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THE IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL REFORMS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background of the Study

Many great educationists and authors of repute have tried in the past and others are still trying to give a precise and concise definition of education. According to a renowned educationist “Education is the natural, harmonious and progressive development of man’s innate powers” (PESTALOZZI, H. Johann 1997). This definition stresses that man naturally is endowed with certain inborn powers and capabilities, and the task of education is to bring about the development of these.

Education is “The deliberate and systematic influence extended by a mature person upon the immature through instructions, discipline and harmonious development of the physical, intellectual, aesthetic, social and spiritual powers of the human being according to their essential hierarchy by and for the individual and social uses and directed towards the union of the educated with the creator as the final end” (REDDEN .D. John 2000). Education in a broad sense is a process by which an individual acquires the many physical and social capabilities demanded by the society in which he/she is born into to function (UWADIA, 2010). Education is the process of acquisition of knowledge, that is, it involves the teaching and learning process (EDUWEN, 1999). Education as a key component of human capital formation is recognized as being vital in increasing the productive capacity of people. Education especially at the higher level, contributes directly to economic growth by making individual workers more productive and leading to the creation of knowledge, ideas, and technological innovation.

Nelson Mandela, a celebrated South African leader said “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and a onetime president of United States of America John F. Kennedy once said “our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education” and President of Nigeria, Jonathan Goodluck reiterated that “Education is core to whatever we want to do as a nation. Nigeria cannot make much progress towards the attainment of its vision20-2020 unless we strengthen our educational system”

A common lexicon in the Nigerian education system has, of recent, been the issue of educational reforms. As regards its conception, goals and strategies for implementation, it has attracted the attention of all stakeholders. It is apposite from the onset to compartmentalize the major concepts which are essential in the understanding and treatment of reforms within the Nigerian education system. Such terms which need clarifications include: reform, educational reforms and information and communication technology. The term reform is etymologically derived from the Latin root reform are which means “to shape”. It is a verb that refers to improvement by alteration, a correction of error or removal of defects (Yahoo Education, 2007). Similarly, Young and Levin (1999) defined educational reforms as program of educational change that are government directed and initiated based on an overtly political analysis (that is, one driven by the political apparatus of government rather than by educators or bureaucrats), and justified on the basis of the need for a very substantial break from current practice (p.7). Based on the miscegenation of the aforementioned definitions, in this context, educational reforms mean federal government induced and directed substantial alteration of the Nigerian education system (programme curriculum agencies, educational levels, etc.). 

In view of the foregoing, this study sought to investigate the impact of educational reforms on economic development in Nigeria.

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