely.
Now, having delineates the above circumstances and environments
within which educational system functions, lets critically examine
statement of problem, research question, purpose of the study,
significance of the study, delimitation and definition of terms.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Political instability has hindered the effective implementation of
the Nigeria policy on secondary education by inadequate provision of
resources.
A problem emanating from the above may be that many pupils or
students whose parents are not financially alright may have been
attending schools because it was free but now may have to drop because
of reintroduction of fees by another regime.
The staffing and financing of schools is political in nature, this is
due to fact that people who served made it difficult to realized the
aims and objectives for which it was set up. Some schools may be
adequately finance in terms of facilities, regular payment of teachers
etc due to the fact that they belong to the government in power.
A party that support free education programme will establish schools
and run them accordingly, but if another party that does not believe in
free education comes into power, then the former free education
programme will face problems in terms of some schools being scraped or
many who attend school free may be required by the new government to pay
fees. These sometimes lead to educational crises.
The three major languages; Yoruba, Ibo and Hausa have been included
on the curriculum on the basis of political balance. Students are forced
to learn language in secondary schools. This is likely to pose a
problem because Nigeria has been regionalized by colonial masters. As a
result of this, for a Yoruba man to learn Hausa or Hausa man to learn
Yoruba is difficult. How do we convince students and parents to agree.
If their interests are not there or readiness to do so, Nigeria
politics is that of regionalism, therefore, regionalism is a problem
militating against the objective of understanding the three major
languages, which in the first place were included in the curriculum for
political reasons.
1.3 Research Questions
In order to elicit the necessary information for the study, the following questions arose:
1. Does political instability affect the educational policy of Nigeria?
2. Does political instability cause teachers’ disruption in academic calendar?
3. Does political instability leads to students demonstration and riots?
4. Does political instability affects teachers productivity in Nigeria?
5. Does political instability leads to indiscipline and examination malpractise among students?
1.4 Purpose of the Study
This study was embarked upon to briefly look at the effect of
political instability on the implementation of the Nigeria policy on
secondary education. The study also find out how political instability
has retarded the educational development of Nigeria. Finally, the study
puts up suggestions on how to put our educational system on course and
also rescue it from the grip of politics and politicians.
1.5 Significance of the Study
Education is our future and also seen as a wheel base, which can
carry any nation to her development centre. So countries around the
world has education as a tool for national development. Therefore, the
need for it cannot be over-emphasized.
The result of this research if properly implemented is expected to
immense value to the educational practitioners because it is poised to
help identify some of the problems that stand as impediment to the
successful implementation of the educational policy.
1.6 Delimitation
This study focuses attention on students in secondary school to see
how political instability affect the implementation of the Nigeria
policy on secondary school.
The study was delimited to five secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local
Government of Edo State, namely; Eweka Grammar School, Immaculate
Conception College, Community Secondary School, Eweka, Queens Ede
Secondary School and Technical College. These schools were selected
from five wards in the Local Government.
1.7 Definition of Terms
Some terms were used in carrying out this research and they are defined as follows:
Coup d etat: A sudden, illegal and often violent change in government by the military.
Amalgamation: Joined together to form a large entity for easy administration.
Electioneering Vices: An immoral activity of
making speeches and visiting people to persuade them to vote for a
particular politician or political party in an election.
Adversely: A negative effect of impact not likely to produce a good or pleasant result.
Subjugation: The ability of gaining control over everything.
Enshrined: An important written document respected and officially stated.
Promulgated: To announce a new law or decree openly.
Hang-over: Laws from previous regime considered unsuitable.
Dwindling: A situation where there is gradual decline of support given to a particular party.
Alien Contraption: A strange way of looking at a particular circumstances or situation.
Turbulent: A situation where there is a lot of confusion, disagreement and sometimes violence in politics.