INTRODUCTION.

Education is the wise, hopeful and respectful cultivation of learning and change undertaken in the belief
that we all should have the chance to share in life. Nigeria has a federal system of government with 36
states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Within the states, there are 744 local governments in
total. Education is administered by the federal, state and local governments. The Federal Ministry of
Education is responsible for overall policy formation and ensuring quality control, but is primarily
involved with tertiary education. School education is largely the responsibility of state (secondary) and
local (elementary) governments.

The country is multilingual, and home to more than 250 different ethnic groups. The languages of the
three largest groups, the Yoruba, the Ibo, and the Hausa, are the language of instruction in the earliest
years of basic instruction; they are replaced by English in Grade 4.

WHAT IS EDUCATION?

Education is both the act of teaching knowledge to others and the act of receiving knowledge from
someone else. Education also refers to the knowledge received through schooling or instruction and to
the institution of teaching as a whole. Effective education is a learning experience. Education, is a
process of inviting truth and possibility, of encouraging and giving time to discovery. As a process, it is
part of being and living in the world, part of the way our bodies work. As an outcome, it is a new
understanding or appreciation of something. Education brings about an inherent and permanent change
in a person’s thinking and capacity to do things.

Many people have a superficial concept of education; equating it with doing a particular course or
obtaining a particular qualification.

TYPES OF EDUCATION

Formal Education.

Informal Education.

Non-formal Education.

HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA.

It is important to know how education was before the arrival of the westerners, the progress of
education, the challenges associated with education and general appraisal of the educational system in
Nigeria from that period to date. Long before the arrival of the British Government into the African soil,
Nigeria (as it was later called) had two major types of education:

Islamic Education: This type of education was only afforded to members of the Islamic religion across all
Muslim communities. The scope of education was limited to teaching students about the Qur’an and the
Arabic alphabet. This form of training was an extension of the teachings in the Mosque specifically for
young Muslim children who would have a more basic education regarding their religion.
Indigenous Education: Students were exposed to the realities of society and trained how to apply
practical skills in adding significantly to the progress of their society. In addition, they learned more
about the customs and traditions of the community as well as engaged in community activities such as
sanitation and farming. This was the traditional training at the pre-colonial era which is still in practice
today. The involvement of the students in basic and specialized trainings was dependent on the age of
the students and their genders. During this time line, there was no formal education in terms of reading
and writing neither on arts or science.

COLONIAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN NIGERIA.

Around the 1840s, Western education was introduced into Nigeria by Christian British missionaries. The
first missionary school was established by the Anglican Church Missionary in 1842. In the process of
time, the colonial government rendered financial assistance to the missionaries and began establishing
primary and secondary schools. This was achieved through an Ordinance promulgated in 1882 declaring
the establishment of formal education in Nigeria. This was a significant progress and the beginning of
the gradual development of the Nation. By the year 1914, 11 secondary schools, 91 missionary schools
and 59 Government elementary schools (inclusive of private schools) were already established.
However, there was need for advanced learning in various fields of study to be made for the students. In
order to be in par with the global trends (which is proportional to the holistic development of a country),
the need to establish an institution for advanced studies was of paramount consideration. This was the
ideology that pioneered the creation of universities. So, in 1948, the first Nigerian University, University
of Ibadan, was established which can be traced to the Eliot Commission in 1943.

POST COLONIAL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM TO PRESENT TIMES.

At this time, primary and secondary schools and the first University were established across the country.
The second University was established by the Eastern Region, the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in
the Independence year of 1960. Around the year 1970, the Midwestern Region established the
University of Benin which is located and currently operated under the government of Edo State. More
universities and schools in general were being established but only the tertiary institutions were
mandatorily meant to be established by the Federal or State Government. There were no private
universities until the late 1990s.

THE IMPACT OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA.

Education has impacted immensely over the years in Nigeria as it has brought about the following:

Relationship with other states

Enhancement of living standards.

The development of technology and science.

IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA.

Education is every important and paramount as it’s the right of every individual/citizen who wants to
and has the ability to learn. As listed, the following are some of the importance of education in Nigeria.

Reduction in Illiteracy

Effective Communication Skills

Rights of the Child

Ensures economic growth through increased creativity and productivity

Improved Learning Skills

Reduction Of Poverty

It Creates Jobs

Public health

Impact on Democracy

Basic education helps to develop sound standard of individual conduct and behavior thereby creating a
good and upright citizen who obey the laws of the country and avoid criminal activities that would
impede on the country’s progress.

Overall Structure of Education in Nigeria

Nigeria’s education system encompasses three different sectors: basic education (nine years), post-
basic/senior secondary education (three years), and tertiary education (four to six years, depending on
the program of study). According to Nigeria’s latest National Policy on Education (2004), basic education
covers nine years of formal (compulsory) schooling consisting of six years of elementary and three years
of junior secondary education. Post-basic education includes three years of senior secondary education.
At the tertiary level, the system consists of a university sector and a non-university sector. The latter is
composed of polytechnics, monotechnic, and colleges of education. The tertiary sector as a whole offers
opportunity for undergraduate, graduate, and vocational and technical education. The academic year
typically runs from September to July. Most universities use a semester system of 18 – 20 weeks. Others
run from January to December, divided into 3 terms of 10 -12 weeks.