STRATEGIES FOR CURBING MALADJUSTMENT BEHAVIOUR IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Primary schools are established with the aim of producing pupils who are worthy in character and learning. Pupils are expected to acquire knowledge, skills, experience and discipline that will help them sharpen their destiny and rebuild them from what they used to be to what they intend to become. Pupils at this level of education fall between the ages of 6 to 11 plus (NPE, 2004). This period is described as the childhood age period which has been christened by some psychologists as a period below the legal age of responsibility or accountability (Okobia & Ohen, 2006). Children like human beings are social in nature. They hardly live in isolation but prefer to live and interact with one another (Idowu & Yahaya, 2013).
The urge for a child to interact in school usually creates some challenges which need to be addressed especially in primary schools. A child is a person who is below the age of adulthood (Oke, 2009). In the context of this study therefore, a child is a person who is below the age of adulthood and is in the
primary school. Primary school is education given to children from aged 6-12 years in schools. It is a transition into secondary schools.
Primary school is education given in an educational institution for children aged 6 to 11 years plus (NPE, 2004). The author also noted that primary education is the pivot upon which the whole system of education revolves. The Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004:14) highlighted the objectives of primary education as follows:
Inculcating permanent literacy and numeracy, and ability to communicate effectively, laying of a sound basis for scientific and reflective thinking; giving citizenship education as a basis for effective participation in and contribution to the life of the society; moulding the character and developing sound attitude and morals in the child; developing in the child the ability to
adapt to his changing environment among others.
These objectives if vigorously pursued is expected to transform the child at the end of primary education to demonstrate decent and decorous conduct, respect for authority, high sense of responsibility, love for orderliness, eagerness to discharge duties among others (Peter & Felicia, 2013). However, when a child fails to discharge these characteristics, maladjustment behaviour.