IMPACT OF EDUCATION IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS
(A CASE STUDY OF MUSHIN LGA, LAGOS STATE)
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
According
to National Population Commission (2012) it is generally believed that Nigeria
has a total population of 170 million people, out of this number 67% live in
the rural areas while the remaining 34% live in the urban centres. Nigeria is a country in Africa continent located
in West of Africa close to the equator extending from latitude 4˚N to14˚ and
from longitude 3˚E to 15˚E. Except for the Atlantic ocean to the south, Nigeria is surrounded by French-speaking
countries; Niger, Cameroun and Benin Republic.
Nigeria
is a third world country which means it is a developing country.
However,
the fact that most of the population reside in the rural areas indicate that
rural areas need more of infrastructural development such as good roads,
electricity, good and well equipped schools for the growth and betterment of
the people living in the rural areas. But in Nigeria, the reverse is the case.
More attention is given to the urban centre for the detriment of the rural
areas, as a result of the notion that urban centre are more populated; so they
need more basic infrastructure than the rural areas. This perception has caused
imbalance between the urban centre and the rural dwellers by creating a wide gap.
By this gap the urban centre are growing immensely living the rural areas in a
state of stagnation and depreciation which is growing at an alarming rate.
In the case of Mushin Local
Government Area of Lagos State being one of the local governments with a
population of about 1.6 million people in which 74% of them living in the rural
areas lack basic infrastructure for growth and development. Moreover, it is
generally agreed that education has impact more substantially in rural area
development process in developing nations. Therefore, education has a
controlling influence over the development of rural societies, communities,
individual or group of individuals and families which leads to the reduction of
low income rate, poverty and rural-urban migration.
Although,
education has made a significant impact on rural areas in terms of marking
personnel maintenance, system of supplying farm production, health care and
good governance, but failure of government to tackle rural development and
recognition of the importance of rural areas and rural people to the economic
development still remains an issue.
The major aim of education is learning
which is achieved through the teaching and learning process. According to Plato
(437-337 BC) “Aesthetic education brings grace to the body and nobility to the
mind. Until man in his physical and sensuous mode of being has been accustomed
to the laws of beauty, he is not capable of spiritual liberty”. Therefore
education would be incomplete without due consideration being given to rural
areas. Education holds a significant place in this regard, so far as it forms a
very convenient and powerful medium for individuals express themselves in a
variety of ways in any situation including his mental skill in relation to
overall academic performance. However, it is sad to note that some schools in
rural areas have no rooms allocated for teaching even some with class rooms
lack furniture; in some schools, teaching is carried on in makeshift classrooms
and this can be uninspiring and boring. Inadequate and half-baked teachers in
some secondary schools are also an issue of concern in this study (Madeki S.J
(2008)).
Education
impacts social change, by improving individual social position as well as
standard of living. Education also increases critical ability of rural people
to diagnose their needs, assert their right, taking greater control of decision
affecting their lives. Education has the potential to respond to the
transformation of rural areas, increase labour force and enhancing security. As
the pivot of the educational system, the National policy on Education (FRN,
1981) noted that teachers in all educational institutions including the
universities, should be professionally trained because is considered as a tool
to be used for the integration of the individuals into the society to achieve
self-realization, develop national consciousness, promote unity and strive for
social-economic, political, scientific, cultural and technological progress.
Durojaiye
(1996) indicates three aspects that are of immediate relevance to education:
1. The
learner, his growth and development, his needs and motivation, his individual
characteristics and achievement, his nutritional state and the child-rearing
approached employed by his parents.
2. The learning situation, the school and wider
society, the cultural context and effects on learning.
3. The
learning process and the teacher who makes them happen including his method,
approaches and personality.
Education has brought about phenomenal changes in
every aspect of human’s life.
Brown (2011) opines that
education is a process which brings about changes in the behaviour of the
society. It enables every individual to efficiently and effectively participate
in societal activities and make a positive contribution to the progress of the
society. Education create awareness in the rural areas regarding their right to
education as stipulated in Article 26 of the United Nation Declaration of Human
Right (1984) which says that:
1. Everyone
has the right to education.
2.
Education shall be free at least in elementary and fundamental
stages
3. Primary education shall be compulsory
4. Education shall be made generally available and
higher education shall be equally accessible to all in the basis of merit.
The
concentration of education in urban centres rather than rural areas has done
more harm than good; it accelerates rural-urban migration, generating youth
unemployment. This makes rural areas undergrowth or underdeveloped. Education
enhances the capacity of people, expanding the area of competence and changes
orientation and attitude which significantly improve the life style of people
both in rural areas and urban centers. According to World Bank (2002) Education
policy and programme must be carefully designed at both national and local
levels.
Impact
of education in area of health is indisputable especially in area of mortality
rate. However, in other to lower Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) Infant Mortality
Rate (IMR) and achieve the lowest possible Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in rural
areas education has a crucial role to play in girls that dwell in the rural
areas, better education of a female child or pass through a process of learning
can drastically reduce maternal and infant mortality; it will also bring about
positive impact for family health, birth spacing, few children and fertility
related issues, better care of children, seeking right services and counsel at
the right point in time and the right places, and promote health and survival
and life expectancy along with economic productivity for a better standard of
living.
Education
can initiate social change by transforming the out look and attitude of man; it
can also bring about a change in the pattern of social relationship and thereby
causing social change. This social change can be good behaviour, respect to
elders, obeying one’s culture and all these have been the impact of education
in rural development process. Be that as it may, education in Nigeria is now
more of a private enterprise, but a huge government venture that has witnessed
a progressive evolution of government complete and dynamic intervention and
active participation. The federal government of Nigeria has adopted education as an
instrument par-excellent for effecting national development.
Statement
of the Problem
This
research is an attempt to investigate the discrepancies between urban and rural
areas in terms of educational rural development process.
The
gap between urban and rural areas arising from conduciveness of environment,
availability of manpower and facilities in the teaching and learning process.
Other
issue of textbook selection or recommendation is a matter of concern to
curriculum planners, the teachers and even the ministries of education.
Research
Questions
1. Is there any relationship between education
and provision of basic infrastructure in
Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State?
2. Is there
any relationship between education and rural development
process in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State?
3. Is
there any impact of education in rural areas in Mushin Local Government Area of
Lagos State?
4. Is there any difference between education and
social changes in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State?
Hypotheses
This
research is based on the following hypotheses.
1. There is no significant relationship
between education and provision of
basic infrastructure in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
2. There is no significant relationship between
education and rural development
process in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
3. There is no significant impact of education
in rural areas in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State
4. There is no significant difference between
education and social changes in Mushin
Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Purpose
of the Study
The
purpose of this research is to look at the impact of education in rural
development process in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
It
is also to investigate whether there is any existing relationship between
education and rural development process in Mushin Local Government Area.
Also
to find out if people in rural area benefit from basic infrastructure in Mushin
Local government Area.
To
determine the impact of education in rural area in Mushin Local Government
Area.
To
investigate if education has improved social changes in rural area of Mushin
Local Government Area.
Significant
of the Study
This
study when completed will be beneficial to the students, tertiary institutions,
teachers and ministries of education. In addition, the study will try to
provide adequate and enough information for planners of educational policies
and curriculum with a particular reference to rural development process. No
doubt, the study will help ministries of education to make useful and important
recommendations on how to develop rural areas.
The
curriculum designers could receive vital information about the problem being
suffered in rural areas in teaching and learning and may adopt a system of
solving the problems that will eliminate the difference and bridging the wider
gap between urban and rural areas.Be that as it may, the study will no doubt
enrich the libraries with useful copies of papers as researchers in Mushin
Local Government Area in particular and Nigeria at large. It will also provide
relevant information to researchers who might be interested in the educational
research.
Scope
of the Study
This
study is designed to show areas to which the research work is carried out; it
includes both the male and female staff of Mushin Local Government Council
because the research is not affected by sex.
Limitation
of the Study
This
study is meant to cover all the senior staff of Mushin Local Government Area of
Lagos State. But due to financial constraint, only 40 senior staff were used
for the research. The result from this study will be used to generalize all the
senior staff in Mushin Local Government Area, Lagos State.
Definition
of Terms
Impact: a marked effect or influence.
Imbalance:
A lack of
proportion or balance.
Stagnate:
Showing little
activity.
Immensely:
To a great extent, extremely.
Pivot: The central point.
Discrepancy:
A difference or
lack of compatibility between two or more facts that should be similar.