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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Education in Nigeria is an instrument “par excellence” for effecting national development. It has witnessed active participation by non-governmental agencies, communities and individuals as well as government intervention. Nigeria’s philosophy of education therefore is based on
-   the development of the individual into a sound and effective citizen,
-   the full integration of the individual into the community and
-   the provision of equal access to educational opportunities for all citizens of the country at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels both inside and outside the formal school system.
Education is the most important instrument of change; any fundamental change in the intellectual and social outlook of any society has to be preceded by an educational revolution (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004).It is widely contended that there has been an abysmal fall in the standard of education in recent times. Many people have faulted the educational system and identified various problems that characterize it (Ali, 2000).
One area that has constantly witnessed a deteriorating performance among students and pupils is  English Language. Parents and stakeholders in education have expressed dismay over this unfortunate situation and the Federal and State government have introduced policies which could not ameliorate the situation. Ibrahim (1999) and Omotala (2001) also expressed concern over this state of affair especially as it affects performance in English language primary and secondary schools in Nigeria and offered suggestions on ways of reversing the trend.In Nigeria, English language is the language of the government and it is widely used in commerce, education, the mass media and social settings (Bamgbosa, 1971, Oluikpe, 1981).
The position of English Language has further been emphasized in the National Policy on Education (2004) that English Language shall be taught as a subject in primary schools. It added that from the fourth year, English shall progressively be used as a medium of instruction and the language of immediate environment and French shall be taught as subjects (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). In the secondary school curriculum, English language is listed number one in the core subject category A. The curriculum for Junior Secondary School (1985) clearly stated that English Language shall serve as
-   medium in which teaching and learning are carried out in schools and colleges, and a
-   medium for interpersonal, ethnic, government and business communication.
In view of the significant role of English language in Nigeria, it therefore becomes imperative that Nigeria learners of English language and the educated people in other disciplines should communicate in English and portray a reasonable degree of competence in the subject (Ekah, 1999). However, investigations have shown that the performance  of pupils and students at the spoken and written proficiency levels in public schools reveal poor performance in the subject.
One of the noteworthy trends in recent years has been the increase of attention to and facilities for pre-school education in Nigeria, especially prior to the kindergarten period. Some countries such as the Soviet Union and Britain have placed considerable weight for social and economic as well as educational reasons on the years of early childhood. Evidence abound to prove that children raised in nursery schools tend to acquire more vocabularies and attain appreciable level of proficiency in spoken English than their counterparts in the public-primary schools and also demonstrate a better understanding and mastery of major components of English. This and more reasons account for the preference of nursery education among the elites in the society who desire nothing but the best for their children.
1.2  STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
English language possesses a unique position in the primary school and secondary school curricula and has contributed largely to national development and social integration. Such a subject demands for the right teaching approaches and facilities so as to produce individuals who would demonstrate competency in personal and public life. Unfortunately, evidences abound that the level of proficiency in spoken and written English in primary schools is generally poor.
Given this unfortunate situation, some parents demand for the right type of education that would prepare the child to achieve certain goals and meet challenges in later life. This makes the demand for nursery education high among the educated parents and elite. The impression here is that in nursery schools children receive early training in spoken and written English and the child would carry the skills to the upper primary and secondary schools.
1.3  PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study was to
-   examine the performance of pupils in English language in nursery schools
-   assess the influence of nursery education on pupils’ achievement in English language in primary schools, and
-   compare performance of pupils in nursery/primary schools and public primary schools.
-   proffer measures for effective teaching of English language in primary schools in Itu Local Government Area.

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