Rethinking Tertiary Education For Quality And Equity In Early Childhood Care Development Education (Eccde) In Contemporary Nigeria

Abstract

Manpower development, research and economic development are central to the goals of tertiary education in Nigeria. The desire to realize this goal seems to be elusive because of the gap between intention and reality. Teacher preparation/readiness is a good example of this systemic process of education. So, to have efficient system of early childhood care development education (ECCDE) there must be a remarkable improvement in the quality of tertiary education in contemporary Nigeria. In terms of quality and equity, the ECCDE programme is not open to every school-age learner because of ownership and financial and economic implications. Because the management of such centres is in the hands of the private sector, so many school-age learners attend any ECCDE centre for the purpose of occupation, not for being educated. It is against this background the authors take a look at the what, why and how of quality of tertiary education as basis for equity, efficient and productive ECCDE programme. The following issues were given consideration: quality of tertiary education, equity, efficient ECCDE, challenges of quality in tertiary education, teacher preparation/readiness, and contemporary education in Nigeria. Reorganizing the quality of tertiary education for better positioning of ECCDE is to make better use of education at this level of schooling as vehicular means of transition from one level of education to another in the near future and also as a means of wealth creation and employment. It was recommended that constituency allowance should be channeled towards the establishment and development of ECCDE centres at the community level to give room for equity and quality.

Keywords: Quality; Equity; Tertiary Education; Early Childhood Care Development Education; Teacher Preparation/Readiness

Abstract

Manpower development, research and economic development are central to the goals of tertiary education in Nigeria. The desire to realize this goal seems to be elusive because of the gap between intention and reality. Teacher preparation/readiness is a good example of this systemic process of education. So, to have efficient system of early childhood care development education (ECCDE) there must be a remarkable improvement in the quality of tertiary education in contemporary Nigeria. In terms of quality and equity, the ECCDE programme is not open to every school-age learner because of ownership and financial and economic implications. Because the management of such centres is in the hands of the private sector, so many school-age learners attend any ECCDE centre for the purpose of occupation, not for being educated. It is against this background that the authors take a look at the what, why and how of quality of tertiary education as basis for equity, efficient and productive ECCDE programme. The following issues were given consideration: quality of tertiary education, equity, efficient ECCE, challenges of quality in tertiary education, teacher preparation/readiness, and contemporary education in Nigeria. Rethinking the quality of tertiary education for better positioning of ECCDE is to make better use of education at this level of schooling as vehicular means of transition from one level of education to another in the near future and also as a means of wealth creation and employment. It was recommended that constituency allowance should be channeled towards the establishment and development of ECCDE centres at the community level to give room for equity and quality.

Keywords: Quality; Equity; Tertiary Education; Early Childhood Care Development Education; Teacher Preparation/Readiness

Introduction

Manpower development, research and economic development are central to the goals of tertiary education in Nigeria. At independence, it was believed that when Nigerians would take over political power from the British colonial government every aspect of the economy would know no bound in terms of growth and development. In line with this intention, university education was established as an instrument for resolving human challenges and issues through research and development. To an extent, this dream was achieved administratively and in some sectors of the economy. As the years roll by, the desire to realize this central goal seems to be elusive because of the gap between intention and reality, between talking and doing, and between theory and practice. There was the need to reposition tertiary education because industrialists embark on further training to make the output of the system relevant in the industries. Not only that, most of the graduates were not self-reliant because the education system could not realize the aim of producing independent-thinking-feeling beings in the learners. Teacher preparation/readiness was a good example of this systemic process of education. Whether the present attempt at moving from the Benchmark for Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) to the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) would actually reveal the twenty first century reality in contemporary Nigeria or make university education more responsive to the pressing needs of this paper. So to have efficient system of early childhood care development education (ECCDE) there must be a remarkable improvement in the quality of tertiary education in contemporary Nigeria. Because, the tertiary institutions – universities, colleges of education, monotechnics and polytechnics – are saddle with the responsibility of producing manpower for other levels of educations. In terms of quality and equity, the ECCDE programme is not open to every school-age learner because of ownership, management, economic, and financial implications. The management of such centres is in the hands of the private sector, so many school-age learners attend any ECCDE centre for the purpose of engaging their minds, not for being educated. It is against this background the authors of this paper take a look at the what, why and how of quality tertiary education as basis for equity, efficient and productive ECCDE programme. In doing this, these authors employed the phenomenological approach in analyzing the quality of tertiary education, equity and efficient ECCDE, challenges of quality in tertiary education, teacher preparation/readiness in contemporary education in Nigeria. Rethinking the quality of tertiary education for better positioning of ECCDE is to make better use of education at this level of schooling as vehicular means of transition from one level of education to another in the near future and also as a means of wealth creation and employment. The importance of this paper is to encourage quality and equality in the ECCDE centres and build a conducive environment where learners at this level of education can discover themselves.

Description of Major Concepts:

Quality

Quality means that which best satisfies and exceeds customers’ need and wants. It is associated with the monitoring and evaluating components of education to see whether the outcome is good and of the required standard. Quality education implies the suitability of educational products to the needs of the community for which it is provided. Quality education ought to be measured in terms of quality of impact, process, output and content². Education as the most powerful weapon is aimed at change, self-realization, Self-accomplishment, self-actualization, and self-reliance. This is because quality education equips the learner at all levels of education with capacity to interpret, ratiocinate and apply information gathered to real life situations. From this perspective, quality education implies a sound pedagogical and developmental process aimed at educating the learner into becoming an authentic, active and productive member of their community. Quality education cannot be measured purely by a test score or by how many words per minute a 6-year-old learner can remember, but through the totality of the learner³. Quality education, according to them, entails the following aspects: teaching and learning resources and technology, programme enrolled, modules done, methodology, attachments and teacher preparation and readiness. Others include: co-curricular activities, performance awards, learners and teachers’ perspective in the institution’s operation as well as their opinions and appraisal of the whole process of education⁴.

It is believed that quality education is supported by three key pillars: ensuring access to quality teachers; providing use of quality learning tools and professional development; and the establishment of safe and supportive quality learning environments. Quality education is a necessary – not sufficient – condition for, a means to sustainable economy of any nation; it provides and inspires creativity, innovation and technological breakthrough; and it is a tool for improving the prospects of higher income levels for individuals. Quality education provides the needed outcomes for individual’s development which culminates into community and society’s prosperity. It allows schools to align and integrate fully with their communities and access a range of services across sectors designed to support the educational development of their learners⁵.

Tertiary Education

Tertiary education could also be referred to as higher education as both terms are synonymous.  It may be seen as any education at higher standard or status which one receives after the secondary education.  Tertiary education is the optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after the completion of secondary education, which suggests that tertiary education is more advanced than secondary education⁶.  Tertiary education is the bedrock of human capital development of every nation; it is one of the most significant indicators of social progress in every society. The responsibility of transforming the natural or biological man into an economically, politically, morally and socially useful human being depends largely on the systemic process of tertiary education⁷. 

Education at the tertiary level is expected to be intensive, challenging and development-oriented, capturing the entire personhood of the individual, linking the needs and aspirations as well as the demands of society in terms of human capital and overall developmental needs for benefit of humanity^8,9. A look at the aims and objectives of tertiary education in contemporary Nigeria reveal good intention and abundant utilitarian values inherent in the system. It becomes necessary and expedient to reposition tertiary education in contemporary Nigeria in such a way that its institutions could serve as power houses as well as think-thanks for continuous advancement of knowledge, generation of innovative ideas, development of the human mind to lead a course of reasoning, centres for challenging intellectual work and in issues that concern the survival of humanity^10,11. The intended quality education at the tertiary education level would only be instrumental at other levels of education, particularly at the ECCDE centres, if the recipients of such knowledge are transformed and they show the capacity that they are indeed transform only then the needed social change in the Nigerian ECCDE programme will be achieved. These authors believe that the conversion of intention into reality, or theory into practice is realizable through individual efforts, not collective effort. The will to make a difference comes from the individual who sees themselves as persons living with others in the world. The Nigerian educational policy is good but the capacity to implement it is the major challenge confronting the Nigerian state and her peoples.

Equity

The concept of equity is borrowed from the financial sector of global economy into the education subsector of the economy. Equity in this sense means what is due to the owner of a business when liability is paid off. This is not related to what these authors discussed herein. Equity here implies equality and inclusion, providing equal opportunity to every school-age learner the opportunity of attending school at the pre-primary aspect of basic education. That is, no school-age learner is deprived of basic education on account of living with poverty, ignorance, negligence, and discrimination. There are some school-age learners who have the opportunity of attending ECCDE centres but do not have the same opportunity with their fellow counterparts. This is because these centres vary in terms of the capacity of ownership, quality, quantity, manpower, structure and administration.

Teacher Preparation/Readiness

Teacher preparation and readiness is the totality of teacher education programmes, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip student-teachers and teachers with adequate knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, behaviours, approaches, and methodologies they require to carry out their duties, obligations and responsibilities effectively and efficiently in the education subsector of the economy and community. Teacher educators are those responsible for the education of these would-be teachers and teachers. Teacher preparation and readiness involves two major components which are in-service teacher education and pre-service teacher education¹².  Ensuring the quality of teacher preparation concept of ‘Quality’ in education is contested and understood in numerous different ways. Assuring the quality of teacher education includes selecting competent recruits for teacher education programmes, accrediting teacher education programmes who consistently show positive results, and offering registration, licensing, or certification to those who demonstrate competence to enter the teaching profession¹³. It is sometimes taken to relate to the quality of the work undertaken by a teacher, which has significant effects upon their learners. In addition, those who pay teachers’ salaries, whether through taxes or through school fees, wish to be assured that they are receiving value for their money. Ways to measure the quality of work of individual teachers, of schools, or of education systems as a whole, are therefore often sought in various dimensions¹⁴. Assessments of teacher performance may be undertaken with a view to identifying teachers’ needs for additional training or development, or, in extreme cases, to identify those teachers that required leaving the profession¹⁵. In terms of quality, it is mandatory for teachers to acquire a license to teach, and in so doing, to prove that they still have the requisite skills. Whether this intention will bring about quality and equity is something researchers need to investigate into. Since professionalism is being considered a prerequisite for preparedness and readiness in the Nigerian teacher education programme. Put differently, there is need to find out whether there is correlation between licensed and non-licensed teachers on academic achievement of the learner at all level.

ECCDE Programme in Nigeria

Early childhood care development education dates back to the mid-19th century with the coming of formal education by Christian missionaries. The earliest form of early childhood education was organized by church members, especially wives of missionaries who spent their time teaching and caring for children whose parents attend church service on Sunday. Attendance in service was never consistent, children hardly complete the programme. There was no formal curriculum; there was no prescribed approach to teaching and learning until the missionaries started formalized schools¹⁶. Teachers attached to these schools were usually experienced or trained members of the church who had been groomed in teaching the scriptures and possessed full or credible knowledge of the scriptures¹⁷. Classes took place on Sundays between 10.00am and 11.00am in the morning. Teachers began by introducing short choruses, after which there were prayer sessions before teaching short stories from the bible commenced. These lessons ended with assessments consisting of question-and-answer sessions¹⁸. As the classes went on, learners were subsequently promoted to primary schools which were created as the need arose or as the schools became bigger and children progressed¹⁹. These early childhood education and care centres became child-minding facilities for parents, most of whom were farmers who went to work on their farms daily and needed people to take care of their children or worked outside their immediate environment, especially due to low levels of development.

With the advent of independence, social and economic changes led to the development and the creation of several new schools as more and more Nigerians desired to be educated and emulate the examples of the west. The increase in women activism and job quotas created a further need for early childhood education and care centers²⁰. This is because the practice of hiring maids and leaving children with grandmothers had grown out of fashion as more and more women want to showcase themselves as educated and advance the course of feminism and as a result of the increasing awareness of the benefits associated with early childhood education²¹. 

The objectives of Early Childhood Care Development Education in Nigeria are stated in the National Policy on Education as follows:

1. effect a smooth transition from home to school;
2. provide adequate care and supervision for the children while their parents are at work (on the farm, in the market, or offices):
3. inculcate social norms in the child; to teach in the child the spirit of inquiry and creativity through the exploration of nature, the environment, art, music and playing with toys, and so on;
4. develop a sense of cooperation and team spirit;
5. learn good habits, especially good health habits, and
6. to teach the rudiments of numbers, letters, colors, shapes, forms, and so on through play²².

The idea of play in the teaching and learning of children at this level of education was a matter of priority. To the government and other stakeholders, play would set the foundation for life, ensuring that children have positive experiences, that their needs for health, stimulation, and support are met to deliberately and effectively effect developmental changes in children. It is also necessary to help children ease their transition to primary school²³.

Today, pre-primary education is considered an essential tool for achieving Universal Basic Education (UBE) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Because, researches have shown that access to quality pre-primary education is a key strategy for improving learning, educational outcomes as well as efficiency of education, generally. So, ensuring access to ECCDE as a basis for quality education would encourage a correlation between play-based learning and early childhood education which must be anchored on the nature of the child as an irrational-amoral being or agency²⁴. There is no way the teacher can expose the child to happenings in the environment by telling them what to do at a given time, but to expose such happenings through guided play-ways or play-based methods where play is at the liberty of the child to explore their environment. The success or failure in achieving educational goals partially depends on the teacher as they are responsible for curriculum implementation. Teachers are responsible of inspiring and supporting students to achieve their goals and nurture their ability for future prospects. There is no gain saying, teachers are pillars for learners aspiration and future career growth and development^25,26.

As a key to national development, teachers are the pivot on which any educational development programme must depend and revolves. The education system is entirely dependent on teacher’s role. The teachers are the most significant persons in the school. Hence, they are considered as the key factors in the learning process²⁷. Every school strives to recruit good and qualified teaching staff that can deliver quality education to its learners. Therefore, it is crucial for schools to keep their talented teaching staff because they are the creators of future leaders. Thus, there is truly indeed a need to keep teachers satisfied in their jobs and careers in order to enhance their performance²⁸.

Phenomenological Approach

Phenomenology attempts to understand how an individual experiences a phenomenon. The key element of a phenomenological study is that the researcher attempts to understand how people experience a phenomenon from each person’s own perspective. The major focus here is to enter the inner world of each participant to understand their perspective and experience²⁹.

Challenges of Quality and Equity in Contemporary Education

Since reason suggest that men value education, education became and still becomes a vehicle through which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another. Since then education has played an important role in creating innovations and meeting the growing needs of every nation and individual. However, tertiary education in Nigeria faces several challenges, including underfunding, many universities, polytechnics and colleges lack adequate funding for infrastructure, research, and staff salaries, leading to a decline in the quality of education. Another challenge is infrastructure deficiency. A lack of modern facilities, including classrooms, laboratories, and libraries, hampers the learning experience. Quality of instruction includes inconsistent teaching quality and outdated curricula which are believed can lead to graduates who are ill-prepared for the job market. Whether BMAS’ replacement with CCMAS will create the desired difference in the system is something the country is looking forward to see. High demand for tertiary education results in limited available spots, leading to stiff competition and sometimes unfair admission practices. Frequent strikes by university staff disrupt academic calendars and can extend the time it takes for students to complete their programmes. Political influence in the selection of university leaders can hinder academic freedom and compromise the quality of education. Cases of corruption in the education system, such as “sorting” (bribes for grades) and embezzlement, undermine the integrity of institutions. Insecurity in some regions of Nigeria makes it unsafe for both students and staff, affecting the functioning of universities. Inadequate research and innovation and lack of research funding and support stifles innovation and technological advancement. Even those who enjoy Tetfund sponsorship could not account it thereby leading to blacklisted of some schools. Mismatch with Labour Market is a critical challenge because graduates often struggle to find employment that matches their qualifications, contributing to issues of underemployment and unemployment. Dependence on government also showed that certification without relevance cannot create wealth and an indicator for wasteful venture. Although, efforts are being made to address these issues and challenges, they still remain significant impediments to improving tertiary education in contemporary Nigeria³⁰.

Reorganizing Tertiary Education for Efficient ECCDE Programme

Reorganizing tertiary education for efficient ECCDE programme requires that the obstacles to improving tertiary education in contemporary Nigeria must be addressed. This is because education is so fundamental to the welfare and well-being of society and her citizenry. In other words, the more education is relevant to its recipients the more beneficial it will become to everyone in society. This is to say that education plays an important role in creating innovations and meeting the growing needs of every nation and individual. However, “it is good to know that the development of a nation is not a correlate of its buildings, roads, bridges, but human resources developed through its system of education. This is because the level of education in modern society has a powerful effect on economic growth just as individual earnings are systematically related to cognitive skills. Empirical studies reveal that developing countries lag behind developed countries due to the existence of the difference in the endowment of human resources^31,32.

Quality teachers will be produced for the growth, development and betterment of ECCDE centres. And government policies on education would limit the use of unqualified teachers and caregivers.

Conclusion                                                                              

From this discourse, it was revealed that quality in, not quantity of, education is basic to providing the citizens of a country with the capacity to achieve personal set goals, and at the same time bequeathing them with the appropriate knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes for scientific/technological, political, economic, and social development of their community. Quality is needed for education to deliver on its promise as the central driver of the economic, political, and social advancement of the Nigerian state. Consequently, education can only play a critical role in the production of a quality labour force if it does not lack quality. A quality tertiary education would be a necessary condition to realizing equitable and all inclusive ECCDE programme in contemporary Nigeria, if all the obstacles impeding the utilitarian nature of tertiary education can be removed or reduced to its barest minimum. Contemporary Nigeria needs competent workforce, not in terms of content, who could apply the knowledge acquired to real life situations. The system also needs artisans and middle manpower workforce to balance the equation. What the system needs now is professionals who can provide practical solutions to issues and challenges confronting the Nigerian collective essence.

Suggestions

It is therefore suggested that tertiary education should be for manpower development, research, and innovation aimed at solving issues and challenges confronting humanity. It is also suggested that higher education should be functional and utilitarian so that education can be relevant in every ramification. Because ECCDE has the capacity to bring about all round development of the learner, it is therefore suggested that ECCDE should not be left solely in the hands of the private sector who intentionally charge high school fees in the name of education is expensive. In the light of this, the state government should make policies that would give consideration to every school-age learner so that no child is left out. Constituency allowances should be used to create ECCDE centres so that higher cost of education will not be an excuse not to attend school.

Endnotes

1. Francis Ugwu, FG unveils new curriculum for Nigerian universities, Daily Post, December 6, 2022
2. Enowoghomwenma, D.E & Obi-Omovoh, A.E. (2020). Analysis of Principals’ Conflict Management Strategies in Public Secondary Schools For Quality Education in Edo State, Nigeria. Studies in Educational Planning and Administration, 8(3), pp. 47-54.
3. Ibid, 104
4. Ibid, 104
5. Ibid, 104
6. Osaat, S.D and Oputa, C.C. (2018). Globalization of higher education and Nigeria’s national philosophy. In Globalization of Higher Education and Advancement of Sustainable Development Goals. Book of Readings in Honour of Okoli, N.K. (pp. 24-35). Port Harcourt. University of Port Harcourt Press.
7. L.M. Poi, Tertiary Education and Global Orientation.  Manchester: University Press. 2018.
8. Ibid, 216
9. Osaat and Oputa (2018)
10. Poi (2018)
11. Osaat and Oputa (2018)
12. Cecil H. Allen (1940). In-Service Training of Teachers. Review of Educational Research. 10, 210-215.
13. Bennie F.P. (2010). Effectiveness of Teacher Preparation: From Theory to Practice. A Dissertation for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy, Capella University June, 2010, 1-112.
14. Cecil H. Allen (1940)
15. Bennie F. Prince (2010)
16. Babs Fafunwa (1974). History of Education in Nigeria. London: Unwin and Allen Publishers
17. Akinbote et al. (2001). Pre-primary and Primary Education in Nigeria: A Basic Test, Ibadan: Stirling Holden Ltd.
18. Oduolowu, E. A. (2007). A Comparison of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in Nigeria and the Grundskola of Sweden. Essays in Education, 20(1), 9.
19. Ibid, 78
20. Ibid, 69
21. Ibid, 79
22. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2014). National Policy on Education. Abuja: NERDEC Press
23. Ibid
24. Moore et al. (2014). Play-based learning in early childhood education. In Young Children’s Play and Environmental Education in Early Childhood Education (pp. 9-24). Springer, Cham.
25. Ekpo, I. G (2022). Integration of philosophy into basic education system in Nigeria: Teachers’ perspectives (Doctoral Thesis, University of KwaZulu Natal).
26. Nestor, O. & Moser, C. S. (2018). The importance of play. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 11(3), 247-262.
27. Enowoghomwenma and Obi-Omovoh (2020)
28. Nolan, A. & Kilderry, A. (2010). Post-developmentalism and Professional Learning: Implications for Understanding the Relationship between Play and Pedagogy. In L. Brooker & S. Edwards (Eds.). Engaging Play. Maidenhead: Open University Press. 108-122.
29. Johnson, R.B. & Christensen, L. (2014). Educational research: quantitative, qualitative and mixed approaches. 5^th Edition.New York: Sage Publications, Inc.
30. Jato, T, (2016). Challenges of quality in education in Nigeria: Looking at contemporary issues. International Journal of Academia, 2(1), 1-11. December.
31. Katoch, O.R, & Sharma, A. (2017). Impact of nutritional status on school attendance of children: Evidence from primary and middle schools in Jammu and Kashmir. International Journal of Creative Research Thought, 3(1), 618-625.
32. Hanushek, E.A. & Wobmann, L. (2007). The role of education quality in economic growth. World Bank Policy Research Working. Paper No. 4122.