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 one’s 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
Frankenna’s definitions. The first part of Frankenna’s 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.
,
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 man’s 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 Fafunwa’s 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 child’s 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 20th 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 nation’s 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’)
Contextual Area I
Formal, Non-formal;
Nature of Education Life long
Farrant, National
Policy on Education
Contextual Area II Indigenous, Traditional,
Forms of Education Koranic, Missionary,
Western,Modern, Islamic
Terminologies
Fafunwa; Taiwo;
History of Nigeria,
Textbooks
Contextual Area III
Levels of Education
and Education in
Special areas(s)
Contextual area IV
Time-frame
Contextual Area V
Educational
Discipline







Basic education,
National policy on
pre-primary Education,
Education
Nursery, Kindergarten,
Early childhood education,
pre-school education,
secondary education.
Teachers Education,
UNESCO & UNICEF
Technical Education,
Higher Education,
Tertiary education,
Professional education,
special education,
Women education;
Female education
Literature
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 pragmatist’s 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-do’s 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 17th
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
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