A FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION: KWARA STATE AS A

REFERENCE POINT IN 20/2020

By
Suleiman Nasiru Arisekola
President National Association of Kwara State Students,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Chapter

14.1 INTRODUCTION
Nigerias economic potential is well recognized. It is the
biggest economy in the West African sub region. Given
the countrys considerable resource endowment and
coastal location there is potential for strong growth. Yet
Nigeria has realized very little of this potential. Previous
efforts at planning and visioning were not sustained. The
history of economic stagnation, declining welfare and
social instability, has undermined development for most
of the past 30 years.
But in recent years, Nigeria has been experiencing a
conditions seem right for launching onto a path of
sustained and rapid growth, justifying its ranking
amongst the N11 countries. These are the countries
identified by Goldman Sachs to have the potential for
attaining global competitiveness based on their economic
and demographic settings and the foundation for reforms
already laid.
The previous administration had declared the intention
to pursue the vision of placing Nigeria among the 20
largest economies in the world by 2020 and the current
`CO4]
._
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administration is committed to the attainment of this
vision.
A vision is a clear mental picture of the future which
must represent a significant improvement on the current
state. It however must be supported by a clear and
realistic path to its realisation and requires consistent and
sustained effort for its achievement.
Though the key mission statement for the vision 2020
state thus:
By 2020 Nigeria will be one of the 20 largest economies
in the world able to consolidate its leadership role in
Africa and establish itself as a significant player in the
global economic and political arena.
Education has been an integral part of national
development strategies in many societies because of its
impact on productivity and economic development. In a
weak political and economic system, and persistent
ethnic and religious conflicts in a country like our
(Nigeria), education provides the best alternative for
national stability, security, unity, and prosperity. John
Dewey, one of the most influential American
philosophers, writing for the America audience in the
early 20th century, believes that democracy was
important not only because it stood for freedom and
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equality but because of its educational consequences.
Despite its contributions the leaders of Nigeria have not
given this education the attention it deserves. And that is
one of the reasons for the nations underdevelopment.
However, for Nigeria to attain the goals of vision 2020,
the functional educations have to be the paramount
focuses, with reformation systems. A modern and vibrant
education system which provides for every Nigerian the
opportunity and facility to achieve his maximum
potential and provides the country with adequate and
competent manpower has to employ.
14.2 THE CONCEPT OF FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION
The terms "Functional Education" have several meanings:
(1) In the United States and in Germany (starting around
1920), the adjective "functional" refers to education that
comes spontaneously from the influence of the
environment; It is a kind of undirected, "natural"
education, that is different from the deliberate, goal-
oriented education, that is directed by man.
(2) In Western Europe this term refers to education that
comes from the child's needs, and that uses the child's
interest as a mechanism for activating him and towards
his desirable activities; Its purpose is to develop the life
of the mind, that acts from the wholeness of organic life,
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with relation to practical life in the present and in the
future.
However, these are two basic processes in shaping a
human, and they have to be combined for educational
success, just for the mutual influence of the members of
society and of their life-styles that acts on every human.
Thought, education is a planned program of courses and
learning experiences that begins with exploration of basic
academic, supports of career options and life skills, and
enables achievement of high academic standards,
leadership, preparation for industry-defined work, and
advanced and continuing education. In other words, it is
an education designed to develop occupational skills to
live, learn and work as a productive citizen in a global
society.
14.3 THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN SOCIETY
1. Aim of Education
Education is a continuous and creative process. Its aim is
to develop the capacities latent in human nature and to
coordinate their expression for the enrichment and
progress of society, by equipping children with spiritual,
moral and material knowledge.

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2. Education to Realise Truth
Within this creative process, it is possible to achieve an
essential harmony between faith and reason through an
approach to education that encourages the free
investigation of all reality and trains the mind to
recognize truth, irrespective of its origin.
3. True Education
True education releases capacities, develops analytical
abilities, confidence in himself, will power and goal
setting competencies, and instills the vision that will
enable him to become self-motivating agent of social
change, serving the best interests of the community.
4. Expanded Definition of Education
Today, education needs an expanded definition that frees
it from today's largely economic context and
acknowledges its role in transforming both individual
lives and entire society.
5. Objectives of Education
Education in terms of the knowledge, qualities, skills,
attitudes, and capacities that enable individuals to
become conscious subjects of their growth and active
responsible participants in a systematic process of
building a new world order.
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6. Education as an Instrument of Change
Educated persons should understand their positions as
members of both a local community and the world
community and they must believe that their lives can
make a difference.
7. Education for Individual & Community Growth
Education makes the child a collaborator both in his own
growth and in the development of his community.
A well-educated community member is a determined yet
humble participant, who helps overcome conflict and
division thereby contributing to a spirit of unity and
collaboration.
8. Education not only for Economic Growth
Although economic considerations are recognized as
necessary in educational planning, resistance is growing
against the conventional view that education is chiefly a
means for only improving the individual's own economic
situation.
9. More than Words Alone
An educational approach directed towards personal
growth and social transformation, and based on the belief
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that human beings are essentially spiritual, however,
must go well beyond a mere statement of purpose.
10. Tapping Inner Forces
But moral values are not the only constructive elements
of social processes, rather, they are expressions of the
inner forces that operate in the spiritual reality of every
human being, and education must concern itself with
these forces, if it is to tap the roots of motivation and
produce meaningful and lasting change.
11. The purpose of Education
The purpose of education for individuals both male and
female --- is to develop the powers and capacities latent
within them, so that they may contribute their share to an
ever advancing civilization.
12. The Relevance of Education
Universal education must be relevant to the true needs of
a community and contribute to the unification of
mankind. It must enable people both to move in the
direction of their own choosing and help them appreciate
those universal qualities that distinguish the entire
human race.

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13. Women & Education
Women must be educated not only for the service they
render to humanity as the first educators of children, but
ultimately, for the special contribution women must
make to the creation of a just world order, an order
characterized by such compassion, vigour and scope
which has never been seen in human history.
14. Education should help self discovery
Education should lead to the discovery and perfection of
one's capabilities and instill a commitment to serve the
best interests of the community and the world as a
whole.
15. Moral Education Community Responsibility
The dual responsibility of developing the childs
character and stimulating his intellect, belongs also to the
community as a whole, including the father,
grandparents, and neighbours. Indeed the extended
family and a close community may provide the best
environment for nurturing children.
16. Spiritual Approach to Moral Education
Awareness of the necessity to free people from religious
bigotry and fanaticism gives rise to a non-sectarian yet
spiritual approach to moral education.
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17. Words and deeds supported by Moral Force
When words and actions are not directed by a moral
force, scientific knowledge and technological knowhow
lead us readily to misery as they do to prosperity and
happiness.
18. Education for Social Change
At certain moments in history, education must also act as
a powerful instrument for profound social
transformation.
19. Education for Individual & Social Growth
Increasingly, it is becoming evident that education
should be examined in the light of its contribution to
individual growth and to bring about fundamental
structural changes in society, changes which are
necessary for the creation of a just, peaceful, and
harmonious environment.
20. Concern for Social Progress
Education should lead to an adequate understanding of
some of the concerns of programmes of social progress,
such as health and sanitation, agriculture, crafts and
industry, at least in the local context.

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21. Service Un-Locks Capacity
The realization that it is chiefly service to humanity and
dedication to the unification of mankind that unlock
individual capacity and release creative powers latent in
human nature.
22. Balance between Culture and Values
Commitment to the unity of mankind implies a balance
between the study of ones own cultural heritage and an
exploration of those universal qualities that distinguish
the entire human race.
23. Cultivate Virtues and Skills
Human beings are inherently noble, and the purpose of
education is to cultivate such attributes, skills, virtues
and qualities as will enable them to contribute their share
to the building of an ever advancing civilization.
24. A Positive Attitude Towards Learning
Indeed, the cultivation of positive attitudes towards
learning is now coming to be perceived as a precondition
for the achievement of most social and economic goals
and objectives.


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25. Excellence in Productive Skill
A reasonable degree of excellence in at least one
productive skill through which individuals can
experience the truth that work is worship, when
performed in a spirit of service, and can secure the means
of existence with dignity and honour.
26. An Aid for Intellectual Investigation
Some development of the individuals capacity for
intellectual investigation as a distinguishing power of the
human mind and as an indispensable instrument for
successful community action.
27. Dignity and Decision Making
Individuals should be skilled in the art of consultative
decision making and empowered with the sense of their
own dignity and worth.
28. Recognize Nobility and Capacities
This notion of the student as inherently noble, yet in need
of patient cultivation, implies that the teacher must be a
model of nobility, self-actualization and discipline.
Sound character is ultimately more important than
intellectual brilliance. The teacher must also see the
nobility and capacity in each student recognizing that a
lack of opportunity is different from lack of capacity.
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14.4 BRIEF HISTORY OF NIGERIA EDUCATION FROM 60S
TO DATE
As the nation evaluates the new education reform plan, it
is necessary to revisit briefly what we know about
education reform in Nigeria. The federal government
issued the first National Development Plan (1966-1970),
the plan emphasized modernization and technological
training. In 1969, a national curriculum conference was
staged to overhaul the Nigerian education system. One of
the goals as outlined in the National Policy on Education
(1981) identifies citizenship education as: "a basis for
effective participation in and contribution to the life of
the society; character and moral training, and the
development of sound attitudes; developing in the child
the ability to adapt to his changing environment."
In the Second National Development Plan (NDP, 1970-
1974), the objectives of the plan became the foundation
for the National Policy on Education. The aim of the NDP
was to: build a free and democratic society, a just and
egalitarian society, a united, strong and self reliant
nation, a great and dynamic economy, and a land of
bright and full opportunity for all citizens (Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 1981). As Federal government
attempts to correct the gross injustices and level the
playing field, and define our democracy, and move
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toward a market economy, it is crucial that the new
education plan reflect the current realities in the country.
This generation of Nigerian youth must be prepared to
think nationally and globally. They must be prepared to
compete in the global economy.
Since independence in 1960, Nigerians have worked to
develop a federal and unitary form of government that
could effectively serve people with such disparate
traditional political systems. For example, fostering
national unity, stability, and security through the social
studies education curriculum was tied to the National
Educational Policy in 1981 and to the national aspiration
for citizenship education.
In 1996, a new curriculum for citizenship education was
developed to reflect the transition to constitutional
democracy and the new Constitution in 1999. The
philosophy of the social studies education hinges in part
on the idea that Nigerian schools should not only train
individuals to be just and competent individuals, but to
function as contributing and participatory members of a
free constitutional democratic nation. This implies that
students must rely on the knowledge, skills and
awareness of the rights of minority and majority groups
to coexist and worship freely; respect for law and order;
and respect for public and private property of Nigerians
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and non-Nigerians. This includes the awareness of the
rights and obligations of citizens to government and
society, and reciprocal government responsibility to
citizens.
In 1999, Nigeria became a constitutional democratic
nation. The new Constitution addresses core national
issues such as citizenship, fundamental human rights, the
legislature, the executive branch, the judiciary, national
identity, and political parties etc. The assumption here is
that the new Constitution can be a catalyst and stimulus
that engenders national consciousness, political
reconstruction and participation, and economic stability
and growth, and ethnic sensitivity and individual
development.
Education in Nigeria has been interrupted by regime
change since independence from Britain in 1960. For
example, between 1960 and 1999, there have been eight
military and four civilian regimes in the country. Now
that our nation has embarked on sustaining unity,
democracy and economic growth, the next president
should make a budgetary commitment to education. The
United Nations has recommended that African nations
should allocate about 21% of their national budget to
education. With our National Domestic Product (GNP)
and the petrodollars in good shape, Nigeria can sustain a
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comprehensive educational plan. If this is done correctly,
the future of the country will not only be secured,
education and democracy will be enhanced. This
generation of Nigerian youth therefore must demonstrate
a commitment to the democratic principles, economic
goals, develop the skills, and values needed to sustain a
constitutional democratic nation. The sustained record of
corruption and human rights violations and abuses in
Nigeria continue to undermine our potential as a nation.
The political corruption and the lack of human respect
and human dignity combined with weak governance are
attributable to the years of authoritarian military rule, but
this will change, as Prof. Wole Soyinka and others
continue to remind us of our responsibility as citizens
and our authoritarian past.
The challenges to education and democracy are obvious.
Nigeria embodies 250 ethnic groups speaking
approximately 400 languages and practicing traditional
African religions, Christianity, and Islam. Three major
ethnic groups continue to strongly dominate and
influence social and political events. These groups
represent different political traditions. The Hausa-Fulani,
in the north, are mostly Muslim and traditionally support
a centralized authoritarian system with a strong village
chief and local Emir. The Igbo, in the southeast, are
15

mostly Christians who traditionally live in autonomous
village communities and are noted for indirect
democracy. The Yoruba, in the west, follow a mixture of
religions and lie midway between the direct democracy
of the Igbo and the authoritarian systems of the Hausa-
Fulani in their traditional government.
The Yoruba have traditional leaders and a council of
hereditary chiefs who make decisions in addition to those
made by local self-governing units. Although the Yoruba
and Igbo differ greatly in culture and traditional political
system, they are often viewed as southerners in contrast
to Hausa-Fulani northerners. Politically, the Igbo and
Yoruba are lumped together (not any more) because of
the generally higher levels of education as a result of
early exposure to Western ideas brought in by the
missionaries. The regionalization (north north, north
central, north east, south south, south east, and south
west) of the country is intended to realign the political
power structure and dominance of the north.
In any democratic society, education remains at the core
of national stability, security, and an instrument for
political and economic growth and development. Nigeria
has a blend of cultural diversity. This diversity is
symbolic of our national unity and diversity. Many
people believe that the issue of co-existence was resolved
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after the Civil War ended in 1970. Today, co-existence is
seriously threatened by religious fundamentalism both in
the north and now in the south. It would require a huge
national effort, funding, and a long-term vision and
commitment from our federal government to address
concomitant effect of religious fanaticism. Dewey
believes that "a society which makes provision for
participation in its good of all its members on equal terms
and which secures flexible forms of associated life
promotes democracy. Such as a society must have a type
of education which gives individuals a personal interest
in social relationship and control, and the habits of mind
which secure social change without introducing
disorder."
The new education plan should endeavor to create viable
and enabling programs amidst the challenges of private
vs. public education, funding, instructional methods,
research, and teacher education, citizenship education
programs, and activities that have become crucial to
sustaining the goals, objectives, and aspirations of the
nation.
The major policy speeches for YarArdua (and his army
of sycophants) these days revolve around his unrealistic
aspiration of transforming Nigeria into one of the first 20
largest global economies by the year 2020. And he
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recently assembled a 405-member panel to realize the
project.12The political leaders can make all the noise they
want about transforming Nigeria into an industrialized
nation, but they should be warned that rhetoric cannot
make the society an economic super-power. YarArduas
Vision 2020 and the Seven-point Agenda will remain a
paper tiger without technical and vocational education
being a major part of the strategy. Any person who
thinks that a country that lacks skilled technical
manpower and cannot generate electricity for more than
three or four hours in a day, and unable to fix its roads
and bridges could be transformed into an industrialized
nation in less than eleven years today must be living in a
different planet. No society has ever become an
industrialized nation without technological capability.
14.5 GLOBAL TRENDS IN EDUCATION
Education systems in economically successful countries
tend to be characterised by universal adult literacy,
universal access to primary and secondary education, a
significant size of enrolment in technical /vocational
education and a 30% enrolment in tertiary education.
They also tend to have high transition and success rates
between the various levels and in the terminal
examinations and other external assessments. In those
countries, learning is often student-centred and problem
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solving and skills-centred, rather than cognition-centred.
This is because it is realised that owing to the knowledge
explosion, facts may change rapidly but skills endure and
are improved upon through life-long learning.. In those
countries, teaching is fully professionalised and well
remunerated in comparison with other professions.
Expansion is anticipated well in advance and planned
for, so that the delicate balance between educational
inputs and outputs, which determines quality, is always
maintained. In those countries, education is not merely
regarded as a social sector service but as the most crucial
vehicle for economic development.
14.6 Comparative Benchmarking Analysis
Nigeria appears to be lagging behind countries that it
aspires to be like in most of the important indices of
education such as gross enrolment ratios for all levels,
proportion of GDP and national budgets spent on
education etc as indicated by the Table 1 below:
Comparative Education Indicators: Club of 20 Vs Nigeria
The table shows comparative education between the
countries is aims to attain the goals of vision 2020:20


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Coun
try
Sec
GE
R
Terti
ary
GER
%TVe
Enrolm
ent
Adul
t
Liter
acy
Expendi
ture
on
Educatio
n
as % of
GDP
Educatio
n
Expendi
ture
as % of
total
Govt
Exp
UK 17
0
60 51 100 5.3 9.8
US 95 82 NA 100 5.7 15.3
Japan 10
2
13 100 3.6 11
China N.
A
13
Brazil 75 2 88.6 112.1
Korea 15 4.1 110.9
Iran 8 4.9
Niger
ia
35 69.1 0.9
From the above table, one will deduce that Nigeria have
some critical roles to play to be in the group of this club.
14.7 THE CRITICAL NEED IN EDUCATION FOR KWARA
STATE TO ATTAIN VISION 2020
Basic Education
According to the Federal Ministry of Education Ten-Year
Strategic Plan, Basic Education is the education offered to
children aged between 3 and 14 years. It comprises: 3
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years of Early Childhood Care Development and
Education (ECCDE), 6 years of primary and 3 years of
Junior Secondary Education. It also covers special
interventions directed at nomadic and migrant children,
mass literacy as well as the almajirai and other
vulnerable and excluded groups. Early Childhood Care
Development and Education (ECCDE) Early Childhood
Care Development and Education (ECCDE) is defined by
the National Policy on Education (2004) as the
education given in an educational institution to children
aged three to five plus prior to entering the primary
school, it includes the crche, the nursery and the
kindergarten (p.11-12). The main objectives are to:
Effect a smooth transition from home to the schools;
Prepare the child for primary level education; Provide
adequate care and supervision for the children while
their parents are at work; Inculcate social norms;
Inculcate in the child the spirit of enquiry and creativity
through the exploration of nature, the environment, art,
music and playing with toys, etc; Develop a sense of
cooperation and team-spirit; Learn good habits,
especially good health habits; Teach the rudiments of
numbers, letters, colours etc, through play (2004, p.31)

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Primary Education
Primary education is described as the education given in
institutions for children aged 6 to 11 plus with the
following objectives: Inculcate permanent literacy,
numeracy, and the ability to communication effectively;
Lay a sound basis for scientific and reflective thinking;
Give citizenship education as a basis for effective
participation in, and contribute to, the life of the society;
Mould the character and develop sound attitude and
morals in the child; Develop in the child the ability to
adapt to the childs changing environment; Give the child
the opportunities for developing manipulative skills that
will enable the child function effectively in the society
within the limits of the childs capacity; Provide the child
with basic tools for further educational advancement
including preparation for trade and crafts of the locality
(NPE, 2004).
Under-funding of the education sector is a big problem in
Nigeria, although it is difficult to gauge total education
expenditures because of the way the three-tiered federal
system works. Still, best estimates are that the country
spends about 2.3% of GDP for education, less than half
the percentage of GDP spent by the 19 sub-Saharan
Africa countries on average. Moreover, only about 35% of
the education budget is currently devoted to primary
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education, whereas to reach EFA goals it is estimated that
about half of the education budget needs to go to the
primary subsector. (USAID, 2003).
The primary school infrastructure has badly deteriorated,
with many of the existing structures needing repairs, and
it is difficult to attract sufficient numbers of teachers to
teach in primary schools, despite salary increases of more
than 500% since 1998. At the same time, some states are
experiencing large numbers of teachers who are
unemployed after obtaining their teaching credentials,
and those who are employed frequently go through
many months of uncertainty worrying about when (or
whether) they will receive the salaries due them. (ibid).
The learning conditions in schools are alarming: paucity
of teaching materials (few textbooks, in many schools no
charts or teaching aides, children in many cases having
only their exercise books for taking notes), absence of
adequate furniture in some schools, over-crowded
classrooms, lack of ventilation, and generally run-down
condition of many of the school buildings. Also, in many
cases teachers appeared to be de-moralized by the
conditions under which they were working and by the
fact that they had so very little with which to help the
children learn. (ibid).
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Junior Secondary Education
This is the education received by children 12-14 years.
According to the Road Map the expected enrolment
figure for JSS is 9.27 million but the actual is 3.27 million,
leaving 6.0 million as the unenrolled in Junior Secondary
Schools. Figures indicate that only a little over half of all
students who complete primary education progress to
junior secondary level. Transition rates have increased
over the years. Figures also show that a higher
percentage of girls are progressing to Junior Secondary
School than boys (2005: 55% female, 49% male). The
completion rate is much lower at JSS level than at
primary level (about 34%).
Nomadic Education
The National Commission for Nomadic Education
implements basic education with respect to nomadic
groups (pastoralists, migrant farmers and migrant fisher
folks). The Nigerian Federal government recognizes that
the occupational roles of these groups do affect their
response to education hence the tailoring of education to
suit their peculiar circumstances. The education of
nomadic groups apart from being premised on the fact
that education is the birth right of every Nigerian, also
has economic importance as they supply over 80% of the
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animal requirements of Nigeria. At the moment the
NCNE is able to cater for the Pastoralists (the split
movement group) and Migrant fisher folks. It has
collected baseline data with respect to Migrant farmers in
the South-East. Its intervention in basic education is so
far restricted to primary education and adult education.
Adult and Non-Formal Education
The National Policy on Education (2004) describes mass
literacy adult and non-formal education as a form of
functional education given to youths and adults outside
the formal school system such as functional literacy,
remedial and vocational education. The NMEC is the
agency established in 1990 with the mandate in the areas
of monitoring, coordination and research on adult
education. The States agencies for Mass education
established in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja
are responsible for the implementation of adult education
programmes. The Local Government councils are
responsible for the day to day control and administration
of local mass literacy and adult education programmes.
Adult literacy, which was 57% a few years ago is now
sliding to 49%.
According to ESA (2003) Adult and Non-formal
education offers basic literacy, post literacy, women
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education, functional literacy, continuing education,
Arabic integrated education, literacy for the blind,
workers education, vocational education, literacy for the
disabled and Prison education.
Post-Basic Education
The Nigerian post-basic education cycle has three years
of senior secondary education. Only about 28% of the
children in this age cohort are attending school, while
72% (representing 7.2 million children) are out of school.
Only 3.6% of senior secondary school students were
enrolled in technical/vocational education in 2005, which
explains why there are serious skills gaps in this sector to
the extent that our best plaster of Paris technicians are
now Togolese or Beninois, for instance.
Tertiary Education
Tertiary Education comprises the following sub-sectors
namely, Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of
Education, Monotechnics, and Innovative Enterprises
Institutions (IEIS). The primary core responsibilities of
this sub-sector are: academic teaching, research and
community development.
The major thrust of tertiary education is the production
of highly skilled, knowledgeable, competent,
conscientious and globally competitive citizens.
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According to the Education Road Map (2009), there are
currently 94 Universities in Nigeria, 115 Polytechnics and
Monotechnics, 86 Colleges of Education and 62
Innovative Enterprise Institutions. The Universities have
staff strength of 99,464 consisting of 27,394 academic staff
and 72, 070 non-academic staff, the Polytechnics and
Monotechnics 12, 938 academic staff and 24,892 non-
academic staff while the numbers for the Colleges of
Education are 11,256 and 24,621, respectively.
With regards to enrolment, the Road Map showed that as
at 2007, there were a total of 1,845,952 students in all the
three types of tertiary institution. When combined with
the estimated number of students in other post-
secondary professional institutions such as Schools of
Nursing and Midwifery, the aggregate enrolment figure
comes to approximately 2,000,000, which is about 10% of
the 18-25 year old age cohort.
Approach to Developing the NV 2020 Education Plan
In developing this plan, the following parameters were
considered for each level or type of the educational
system:
Access and Equity; Standards and Quality Assurance;
Infrastructure; Teacher Quality, Motivation and
27

Development; Curriculum Relevance; Funding and
Planning and Management.
14.7 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Without a real commitment to education, without the
official realisation that education is critical not only for
economic concerns but also for society as a whole, then
the civilised nature of Nigeria society will continue to be
under threat.
On July 5, 1948, the British Government introduced its
National Health Service, following several years of
discussion and argument on the topic of healthcare. It
was their aspiration that the NHS would provide first
class healthcare for all people from the cradle to the
grave. Equality of access, for everyone, was the guiding
principle. It was successful in this aim when there was
the political will to guarantee that the importance of this
guiding principle was honoured.
In Nigeria, we need to adopt a similar and all
encompassing approach to the provision of education for
us to attain the goals of vision 2020:20. Education for all,
from the cradle to the grave, should be our motto. And
there are many reasons why this should be so.
Certainly, education is vital for our future economic
successes. We can see that the cornerstone of our recent
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economic development was laid in the educational
achievements of earlier decades. Also, the developers of
Nigerias future industries are currently in schools,
institutes and universities around the country. But
education goes to the core of our society also, and should
mean more to us than the means to earn the bread and
butter of our daily lives.
Education offers people the ability to step outside what is
usual, what has been their personal experience, and to
imagine different experiences, feel affinity for different
peoples, and expand their personal horizons beyond the
norm.
It gives many people the capacity to appreciate that
there is more in heaven and earth than is dreamt of our
conventional day-to-day existences. It can incentivise
people to push themselves towards greater
achievements, build self-confidence, self- awareness and
a feeling of self-worth.
All of these effects have a profoundly important social
benefit that is all too often overlooked in our narrower
concept of what it means to receive an education.

29

REFERENCES
1. Victor E. Dike: Vocational Education: Missing link in
Nigerias Development Policy; online:
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/victor-
dike/vocational-education-missing-link-in-nigeria-s-
development-p-2.html, March 2, 2005.
2. Career and Technical Education: Washington- Office of
Superintendent of Public Instruction:
http://www.k12.wa.us/CareerTechEd/
3. Vocational Education:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education; online-
ww.dest.gov.au/sectors/training_skills/policy_issues_re
views/key_issues/nts/glo/utoz.htm.
4. N. F. Duffy (ed.): Essays on Apprenticeship, 1967.
5. The Columbia Encyclopedia- (6th edition)-Columbia
University Press, 2001.
6. Bart van Ark: Vocational education and productivity
in the Netherlands and Britain; National Institute
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7. Milton Friedman: Capitalism and Freedom; University
of Chicago Press, 2nd edition, 1982.
30

8. Chaedar A. Alwasilah: Vocational education must
provide students with life skills, The Jakarta Post, Feb 11,
2002.
9. This Day: Shun Social Vices, Youths Told, March 17,
2009; Daily Trust, 80% of Nigerian Youths Unemployed-
FG, November 26, 2008.
10. Victor E. Dike: Youth Unemployment in Nigeria:
The Relevance of Vocational and Technical Education;
in NESG Economic Indicators, July-September 2006,
Volume 12, No 3, pp.25-29; 5. Vanguard: Neglect of
technical, vocational education increases youth
unemployment-DON, December 23, 2004; Vanguard:
"UNESCO tackles decline in technical, vocational
education, November 25, 2004.
11. Victor E. Dike: Vocational Education: Missing link in
Nigerias Development Policy; online:
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/victor-
dike/vocational-education-missing-link-in-nigeria-s-
development-p-2.html; March 2, 2005.
12. Punch: Vision 20-20 is FGs craziest concept Sagay,
February 17, 2009; Daily Trust: Yaradua inaugurates
Vision 2020 business support group today, February 16,
2009.
31

Victor E. Dike is the author of Leadership without a
Moral Purpose: a Critical Analysis of Nigeria and the
Obasanjo Administration, 2003-2007 (forthcoming)
13. http://www.cmseducation.org/rolegoal/role.htm
14. Chris Livesey: www.sociology.org.uk
15. http://tutor2u.net/sociology/education-role.html
16. Report of the Education Sector National Technical
Working Group
17. Adaraledge, A. (1972). A philosophy of Nigerian
education: Report of the National Curriculum
Conference, September 8-12, 1969. Ibadan, Nigeria:
Heineman
18. Federal Republic of Nigeria (1981). National policy of
education. Lagos, Nigeria: Federal Ministry of
Information.
19. Osokoya, O.I. (1994). 6-3-3-4 education in Nigeria:
History, strategies, issues, and problems. Laurel
Educational Publishers, Ibadan, Nigeria.
20. Spring, J. (2004). How Educational Ideologies Are
Shaping Global Society: Intergovernmental
Organizations, NGOs, and the Decline of the Nation-
32

State. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Mahwah, NJ
21. U.S. Department of Education (2002). Meeting the
highly qualified teacher challenge: The secretarys annual
report in teacher quality.
www.title2.org/ADAtitleIIReport2002.pdf