Научная статья на тему 'Educational system in Nigeria and its prospects'

Educational system in Nigeria and its prospects Текст научной статьи по специальности «Науки об образовании»

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Ключевые слова
EDUCATION / PROBLEMS / PROSPECTS / STANDARDS / RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Аннотация научной статьи по наукам об образовании, автор научной работы — James O. Mbakpuo

This paper examines the problems and prospects of education in Nigeria and the lack of strategic management in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across Nigeria. For a sustainable development to take place in the educational industry or sector in Nigeria, the government needs to re-address the issue of funding. Technical education, research programs, inventions and mass production of invented products and innovation centers should be encouraged and well funded either by public or private sector.

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Текст научной работы на тему «Educational system in Nigeria and its prospects»

5. Ласковец С. В. Стратегия развития профессорско-преподавательских ресурсов в маркетинговой политике вуза : автореф. дис. ... канд. экон. наук : 08.00.05. - Москва, 2007. - 25 с.

6. Макаров Г.Н., Фёдоров М.Е. Лексематическое тестирование знаний : сб. науч. ст. Междунар. науч. конф. - Информационные технологии в обеспечении нового качества высшего образования, Москва, 14-15 апр. 2010 г. / Мин-во образ. и науки РФ, Гос. научно-исследовательский ин-т информ. техн. и телекомм. - «Информика» ; редкол. : член-корр. РАН И.Г. Поспелов [и др.]. - Москва, 2010. -С. 104-109.

7. Козлов А.Н., Козлова О.В. Оценка качества образования с использованием нейронных сетей // Известия Самарского научного центра Российской академии наук. - 2012. - № 5. - С. 54-56.

УДК 374(806)

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN NIGERIA AND ITS PROSPECTS

James O. Mbakpuo, 2017 Гомельский государственный университет им.Ф. Скорины, Аспирант кафедры экономической теории и мировой экономики, Гомель, Белоруссия

Аннотация: This paper examines the problems and prospects of education in Nigeria and the lack of strategic management in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across Nigeria. For a sustainable development to take place in the educational industry or sector in Nigeria, the government needs to re-address the issue of funding. Technical education, research programs, inventions and mass production of invented products and innovation centers should be encouraged and well funded either by public or private sector.

Ключевые слова: education; problems; prospects; standards; research and strategic management and development

Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa", owing to its large population and economy. Nigeria has a federal system of government with 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Within the states, there are 744 local governments in total.

With approximately 186 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world .Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world. The country is viewed as a multinational state as it is inhabited by over 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa,Igbo,and Yoruba. These ethnic groups speak over 500 different languages, and are identified with wide variety of cultures. The official language is English. Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern part of the country, and Muslims in the northern part. A minority of the population practice religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities.

As of 2015, Nigeria is the world's 20th largest economy, worth more than $500 billion and $1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and purchasing power parity respectively. It overtook South Africa to become Africa's largest economy in 2014. Nigeria is considered to be an emerging market by the World Bank AND it has been identified as a regional power on the African continent, a middle power in international affairs, and has also been identified as an emerging global power. However with Nigeria over heavy dependence on oil revenue running the government and the subsequent drastic cut in oil price affected the government so much to the extent the country is currently in recession and struggling to come out from the recession and on the 5th of April 2017 the government launched an economic and recovery growth plan 2017-2020.Hoping this will turn things around regardless of the unforeseen circumstances that may come up in the global economy and the rise of nationalism and protectionism in America and Europe poses a lot of uncertaninties.

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN NIGERIA

Education is administered by the federal, state and local governments. The Federal Ministry of Education is responsible for overall policy formation and ensuring quality control, but is primarily involved with tertiary education. School education is largely the responsibility of state (secondary) and local (elementary) governments. Nigeria's education system encompasses three different sectors: basic education

(nine years), post-basic/senior secondary education (three years), and tertiary education (four to six years, depending on the program of study) According to Nigeria's latest National Policy on Education (2004), basic education covers nine years of formal (compulsory) schooling consisting of six years of elementary and three years of junior secondary education. Post-basic education includes three years of senior secondary education. At the tertiary level, the system consists of a university sector and a non-university sector. The latter is composed of polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education. The tertiary sector as a whole offers opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and vocational and technical education. The academic year typically runs from September to July. Most universities use a semester system of 18 - 20 weeks. Others run from January to December, divided into 3 terms of 10 -12 weeks.

Number of Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, polytechnic and colleges of education in Nigeria.

As at 2016, there are 40 federal universities in Nigeria, 44 state universities, 68 Private universities, 109 polytechnics, 82 colleges of education consisting of 22 federal, 14 private and 46 state colleges of education.

Nigeria has more than 507, private primary schools, and more than 54.434 government primary schools and more than 7.129 Government secondary schools with both junior& senior secondary schools and with more than 4.311 private secondary school. There are about more than 100 secondary schools in Lagos alone.

Basic Education

Elementary education covers grades one through six. As per the most recent Universal Basic Education guidelines implemented in 2014, the curriculum includes: English, Mathematics, Nigerian language, basic science and technology, religion and national values, and cultural and creative arts, Arabic language (optional). Pre-vocational studies (home economics, agriculture, and entrepreneurship) and French language are introduced in grade 4.

The language of instruction for the first three years is one of Nigeria's main native languages (Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba). English is increasingly being adopted as the language of instruction for the last three years of elementary school. Students are awarded the Primary School Leaving Certificate on completion of Grade 6, based on continuous assessment.

Progression to junior secondary education is automatic and compulsory. It lasts three years and covers grades seven through nine, completing the basic stage of education. The curriculum includes the same subjects as the elementary stage, but adds the subject of business studies.

At the end of grade 9, pupils are awarded the Basic Education Certificate (BEC), also known as Junior WAEC , based on their performance in final examinations administered by Nigeria's state governments. The JUNIOR WAEC examinations take place nationwide in June each year and usually last for a week. Students are expected to take a minimum of ten subjects and a maximum of thirteen. Students must achieve passes in six subjects, including English and mathematics, to pass the Basic Education Certificate Examination.

Crisis in Elementary Schooling

Like the country's education system as a whole, Nigeria's basic education sector is overburdened by strong population growth. A full 44 percent of the country's population was below the age of 15 in 2015, and the system fails to integrate large parts of this burgeoning youth population. According to the United Nations 8.73 million elementary school-aged children in 2010 did not participate in education at all, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world.

The lack of adequate education for its children weakens the Nigerian system at its foundation. To address the problem, thousands of new schools have been built in recent years. The Nigerian government has the official goal to universalize free basic education for all children. Yet, despite recent improvements in total enrollment numbers in elementary schools, the basic education system remains underfunded; facilities are often poor, teachers inadequately trained, and participation rates are low by international standards.

Senior Secondary Education

Senior Secondary Education lasts three years and covers grades 10 through 12. In 2010, Nigeria reportedly had a total 7,104 secondary schools with 4,448,981 pupils and a teacher to pupil ratio of about 32:1.

Reforms implemented in 2014 have led to a restructuring of the national curriculum Students are currently required to study four compulsory "cross-cutting" core subjects, and to choose additional electives in four available areas of concentration. Compulsory subjects are: English language, mathematics, civic education, and one trade/entrepreneurship subject. The available concentration subjects are: Humanities,

science and mathematics, technology, and business studies. The new curriculum has a stronger focus on vocational training than previous curricula, and is intended to increase employability of high school graduates in light of high youth unemployment in Nigeria.

In addition to public schools, there are a large number of private secondary schools, most of them expensive and located in urban centers. Many private schools include U.S. K-12, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examination curricula, allowing students to take international examinations like International General certificate of secondary education.(IGSCE) during their final year in high school.

Senior School Certificate Examination

At the end of the 12th grade in May/June, students sit for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). They are examined in a minimum of seven and a maximum of nine subjects, including mathematics and English, which are mandatory. Successful candidates are awarded the Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC), which lists all subjects successfully taken. Students can sit for a second SSC annual exam if interested or if they need to improve on poor results in the May/June exams.

SSC examinations are offered by two different examination boards: the West African Examination Council and the National Examination Council (NECO). The examination is open to students currently enrolled in the final year of secondary school, as well external private candidates (in the November/December session only). The SSCE grading scale is as follows for both WAEC and NECO administered examinations:

Admission to public universities in Nigeria is competitive and based on scores obtained in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as well as the SSC results. Most universities require passes in at least five SSC subjects and take into consideration the average score. Students must score an average grade of at least 'credit' level (C6) or better to be considered for admission to public universities; some institutions may require higher grades.

It is possible to access student results through the West African Examinations Council(W AEC)/or National Examination Council (NECO) websites. The student must provide the PIN number that they purchase for the equivalent of approximately USD $3 (available at banks, WAEC regional offices and online). With the PIN number it is possible to retrieve a printable copy of the WAEC results. This is the fastest and most reliable way of verifying a student's results from Nigeria.

Vocational and Technical Education

The Nigerian education system offers a variety of options for vocational and technical education at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. To combat chronic youth unemployment, the Federal Ministry of Education presently supports a number of reform projects to advance vocational training, including the "vocationalization" of secondary education and the development of a National Vocational Qualifications Framework by the National Board for Technical Education, similar to the qualifications frameworks found in other British Commonwealth countries.

A two-tier system of nationally certified programs is offered at science technical schools, leading to the award of National Technical/Commercial Certificates (NTC/NCC) and Advanced National Technical/Business Certificates. The lower-level program lasts three years after Junior Secondary School and is considered by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board as equivalent to the SSC.

The advanced program requires two years of pre-entry industrial work experience and one year of fulltime study in addition to the NTT/NCC. All certificates are awarded by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB).

Another type of - relatively new - vocational training institution are the so-called "Vocational Enterprise Institutions" (VEIs) and "Innovation Enterprise Institutions" (IEIs), established to provide employment-geared education in the private sector at the secondary level, VEIs offer programs for graduates of junior secondary school leading to a National Vocational Certificate (NVC). Programs are between one and three years in length and conclude with the award of the NVC Part 1, Part 2 and Final.

At the post-secondary level, IEIs offer diploma programs for holders of the SSC. Programs are two years in length (3-4 years part-time) and lead to the so-called National Innovation Diploma. As of 2017, there were 137 approved IIEs and 72 approved VEIs listed on the website of the National Board for Technical Education.

University Admissions

Until the 1970s, Nigerian universities set their own admissions standards. Due to the growing number of universities in Nigeria's sprawling higher education system, this practice became problematic, and, in 1978, the Nigerian government established the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to oversee a centralized admissions test called the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME). The fiscal crisis of the Nigerian government has recently led to discussions about abolishing the JAMB as a cost-cutting measure In November of 2016, the JAMB announced that it did no longer have adequate funds to effectively conduct the nation-wide UTME. Despite these financial difficulties, all public universities are presently mandated to use the governmental admissions test in their admissions decisions, even though some universities have additional requirements going beyond the UTME.

The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is a computerized standard test. The multiple-choice test is three hours in duration and conducted once a year, typically in March. It can be taken at test centers in each state of the Nigerian federation, as well as some overseas testing facilities.

The UTME is open to students who achieve credit level or better in English and four other subjects in the SSC exams at the end of the senior secondary cycle. Students with equivalent qualifications like the National Technical Certificate may also be admitted.

Students who sit for the UTME must take exams in English and three subjects related to their intended major in order to be considered for admission into universities. A total of 23 different UTME subject combinations are offered in the fields of: Banking and finance, law, English and literary studies, mass communication, linguistics, philosophy, engineering, medicine and surgery, computer science, nursing, pharmacy, biochemistry, industrial chemistry, geology, mathematics, microbiology, economics, sociology, psychology, political science, public administration, and accounting and business administration. Test takers can achieve a maximum score of 400. Most universities require a minimum score between 180 and 200, although high-demand universities or programs may require higher scores.

Many universities also conduct additional screening or post-UTME examinations before a final admission decision is made. These post-UTME requirements can be demanding and are often reported to be a source of frustration for Nigeria's university applicants. In 2016, the JAMB announced a number of reforms, including stopping universities from using written post-UTME exams, as well as changes to the UTME scoring system. As of February 2017, the status of the reforms was unclear, due to resistance from universities. Many universities continued to use post-UTME exams in the fall 2016 admissions cycle.

When registering with JAMB for the UTME, each student can apply to up to six institutions: two universities, two polytechnics, and two colleges of education, with first and second choice programs for each institution type. A number of universities accept applications for post-UTME admissions screening from students that that did not get into their universities of choice. Some private institutions accept applicants that did not sit for the UTME at all.

Список литературы:

1. Aina, A.T. and A. T. Salau (2016) The challenge of sustainable Development in Nigeria. Nigerian Environment Study/Action Team (NEST). An NGO report prepared for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, June 1-12, 1998. - P. 8, 16.

2. Birma, D. (2008) Excerpt of speech at the opening ceremony of the National Council on Education (NEC) meeting in Kaduna. University System News. - vol. 8. - No 1.

3. March, P.I Erinosho, L. (2017). The social science in Nigeria in the 21st century: matters arising, newsletter of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria, Abuja. - vol 2. - No. 2. - P.10-17.

4. Federal Government of Nigeria (2015) Higher Education in Nineties and beyond. report of Longe Commission on the review of Higher Education in Nigeria, main report. Omofonmwan, S.I. No. 12. - P.40-57.

УДК: 378.1

ПРАВОВАЯ КУЛЬТУРА ЛИЧНОСТИ СТУДЕНТА Шиханова Е.Г.1, Резниченко М.Г.2, 2017

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