PRIMARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
With the introduction of U.P.E scheme in 1976 by the then head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo, study area Council witnessed rapid development of primary education in the Area, through the scheme; many primary schools were established in most of the village. Since then, primary education witnessed tremendous improvement both in number and quality.
Early years in life are widely accepted as the most important period during which children experience cognitive, language, perceptual, socio-emotional and motor development which they will need for future! achievements and social functioning. This informs the reason why the periods of the early years need tat be handled with all special and detailed attention (Akinrotimi & Olowe 2016). Early years are therefore remarkable periods of growth and development in the lives of children. In their submission, Oduolowu and Olowe (2011) in Akinrotirni & Olowe (2016) noted that the early years of children are years of extreme vulnerability and tremendous potentials, during which adequate protection, care and stimulation are essential to provide the foundation for well-being and development.
Knowledge is important and in the process of attaining it, the pupils gain such advantages as a retentive memory, a reasonable altitude to hard work and discipline and of course the elementary, skills such as reading writing and numbering. In the Nigerian education system, primary education is the education provided for children in school from the age of six lo eleven or more years and it lasts for six years. With the new system of education in Nigeria which is referred to now as basic education, lasts for nine years as the starting point. This level lays the basic foundation upon which all other levels of education are built. This also means that the basic education holds the key to the success or failure of the whole education: system of any country. After independence, the Nigerian educational system has been criticized for many reasons. some Nigerians especially educationists, viewed the inherited colonial system of education as being irrelevant to the economic, political and socio-cultural needs of the country. The type of education being received then was said to be of foreign one to meet the needs of the foreign culture. It was as a result of these criticisms according to Safiya (2005), that a National curriculum conference was held in 1969, to review old and identify new national educational goals for Nigeria.