Abstract
Primary education is universally accepted as the foundation laying level of education in all nations of the world. It provides the mini-structural framework on which the quality of other levels of education is anchored. It is on this premise that this paper examines the pertinent issues that, if properly addressed would recapture and refocus policies in Nigeria for qualitative education at the secondary and tertiary levels. These issues include: A deliberate and conscious effort at achieving the goals of primary education in Nigeria, Addressing the perennial problems of teachers and teaching in primary schools and the management of primary education in general, Dealing with the virus of examination malpractices at the level of primary education and its effect on higher education. In the light of these and other issues adversely affecting the quality of products of education, this paper recommends, among others that the implementation of national policy in primary education by states and private institutions should be closely monitored to ensure uniformity in quality output from the nations primary schools. All primary schools in Nigeria, irrespective of where they are located, should be given a face lift with modern infrastructures in terms of building for administration, classrooms, introductory technology workshops, library, equipment and all relevant instructional materials to ensure effective teaching and learning.
Highlights
Education as a development agent, is valued by all nations of the world because it has brought total liberation to man
The stated goals are attainable the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) on education states that these goals must be pursued through making primary education tuition free, universal and compulsory, implementing the curriculum; providing educational services, using practical, exploratory and experimental methods of teaching, using the language of the environment for the first three years as a medium of instruction; making the teacher-pupil ratio 1:35; promoting pupils from one class to another based on continuous assessment; discouraging the incidence of drop out at this level; integrating information and communication technology (ICT) into education in Nigeria; proving basic infrastructure and training of teachers for the realization of these goals at the primary school level, etc
The output of our primary schools are the ones that are fed into our secondary schools, the quality of foundation laid for learning of comprehension and understanding determine how they will perform in secondary and tertiary levels of education
Summary
Education as a development agent, is valued by all nations of the world because it has brought total liberation to man. As rightly observed by Umoh (2006), education helps the individual to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually, and emotionally by providing suitable environment, teaching him new knowledge, attitudes and skills that will enable him to be useful to himself and his society. Education at this level strengthens the learner’s feet to climb the educational ladder to the zenith of academic attainment if a good foundation is laid. Primary school education is a foundation upon which all other levels of education are built. Armstrong (2008) affirms that certainly, primary and secondary educations are both important elements of the sector, not least because they feed directly the quality of higher levels of education
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