Philosophy of Pre-primary and Primary School Education
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
Objectives of the study are;
- To examine the extent to which Pre-primary and primary school are receiving government support to be able to achieve the policy statement on Pre-primary education
- To examine whether Pre-primary and primary schools are adequately provided with instructional materials that can aid the achievement of the policy objectives.
- To find out the relationship between pre-primary and primary school
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Objectives of Pre-primary Programme
The overall objective of an ECD and Pre-primary education programmes is to enhance child’s development potential before his/her stepping into the primary school. The specific objectives would include among others, the following:
- To provide all the necessary care and education to young children that will help their development through physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional growth and change with due attention to children of disadvantaged groups, children with special needs and children of ethnic minorities.
- To support language development of children through active interaction among with children and creating opportunities for using the skills.
- To support parents and other caregivers by providing knowledge and skills necessary to meet children’s developmental needs.
- To create a congenial and child friendly atmosphere at home, community and places of learning so that children benefit fully from care and learning activities.
- To develop and train the trained human resources and support them effectively to carry out their work in early care and education of children. The above objectives encompass the development needs of children from birth to transition into primary school. Pre-school or pre-primary education forms an integral part of this continuum and should be planned and implemented taking into account the links and the cumulative process of development
Philosophical base of primary education
The foundation of formal education in any society is laid at the primary level. Undoubtedly, the quality of the foundation will strongly determine the quality of the end product. Many nations having realized the centrality of primary education in the development of the individual and the society, gives it a primary focus in the scheme of things. Education is seen by the developed and some developing nations as the instrument per excellence for ushering in the need socio-economic and political development. This shows that education at any level cannot be effectively understood and pursued outside the philosophy of the people that provide it. Hence it is the philosophy of life of the people which include their needs, interest, values, aspirations and their understanding of the nature of man and the society, and the world at large all embedded in the peoples’ philosophy of education Primary education is the education given to children between the age of 6 – 12 years; it is either terminal for some children or a preparation for entrance into secondary school Philosophy of primary education is entrenched in the philosophy of life and the national goals of the people that provide it. In Nigeria for instance, the national goals upon which the philosophy of primary education is based as stated in the national policy on education (1981) revised edition, are the building of:
- A free and democratic society
- A just and egalitarian society
- A united, strong and self- reliant nation
- A great and dynamic economy
- A land of bright and full of opportunities for all citizens.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research is the process of arriving at a dependable solution to problems through planned and systematic collection, analyzing and interpretation of data (Osuala, 1993).
Green and Full (1975) defines research methodology as the specification of procedures for collecting and analyzing the data necessary to solve the problem at hand such that the differences between the cost of obtaining various levels of accuracy and the expected value of the information associated with each level of accuracy is optimized.
Thus, in this chapter the method and techniques of data collection and analysis for this study are discussed in details, research design, population of study, sample and sampling technique, sources of data collection, research instrument, validity of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, procedure for administration of research instrument, as well as the limitation of the research methodology. This will be important in order to assess performance appraisal and staff motivation in the financial sector.
Research Design
The research design adopted in this research work is the survey research design which involves the usage of self-designed questionnaire in the collection of data. Under the survey research design, primary data of this study will be collected from nursery and primary schools in order to determine the Philosophy of Pre-Primary and Primary School Education. The design was chosen because it enables the researcher to collect data without manipulation of any variables of interest in the study. The design also provides opportunity for equal chance of participation in the study for respondents.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter is about the analysis and presentation of data collected from the field through questionnaire. The analysis of the data with particular question immediately followed by the presentation of findings.
As mentioned in chapter three, 50 questionnaires were administered and 50 were retrieved and necessary analysis was carried out on them and presented.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on philosophy of pre-primary and primary school education. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of pre-primary and primary school education
Summary
This study was on philosophy of pre-primary and primary school education. Three objectives were raised which included: To examine the extent to which Pre-primary and primary school are receiving government support to be able to achieve the policy statement on Pre-primary education, to examine whether Pre-primary and primary schools are adequately provided with instructional materials that can aid the achievement of the policy objectives and to find out the relationship between pre-primary and primary school. In line with these objectives, three research questions and hypotheses were formulated and answered. The total population for the study is 75 staff of selected nursery and primary schools in Bassa local government of plateau state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study.
Conclusion
The purpose of child education is to prepare the child for primary school education, which is universal, free and compulsory, and to offer every Nigerian child the opportunity to go to school and receive education as a right enshrined in the National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004). In fact, a house that is on a faulty foundation cannot stand the test of time and space. So if the preprimary education is the “recognized” foundation stone of Nigerian educational system, then it should be reinforced, adequately funded, equipped, staffed and wholeheartedly implemented and not neglected.
Recommendation
There should be reinforced, adequately funded, equipped, staffed and wholeheartedly implemented and not neglected
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