Child Education in Nigeria

Children in the claasroom
This obligation cannot be ignored when we are reminded that failure to provide education for the child tantamount to failure in providing the child with a future. Education of the child becomes very imperative and in fact a constitutional right to him, the child’s learning process begins at the feotal developmental stage, when he begins to learn by being sensitized in the process, to when he is given birth to, post natal stage. The very basic foundation of the child begins with the informal education that starts at babyhood infancy, and adolescent.


The prime provider of this learning is the parent to the child, the conventional curriculum of the child is based on the already acquired knowledge by parents over time, which is now being transmitted to the child, it begins with the act of communication. This responsibility is not only centered on the family settings but, outside the home, this education commences before the normal schooling age.

The child begins to learn through signs and symbols to babblings stage until he begins to learn the act of communication such as BA, PA, MA, DA, and TA. At the age of two the parents begin to teach him, about his physiognomy, such as show me your head, show me your mouth and others. He begins to learn Alphabets and numerical figures, he is already in the crèche and nursery stage, when outside family settings learning process begins to take place in the child. The learning process becomes dual settings, the home and the school.

This co-operative learning structure becomes budded on the home and school. The home is now bestowed with the responsibility of teaching the child some basic fundamental concepts, which is embedded on toilet training in action of family and societal values to the child, he is exposed to the basis of his cultural ideas and valued act of dressing, how to conduct oneself at home and in public, respect for elders, siblings and extended relations. The parents are also bestowed both bearing the child family care, such as putting everything in place to ensure the child’s physiological, and esthetic needs, paying the institutional cost and playing the noble role of supervision and monitoring of the child.

The formal that is the outside home setting “the school” play the role of being adequately and appropriately engrossed in providing the child the basis of learning through the act of the three R.s, Reading, writing and Arithmetic’s, it goes beyond by ensuring that the child acquires according to Nigerian philosophy of education which includes inculcation of national consciousness and unity (National Anthem) recitation, inculcation of right values and attitudes needed for the child’s survival in the society, acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competence, mentally and physically for him to live and contribute to the development of his society, it shares the responsibility of providing the child the appropriate guidance and counseling, supervision and monitoring.

Wikipedia encyclopedia has this to say about early child education, in his opinion, early childhood education is crucial to the child’s development and should be entered into continuously with some one you trust,” in this case, there should be mutual and holistic approach in the implementation of early child’s learning curriculum, to achieve and meet up with the expected set goals and objectives.

The question that emanates here is what are the advantages and if any disadvantage of early child’s education and who bears the burden more?

The advantages of early child’s education cannot be over emphasized. This reminds me of the wise saying “Give me a child and I will give you a man”.

Early child’s education puts him on a very solid foundational level above those who never or do not have the opportunity based on the family setting in terms of awareness, and financial where withal. They become very vulnerable to not being versatile in knowledge.

Cultural ideas and values of his society, he imbibes the benefits of education and that makes him more pragmatic in his academic pursuit and his disposition.

It puts him ahead of others if the implementation is properly supervised. It reduced risks for childhood conduct disorder, reduces welfare utilization as an adult, the events of school drop outs and academic wastages. It enhances the economic value of the individual skills, the rate of performance becomes very high. They prove to be more successful in later school, competes favorably socially and emotionally. They are more versatile in verbal and intellectual communications. They show improved cognitive and developmental achievements. It minimizes high rate of failure and repetition in future studies.

It strengthens the society by ensuring that his individuals are potentially harnessed, that also increases the chances of the beneficiaries of early childhood education, in terms of job opportunities, increased wages in their future careers. They become more refined and cultured based on their early exposure to education, the spirit of ambition is built in them which makes them not prone to failure in life.

The burden of early child’s education is a collective responsibility between the parents and the government.