ABSTRACT
The
study was based on the evaluation of the implementation of the language of
instruction policy in primary schools in Local Education Authorities in Udenu
Local Government Area of Enugu State. The study adopted a descriptive research
design and this was aimed at accurate description of observed phenomenon. The
study made use of two sampling techniques; random sampling was used to select
the 35 schools that participated in the study while purposive sampling was used
to select 201 teachers who served as respondents. Four segmented questionnaire
was used to elicit the responses of the respondent on language used for
instruction, human resources available, material resources available and
problems of teachers encountered in implementation of language of instruction
policy. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data collected for
the purpose of this work. The results of the study reveal that English is the
major language use for instruction in primary schools in Local Education
Authorities in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. The result showed
that English is sometimes combined with the language of the environment in
giving instruction. The result found the availability of teachers as human
resources for the implementation of only English as language of instruction.
The result also found the availability of material resources for the
implementation of only English as language of instruction Local Education
Authorities in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. The result reveals
that the language of immediate environment (Igbo) is not used as medium of
instruction as against what is stipulated in National Language of Instruction
Policy in Nigeria. Recommendation and suggestion for further study were
provided.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Primary school is basically the foundation of formal education. Though it
may not be the first entry point for some children, but it still remains the
spring-board from where children take off educationally since the pre-primary
stage is only a preparatory ground. Capturing this level of education, the
Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN 2004:14) stated in the National Policy on
Education (NPE) that:
Primary
education is the education given in institution for children aged 6 to 11years
plus. Since the rest of the education system is built upon it, the primary
level is the key to the success or failure of the whole system. The duration
shall be six years.
Primary education therefore stands not only as the foundation on which
other levels of education are built but also as the most complex of all other
levels of education. Primary education, according to Musa (2012), is basic
education, and as such the first level of education which a child undergoes
before he/she moves on to the other levels of education. This level of
education is complex because not only are the children coming into formal
education with different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds but also with
individual behaviours
and or differences. While still emphasizing on the role of this level of
education, Akinbote (2007), collaborating the views of Bruns, Mingat and
Rokotamalala (2003), Akinbote, Oduolowo and Lawal (2001), UNESCO (2001)
observed that primary education specifically is the level of education that
develops in the individual the capacity to read, write and calculate. It
thereby helps in the eradication of illiteracy. This is coupled with the fact
that primary education is the only level of education that is available
everywhere in both the developed and the developing countries, as well as in
urban and rural areas. This explains why primary education is the largest
sub-sector of any education system as it contributes to the transformation of
societies via the education of children.
The importance of primary education must have prompted Adesina (2005) to
opine that primary education is viewed as a foundation resource which must be
evenly distributed because it is a pre-requisite for the equalization of
opportunities for education across the country in all its known facets. The
author maintained that the goals of primary education must be the same in all
the states of the federation.
Specifically the goals of primary education (FRN,
2004:14) are to:
· inculcate permanent literacy and numeracy, and
ability to communicate effectively;
· lay a sound basis for scientific and reflective
thinking.
· give citizenship education as a basis for effective
participation in and contribution to the life of the society.
· mould the character and develop sound attitude and
morals in the child.
· develop in the child the ability to adapt to the
child’s changing environment.
·
give the
child opportunities for developing manipulative skills that will enable the
child function effectively in the society within the limits of the child’s
capacity.
· provide the child with basic tools for further
educational advancement, including preparation for trades and crafts of the
locality.
These
goals invariably imply that primary education should be rich enough not only
for the overall development of the child but also be capable of making the
child fit well into the society after going through the
curricular/co-curricular activities therein in this level of education. In view
of the importance of this level of education, Adeola (2007) states that
appropriate curricular activities at this level of education include the
development of literacy and numeracy, the study of science, social norms and
values at both the local communities and the country as a whole. Furthermore,
according to the author, the foundation for education should be laid through
civics and social studies, health and physical education, moral and religious
education, the teaching of local crafts, domestic science and agriculture. The
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (2010) thus observes that it is
the education which promotes equality and human
rights, challenges unfair discrimination and promotes the value upon which
equality is built. Hence, the need for a well fashioned curriculum that can
ensure the attainment of these goals cannot be over emphasized.
In pursuance of the goals, The Federal Government of Nigeria (FRN,
2004:15) has prescribed the following curricula for primary education:
Language, Language of the environment, English, French, Arabic, Mathematics,
Science, Physical and Health Education, Religious Knowledge, Agriculture/Home
Economics, Social Studies and Citizenship Education, Cultural and Creative Arts
(Drawing, Handicraft, Music and Cultural Activities) and Computer Education.
From the above stated subjects, it can be seen that the curriculum of
primary school is not only diversified based on the number of subjects that are
taught but also due to the fact that child rearing styles vary from culture to
culture and from generation to generation (Esu, 2002). Understanding the
curriculum of the primary school is therefore a highly complex activity. It is
complex because the curriculum is about far more than simply the content of the
subjects to be taught, it is also imbued with a range of assumptions concerning
teacher’s ideology about the ways in which pupils learn, the teacher-pupil
relationship, the teacher’s role and a whole set of notions about what children
should be taught and expected to learn (Ifenkwe, 2013). This is even more so
when we consider the fact that the learning needs of primary school children
have personal and social dimensions and comprise the essential learning
content required to enable them survive, develop their full capacities and
improve the quality of their lives.
The curriculum of primary schools should therefore be relevant and
sensitive to the values, beliefs, norms, tradition, aesthetics, science and
technology, art, religion, and customs of the people. The curriculum must be
sensitive to the totality of the way/culture of life of the society for which
it is designed (Maduewesi, 2005). To achieve the objective of primary education
and effectively teach the subjects therein in its curriculum, effective teaching
and learning cannot be carried out efficiently without the use of language.
This is because, according to Adegbite (2013:13), “The quest for an educational
revolution must recognize language as a major factor, not only as its main
medium of expression but also as a basic tool for human existence and
survival”. Thus, language is needed for survival of any educational programme
and for the projection of the people’s culture.
Language is thus indeed an
integral and important aspect of the people’s culture and as such essential in
primary school education. This is because the acquisition of language in any
form is one of the achievements of childhood (Dollaghan, 2008). But then what
is language? Santrock (2007), states that language is a form of communication,
whether spoken, written or signed. Machado (1990) and Prezi, Ikekeonwu, Agbedo
and Mba (2013) observed that it refers to a system of intentional communication
through bundles of sounds which are called speech sounds, signs (gestures) or
symbols that are.....
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