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EFFECTS OF THE NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION ON TEACHING AND LEARNING OF GOVERNMENT IN NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the Study

In education as in other fields of human endeavour, every official action of an organization must have a backing or a basis. It is this purpose that a policy serves. A policy defines the area in which decisions are to be made, but it does not make the decision. It usually provides a general guide that facilitates decision-making. Educational policies provide the direction for educational activities. The formulation of an educational policy sets the stage for implementation which, according to Ukeje (1986), is perhaps the most important aspect of planning. Planning is usually an action which succeeds policy formulation but precedes implementation. Unfortunately, educational policies and goal attainment have been irreconcilable due to implementation constraints. Perhaps this accounts for the observation made by Governor Oyakhilome of Rivers State in an address sent to the Convention of the Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning in 1986. He expressed concern about the problem of policy implementation thus: We know it is difficult to realize planned objectives one hundred percent. But our experience in planning education in this country shows a disturbing gap between planned objectives and attained results ... As professionals in the field of education, it may be pertinent to identify whether those critical gaps are results of faulty planning or faulty implementation (Oyakhilome 1986:2). Policy implementation in education is a conspicuous national problem that has taken centre stage in Nigeria.

Government as an academic subject of study in secondary school education is synonymous with politics, political and civic education. Politics as a concept has a strong influence on the well being of the citizen and the stability of a country. In Nigeria, a pervasive atmosphere of inconsistency in government policies and absence of a political culture tend to prevail most of the time. This atmosphere of uncertainty has led to constant friction within the political system and this in essence led to political instability, a situation which does not create room for meaningful development. It becomes imperative that young generations of students in secondary schools as future leaders of the nation should, as a matter of urgency, be given a through political education with the aim of awakening in them a spirit of political consciousness that will lead to high sense of loyalty, patriotism and commitment to the nation’s goals.

Hence, the study of government in secondary schools can be a useful vehicle for fostering political consciousness if only our political leaders, policy makers and educational agencies can formulate a curriculum that will help in molding the youths to cultivate a positive attitude and the understanding of the Nigeria Political system. The emergence of politically conscious youths in Nigeria will make for wise use of their political rights by the citizenry by voting into power, leaders that will be politically and economically vibrant. In line with the above, it is imperative that the youths in secondary schools as leaders of tomorrow should understand the rudiment of our political systems to give them the insight into how these different political systems operate. Therefore, no effort should be spared in teaching the future leaders in such a way that will make them more interested in the study of government, which is the only way to know the rules of the game of politics. The basic justification for teaching government is the contribution. It can makes to an individual’s potentials for acting wisely in the society since the subject matter of government deals with the past, present and future human socio-political events. Government is taught because it deals with the topics from which students may create their own value against the socio-political events of the past to redress the present situations.

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