Explain the developmental trends in provision of Primary Education in Nigeria.

Explain the developmental trends in provision of Primary Education in

Nigeria.

1. Ashby Recommendations: After gaining independence, Nigeria followed the recommendations of the Ashby report for education development.
2. Northern Region’s Focus: In the Northern Region, the primary goal was to rapidly expand primary schools. They aimed to have 25% of school-age children in school by 1970, as suggested by the Ashby report.
3. Universal Primary Education (UPE): The Northern Region also aimed for Universal Primary Education (UPE) as quickly as possible. They wanted to make sure that every child had access to primary education
4. Infrastructure Development: To ensure balanced educational growth, the region also worked on building post-primary facilities and infrastructure.
5. Eastern and Western Regions: These regions were already enrolling a high number of primary school students through their UPE programs. However, they faced challenges like low-quality staff, declining standards, and high education costs.
6. Eastern Region’s Shift: The Eastern Region decided to discontinue its UPE program and focused on improving teacher training to enhance the quality of education in schools
7. Western Region’s Concentration: In the West, where UPE had been successfully implemented since 1955, they shifted their focus to raising the quality of teaching in schools.

The development of primary education after independence was based on the Ashby recommendations. The Government of the Northern Region felt that the greatest need was to accelerate the expansion of the primary schools. Its aim was to attain the Ashby report target of 25% of children of school age to be in school by 1970. The Government also designed a programme that was to advance the region into Universal Primary Education as soon as possible. At the same time infrastructures were to be laid in terms of post-primary facilities in order to ensure a balanced education development.

The Eastern and Western Regions were already enrolling a high proportion of primary school population through their universal primary education programmes. However, problems were becoming enormous because of poor quality staff and falling standards amidst the high cost of education. The East had to scrap its own UPE and directed its attention to teacher training with a view to achieving high quality work in the schools. In the West, the successful implementation of the UPE since 1955 lett them with the time to concentrate on raising the standard of teaching in schools

In summary, Nigeria’s post-independence primary education development was marked by a focus on expanding access to primary education, particularly in the Northern Region. Meanwhile, the Eastern and Western Regions adjusted their approaches to address quality and teacher training as they faced challenges in maintaining high standards.

Evaluation

1. The developmental trends in Nigeria’s primary education were influenced by the _______ recommendations.
a) Johnson
b) Ashby
c) Smith

2. The main focus in the Northern Region was to _______ primary schools.
a) Reduce
b) Expand
c) Close

3. The Northern Region aimed to have _______ of school-age children in school by 1970, as recommended by the Ashby report.
a) 10%
b) 25%
c) 50%

4. The Northern Region also aimed for _______ as quickly as possible.
a) Universal Secondary Education
b) Universal Primary Education (UPE)
c) University Education

5. Infrastructures were planned for post-primary facilities to ensure _______ in education development.
a) Unbalanced growth
b) Balanced growth
c) Rapid decline

6. The Eastern and Western Regions enrolled a high proportion of primary school students through their _______ programs.
a) Advanced Placement
b) Universal Primary Education (UPE)
c) Sports

7. Problems arose in the Eastern and Western Regions due to poor _______ and falling standards in education.
a) Teacher quality
b) Weather conditions
c) Student attendance

8. The Eastern Region decided to focus on _______ to improve the quality of education in schools.
a) Raising fees
b) Teacher training
c) Building more schools

9. The Western Region, after successful UPE implementation, concentrated on _______ in schools.
a) Reducing class sizes
b) Raising the standard of teaching
c) Expanding sports programs

10. The Northern Region’s aim was to achieve _______ in primary education.
a) Balanced development
b) Rapid decline
c) Uniformity in dress code

11. The Ashby report suggested having _______ of school-age children in school by 1970.
a) 50%
b) 25%
c) 10%

12. The Eastern Region faced challenges due to _______ staff and falling education standards.
a) High-quality
b) Poor-quality
c) Expensive

13. To improve the quality of education, the Eastern Region shifted its focus to _______.
a) Student enrollment
b) Teacher training
c) Building more playgrounds

14. The Western Region was able to concentrate on raising the standard of _______ in schools.
a) School buildings
b) Student discipline
c) Teaching

15. In Nigeria’s primary education, the Ashby report aimed to attain _______ of children in school by 1970.
a) 10%
b) 25%
c) 50%

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