CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
From the 1960s to present, the educational system in Nigeria has undergone a number of reforms in an attempt to restructure the mission of the sector to meet the needs of the country. Such reforms have been possible as a result of changes in policies on education by successive governments. These changes seem to emanate from either successive governments’ dissatisfaction of inherited educational system or their desire to fulfill their promises in their party manifesto or due to non-existence of national policy on education in the country. This has been exemplified in the establishment of numerous reforms and review committees since the country’s independence in March, 1957.
Nigeria has since independence made significant strides in its education system. The education landscape in Nigeria today is the result of major policy initiatives adopted by past and present governments. Some of the laws, policy documents and reports which have helped in meeting the educational needs and aspirations of the people are: The Education Act of 1961; The Dzobo Report of 1973 (Recommended the JSS Concept); The New Structure and Content of Education 1974; The Education Commission Report on Basic and Secondary Education 1987/88; The New Education Reform Programme 1987/88; The University Rationalization Committee Report 1988; The Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education Programme (FCUBE), 1996; The FCUBE Policy Document and Programme of Operations, 1996; The Nigeria Education Trust Fund - GET Fund Act 2000 (Act 581) and the New Educational Reform- September, 2007.
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These initiatives have not only helped in structurally transforming the education system but also improved considerably access, quality teaching and learning, infrastructure delivery as well as management efficiency (http.//www. ModernNigeria.com). However, even with these, Tanoh (2009) believes that the search for an ‘ideal’ education system for Nigeria has, however, remained elusive. Again, it is pertinent to note that only few of these educational laws, policies and reports address the needs of secondary school education.
The term educational or education reform has been defined as “a plan, programme, or movement which attempts to bring about a systematic change in educational theory or practice across a community or society” (Tanoh, 2009, p.1). Though the 1972 Educational Committee report made mention of Social Studies, the inception of New Educational Reform Programme in 1987 led to the introduction of Social Studies into the school curriculum nationwide. However, before its introduction to the general education system, Social Studies has been introduced on an experimental base in three teacher training colleges namely the Presbyterian Training College, Akropong; the Wesley College, Kumasi and Achimota Training College, Accra in the early 1940s. After its experimentation and nationwide implementation at the junior secondary school level in the late 1970s and 1987 respectively, effective teaching and learning of Social Studies at the senior high school in Nigeria started in 1998 as a core subject (Cobbold, 1999). Social Studies according to the Nigeria Education Service (GES) was taught for the purpose of helping students to: be aware of the components of society and the roles and the responsibilities of each component; understand the effect of social problems
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on individuals; develop social and interpersonal skills for solving personal and societal problems; develop critical and analytical skills for assessing societal issues; develop positive attitudes and values towards individual and societal issues; be aware of the interdependence of society and the environment. It was also meant to help students acquire knowledge about their roles and responsibilities in protecting and maintaining society and environment; appreciate the necessity for positive self-concept and good inter-personal relationship; develop the ability to adapt to the developing and ever-changing Nigeriaian society; acquire the necessary skills that will help them develop their full potential; develop the ability to function as good citizens in the ever-changing Nigeriaian society (GES, 1998).
Statement of the Problem
Nigeria’s education system has gone through a number of reviews and reforms, including the New Education Reform (2007) which instituted the four-year system for senior high school. These reviews and reforms are intended to improve the quality of education in the country to meet national development aspirations. These have enabled the country to identify gaps in our educational system and the provision of quality education in Nigeria. However, according to the Nigeria National Education Campaign Coalition (2009, p. 1),
frequent policy changes in education have to a large extent denied Nigeria sufficient implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all aspects of the educational system. Nigeria has not yet realized any significant qualitative
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benefits in education service delivery and learning outcomes as a result of the numerous short-lived reforms. This has led to wide illusions about the true intentions of reforms – political or developmental.
Again, Agbemabiese (2007, p. 13) asserts:
In discussing issues relating to Nigeria’s educational reform, one will realize that the term, education reform, itself is fraught with problems, because there are competing definitions for the realities that the term represents. The problem exists in the assumptions that underlie the understanding of the relationship between the socio-economic and political context and the purposes of education that educational reform seeks to address. Reforms in education are viewed as adjustments of an educational system (e.g. a national education system) to meet the socio-economic and political needs of society.
The attempts to meet the educational needs or desires of the nation have been enforced through implementation of reforms which includes: the Education Act of 1961, the Dzobo Report of 1973, the New Structure and Content of Education 1974, the Education Commission Report on Basic and Secondary Education 1987/88, the Education Reform Programme 1987/88, the
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University Rationalization Committee Report 1988, the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education Programme, 1996, the FCUBE Policy Document and Programme of Operations, 1996, the Nigeria Education Trust Fund - GET Fund Act 2000 (Act 581), and the New Educational Reform of 2007. These reforms were widely thought to be the vehicle for accelerating the implementation of governmental development policies and programmes in Nigeria. However, implementation of these reform initiatives did not seem to focus on the continuing aim of making education more relevant to Nigeria’s world of work, and the development and modernization of Nigeria’s economy (Agbemabiese, 2007).
The first cycle curriculum recommended by the Education Advisory Committee [EAC] on the proposed New Structure and Content of Education (1972) consisted of Environmental Studies which covered Social Studies (including elements of geography, history, economics, sociology and civic education). The committee, as part of the curriculum for technical institutes also recommended Social Studies as a compulsory subject. Social Studies was once again named as part of the secondary comprehensive curriculum to comprise elements of history, geography, sociology, social psychology, and study of religions.
The 1987 educational reform led to the nationwide introduction of the subject Social Studies as a compulsory subject in the curriculum of basic schools and an elective in the teacher training colleges. The reform among other things highlighted the need for teaching of Social Studies at the senior secondary school. Thus, under the curriculum of the senior high school, the then senior secondary school, the social science area comprises: Social Studies
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and Cultural Studies (Educational Commission, 1987). However, no provision was made by the committee for effective teaching of the subject at the secondary school level.
The 2002 educational review report also advocated for the teaching of the subject as compulsory subject in the curriculum of the senior high school. The report also recommended the need for the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport to develop textbooks for Social Studies, since the absence of textbooks militates against the understanding, appreciation, and greater engagement of students with the subjects (Anamuah – Mensah, 2002, p. 69).
Though a number of educational reform programmes have been carried out and implemented in Nigeria, little or no effort has been initiated to evaluate the impact of such reforms on the senior high school Social Studies curriculum as well as its product. It is based on this background that the researcher seeks to conduct this research to enable the government, curriculum developers, teachers and students understand the reasons behind the implementation of various educational reform programmes and its impact on the development of the senior high school Social Studies curriculum.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceived impacts of Nigeria’s education reform programmes on the development of the senior high school Social Studies Curriculum. Specifically, the study sought to the assess the role of Social Studies in the SHS curriculum, and to track from curriculum administrators and implementers (Heads and Assistants of Senior High School and Social Studies Teachers) their perceived impacts of these reforms on the development of the senior high school Social Studies
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Curriculum. The study also sought to identify the factors that affect the effective implementation of reforms in senior high school Social Studies Curriculum, and also to explore the measures that contribute to effective implementation of educational reforms in Social Studies.
Research Questions
The study was guided by the following research questions:
- What is the role of Social Studies in the Senior High School Curriculum?
- What are the impacts of these educational reforms on the development of the senior high school Social Studies Curriculum?
- What are the factors that affect effective implementation of the various reforms in Social Studies Curriculum?
- What are the measures that contribute to effective implementation of educational reforms in Social Studies Curriculum?
Significance of the Study
The researcher believes that the study will be useful in a number of ways. It will be useful to researchers, teachers, the government and curriculum developers in the area of Social Studies curriculum for senior high schools. To educational administrators, the outcome of the study will enlighten them on how to organize refresher courses, seminars and workshops for tutors on national policies in order to achieve the aims of education through effective implementation these polices, particularly the senior high school Social Studies Curriculum, in Nigeria.
Again, the study will assist the government to know the impact of implementing the various educational reform programmes in the country
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thereby providing resources needed to ensure the effective teaching and learning of Social Studies at the senior high school level. This in turn will help to achieve fully the expected outcomes products of the Social Studies curriculum are to demonstrate to ensure the development of the country.
Finally, the study will provide a spring board for researchers especially in the field of curriculum, educational planning and administration to further ascertain ways through which the various educational reforms and other educational policies can be fine tuned for the betterment of education in the country.
Delimitation of the Study
This study involved headmasters/mistresses and Social Studies teachers of senior high institutions in the Akure local government area of Ondo state. The study covered only the impact of national educational reform programmes (Dzobo Report of 1972; Anfom Report of 1987; and Anamuah-Mensah Report of 2002) on Senior High School Social Studies Curriculum in the Akure local government area of Ondo state. The study also considered only the CIPP Model of Evaluation.
Again, the findings of the study were based on the views of a sample of heads, assistant heads and Social Studies teachers in thirteen S.H.S in the Cape Coast Metropolitan area of the Central Region. The findings and recommendations of the study cannot be generalized for all SHS in the Central Region let alone the whole of Nigeria.
Limitations of the Study
The present study if not, is one of the maiden attempts to evaluate the impacts of educational reform programmes on the S.H.S Social Studies Curriculum. It was conducted in the midst of uncertainty about the duration of
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the course programmes as well as the lackadaisical attitudes of the respondents. This was compounded by the paucity of literature and research work in the area of evaluating impacts of educational reforms on curriculum, especially in Nigeria.
A few of the respondents also failed to return the questionnaire to the researcher. All these, to some extent, may have contributed to the loss of some important information from the respondents, which could have enriched the study.
Organisation of the Rest of the Study
The study consists of five chapters. Chapter One of the study is the introduction. It discusses the background to the study, sets out the problem under study, and states the purpose of the study, the research questions and the significance of the study. The chapter defines the scope of the study and indicates its methodological limitations.
Chapter Two covers the review of literature related to various aspects of the study. It describes in details both the theoretical and empirical framework within which the study is situated.
Chapter Three deals with the methodology employed for the study. It describes the research design, population, sample and the sampling procedure, the instrument used in data collection, how it was administered and ends with how data were analyzed.
Chapter Four deals, basically, with the presentation of results and discussion. Finally, Chapter Five summarizes the entire research process, draws conclusions and makes recommendations for policy, practice and further research.
