The Critique of the Implementation of Early Childhood Education in Cross River State – Nigeria

Eo Odey,Gc Domike

doi:10.4314/gjedr.v11i2.2

Abstract

is a truism that the importance and value of education in the early years of life have been acknowledged for more than 2000 years ago. Relatively, recent factors have brought early childhood education to the forefront of public awareness. Fundamental changes in the economy, family life, public awareness, and public support have had a profound effect on early childhood education. How we approach the education and care of young children depends, to a great extent, on what we believe children are like. Programmes for preschoolers are often structured around some underlying assumptions about the nature of children. Undoubtedly, the implementation of the early Childhood Education in Cross River State as stipulated in the National Policy on Education has been marred with certain implementation problems ranging from lack of infrastructural facilities, prohibitive cost and commercialization, lack of qualified staff, overcrowded classrooms, lack of supervision, neglect of mother tongue amongst others. This paper therefore, takes a cursory look at the critique of the implementation of Early Childhood Education in Cross River State and the way forward.

Highlights

Modern societies show serious concern for the education of their young ones for obvious reasons
It should be noted that not all have agreed on the need for or effectiveness of such Early Childhood Education programmes for subsequent educational development of children
Some leading scholars in Early Childhood Education have doubted the wisdom in exposing young children very early to formal education (Elkind, 1996, Marcon, 2002), expressing the fear that the short term academic gains would be offset by the long term stifling of their motivation and self initiated learning

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Modern societies show serious concern for the education of their young ones for obvious reasons. Childhood education in the form of nursery school or preprimary education as we know it today in Nigeria is a post-colonial development This type of education was given official recognition by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the National Policy on Education (2004). The National Policy on Pre-primary Education In the current National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004) Early Childhood Education is labeled as Preprimary Education and is defined as the education given in an educational institutions to children prior to their entering the primary schools. It includes the crèche, the nursery and the Kindergarten. Orukotan and Oladipo (1992) assert that proprietors of the pre-primary schools often resort to curricular of their choices without proper supervision from the inspectorate division of the Ministry of Education

A Critique of Policy Implementation in Cross River State

CONCLUSION