Science_Education_Reform_in_Nigeria_for_National_Development__Challenges_and_the_Way-Forward

SCIENCE EDUCATION REFORM IN NIGERIA FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES AND THE WAY-FORWARD BY OJEBISI, A. OLUGBENGA Department Of Curriculum and Instruction Studies, Federal College of Education (Sp.), Oyo. E-mail: ojebisigbenga@gmail.com +234-0-8035624949 Science Education Reform in Nigeria for National Development: Prospects and Challenges ABSTRACT:- It is generally accepted that good science education is a necessary factor for the economic development of any nation. In realization of this, the Nigerian National Policy on Education has provisions for quality science education for the citizenry. Nigeria has been exerting tremendous and well-documented efforts to address the problems confronting science education. Despite the best intentions of successive Nigerian governments, science education programmes are still fraught with problems, including: general misconception of the nature of science education, inadequate political will by the government, deficient science curriculum and policy, inadequate educational monitoring and infrastructures, poor funding, poor incentives for teachers and a rapid rate of technological changes. This paper presents the background situations to science education in Nigeria. Also highlighted is the evidence of various crises confronting Science Education in a developing country like Nigeria. In addition, recommendations are made for policy reforms and advancements in science education as the way forward. INTRODUCTION In any dynamic society, all areas of human activity seem to undergo some form of change. Nigeria, a country of extreme cultural, social, economic and political diversity, is no exception to this rule. Nigeria is one of the largest countries in Africa. She is also the most diversified of all the African countries culturally. In addition to being the most populous, the country, potentially is one of the richest in Africa. There are large deposits of minerals such as tin, gold and calcium oxide. The oil deposit makes her the sixth oil producing country of the world. Despite these bountiful resources, Nigeria's economic performance has been startlingly poor. Nigeria today is one of the developing or poor countries of the world. In his classic work, Staley (1963), made salient contrasts between developed and developing countries: Developed countries Developing countries 1. High-level economy. 1. Low-level economy. 2. High percentage of literacy, 80-90 2. Low percentage of literacy, 3-50 per cent. per cent. 3. Large percentage of technical 3. Peasant and agrarian economy; labour force, specialists and highly inefficiency and poor industrialized community. organization. 4. High per capita income. 4. Very low per capita income. 5. Low mortality rate; preventive 5. High mortality rate; disease health programme. and squalor. 6. Independent for many years. 6. Recently autonomous or still colonial. 7. Well-organized and stable political 7. Transitional political stages. system. 8. Citizenship, rights and obligations 8. Transitional stage. recognized. 9. Education geared to the needs of 9. Inherited system from the the people and the country. Colonial era with little relevance to the needs of the country or sheer imperviousness to changing times. 10. Manufacturers. 10. Consumers. 11. Masses, by and large, scientifically 11.Masses largely superstitious, oriented, less superstitious and scientifically illiterate and generally efficient. lacking in technical efficiency. Staley's work highlights the inherent problems experienced by most developing countries, like Nigeria. Nigeria, like every other developing nations, inherited system from the Colonial era with little relevance to the needs of the country or sheer imperviousness to changing times. Presently, it is generally accepted that good science education is a necessary factor for the economic development of any nation. Nigeria has also come to realize the importance of education in general and science education in particular as basic conditions for economic and social development. To tap the great and abundant natural resources, there is need therefore for good and effective science education. Consequently, science education is a major part of Nigerian education at all levels. Since 1999, when Nigeria elected the new democratic leaders, the process of socio-economic restructuring and adjustment has been the focus. There is the need therefore to plan for the future through effective science education reform. There are obvious uncertainties in educational reforms in Nigeria. While missionaries and other volunteer organizations have helped in reforming education, the federal government continues to be responsible for education in Nigeria. In fact, all educational programmes, including science education, are dependent on the Federal Ministry of Education. As a result, reform programmes in science education are inextricably linked with changes in the general education system. BACKGROUND OF SCIENCE EDUCATION IN NIGERIA Education in general and science education in particular in Nigeria, for many years was more of a private enterprise. Today, it is greatly the opposite. There is government active participation in the provision of education for Nigerians. There are three major levels of education in Nigeria. These are the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels. National Policy on Science Education The National Policy on Education Revised Edition (FME, 1981) states quite clearly the immediate last structure of 6-3-3-4 system of education. Science as a subject is offered at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education in Nigeria. The primary level of education is for children of ages 6 to 12 and is for the duration of 6 years. One of the general objectives of primary education as stated in the National Policy on Education (NPE), 1981 is "the laying of a sound basis for scientific and reflective thinking". To make it easier to carry out these activities, government planned to provide available materials and manpower for the teaching of science in primary schools. Government also planned to ensure that teaching method used for science at this level de-emphasize the memorization and regurgitation of facts. Methods that encourage practical, exploratory and experimental techniques were to be encouraged. In particular emphasis was on the development of scientific skills. The secondary level is for children of ages 12 to 18. Secondary education in Nigeria was of two tiers. There was the three-year Junior Secondary School (JSS) for 12 to 14 aged students and three-years Senior Secondary Schooling (SSS) for 15 to 18. The introduction of science into secondary institutions, in Nigeria, dates back to 1878. Education at this level is expected to equip the students to live effectively in our modern age of science and technology. Consequently, at the Junior Secondary Schools, science, practical agriculture and pre-vocational subjects (such as metal work, electronics and mechanics) are part of the curriculum. Science at the Junior Secondary level, which was first taught as General Science, is now known as Integrated Science. The Federal Ministry of Education (1981) operationally defines Integrated Science as "that science course which is presented in such a way that pupils: (a) Gain the concept of the fundamental unity of science (b) Gain the commonality of approach to problems of scientific nature; and (c) Are helped to gain an understanding of the role and function of science in everyday life and the world in which they live. Especially, integrated science objectives are to observe and explore the environment; develop basic process skills; develop functional knowledge of scientific concepts and principles; explain simple natural phenomena; develop scientific attitudes and values such as curiosity, perseverance, critical reflection, objectivity, etc. and apply skills and knowledge gained in solving problems of everyday life in the environment and relate the experiences in each subject area to other areas. At the senior secondary, the three basic core science subjects are biology, chemistry and physics. At this level a student may be studying biology, physics and chemistry concurrently. This has been challenged by curriculum development as it emphasizes the treating of all secondary school students as future scientists (Bajah, 1999). It is being argued that students be allowed to study alternative science courses. Science is also an important subject at tertiary Institutions in Nigeria. Such institutions include Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Colleges of Education. Several courses in science and technology exist in these institutions. There are faculties of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, as well as School of Medicine in almost all Nigerian Universities. The National Policy on Education stipulates that a greater proportion of education expenditure will be devoted to Science and Technology at this level. Effective implementation of the national policy on science education requires adequate and qualified science teachers, translation of the policy into workable curriculum and good science textbooks. To what extent has these been achieved in Nigeria' Nigerian Science Teachers The importance of teachers in the implementation of science education programs is acknowledged all over the world. In Nigeria, science teachers are categorized based on the level at which they teach and the qualification obtained. As a result there are elementary, secondary and tertiary level science teachers. There are also Non-graduate and graduate teachers in addition to classifying teachers based on the specific subjects like chemistry, biology, physics or integrated science teachers. One other category of science teachers in Nigeria is the Science Educators. These are Science Teacher-Trainers. These teachers often teach science pedagogy and not the science content even thought they have content knowledge in the different sciences. In the past, Primary Science Teachers held the Teacher Grade Two Certificate (TC II). This certificate, which was awarded at the teachers' college, is being faced out since the minimum qualification for the teaching profession now is the National Certificate in Education (NCE), obtained after a three year program at a College of Education (formerly Advanced Teachers’ College) or Polytechnic. There are three major categories of NCE Science teachers. There are those who majored in a combination of two single science subjects (e.g. Chemistry - Biology, or Chemistry - Physics), Integrated Science (single major), i.e. offered one single science subject and a science course known as integrated science and Integrated Science (double Major), i.e. did not offer any of physics, biology or chemistry but an interwoven course content of the three science subjects. Most science teachers at the secondary schools are graduates of universities or polytechnics. There are two types of such graduate science teachers. The first group consists of those who offered science content as well as education or pedagogic content for science teaching. This group is further sub divided into two. Those with higher credit load in the science content and those with higher credit load in pedagogic (education) content. The first subgroup is awarded a Bachelor of Science - Education {B. Sc. (Ed.)} degree, while the second is awarded the Bachelor of Education - Science {B. Ed. (Sc)}. The second group of science teachers is those who read pure sciences. These teachers hold a Bachelor of Science in their different subject areas of specialization. However, these teachers are expected to obtain a teaching qualification through in- service course known as Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). This is quite different from the situation in many other countries where a teaching qualification is necessary before an employment to teach is sought. At the Higher Institutions such as Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, science teachers vary depending on their teaching areas of specialization. Often these teachers do not have professional teaching background. Those with such professional background are found in the faculty or Institute of Education and are referred to as Science Educators. Training of Science Teachers in Nigerian Universities is basically a pre-service program. Programs are for 4 years. However NCE Science Student-teachers may spend two or three years for the award of the degrees. This depends on the grade at the NCE level. Science teachers who wish to up grade and who had Distinctions in their major subjects at the College of Education are admitted to a 2-year program for the Bachelor degree. Those with less than distinction are offered a three-year program. However there are in-service program for practicing teachers. These are programs run during the long vacation when teachers at the primary and secondary schools are on holidays. This is also called B. Ed. Part-time on sandwich program. This program has been under serious attack in recent years as many feel the program does not allow for meaningful learning and teaching within the available time. The Science Curriculum Science in Nigerian Colleges of Education in the past was in the form of biology, chemistry and physics. Today it is fast becoming Integrated Science. Integrated Science program was translated into practice in Nigerian Colleges of Education only in 1990/91 sessions. The curriculum provides for double and single majors. In the double major program the student-teacher studies science mainly as integrated science. Students for this program are not expected to offer any of the single science courses, namely- biology, chemistry, and physics. The program is a 72-course credit load spread over a three-year duration. The single-major program requires a student to offer integrated science course in addition to one other single science subject. This program is a 40-course credit load in integrated science, with the remaining load from any of the single science subjects and is also spread over a period of three years. Today integrated science is offered in all colleges of Education in Nigeria. The program has helped produce the needed manpower for integrated science teaching at the primary and Junior Secondary levels of education. However, reports are that the program has not been quite successful (Olarewaju, 1987; Omoifo, 1996; 1995). With the development of integrated science at the NCE level, it became necessary to make provision for further education of the recipients. For this reason the National University Commission (NUC) directed the introduction of integrated courses in the Nigeria Universities. Integrated science today is offered in almost all Nigerian universities. In some universities it is offered as a mandatory elective for science major under-graduates. In such universities it is either a one semester or one session course. In others it is a full-fledged course. It is offered as a major program and a B. Ed. or B.Sc. (Ed.) certificate awarded to the recipients. Some universities are making serious plans to offer masters program in integrated science. In fact there is over ten degree awarding institutions in integrated science in Nigeria. To effectively teach and study science at any level in Nigeria requires adequate resources, which includes laboratories and textbooks. Based on the new structure of education in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Education set about developing what it described as Core Curriculum and to date, it has successfully guided the production Core Curriculum for Primary Science (Published in November 1980). Like the Primary Science, Core Curriculum for Integrated Science: Junior Secondary School (Published in July 1981) is available for use by schools. The Core Curriculum for Integrated Science attempts at presenting topics, performance objectives, content and activities in a structured teaching manner. In a way, the Core Curriculum is some form of teaching guide. The content of the core curriculum for junior secondary is structured under six major themes: * Theme 1: You as a living thing. * Theme 2: You and your home. * Theme 3: Living components of the environment. * Theme 4: Non-Living components of the environment. * Theme 5: Saving your energy. * Theme 6: Controlling the environment. Associations such as the Science Teachers' Association of Nigeria (STAN) or individuals, author Science books in Nigeria. Authors are expected to write from the national core curriculum. Different schools within the same local government or state adopt different books. Style of book writing differs from one author to the other. STAN is a major publisher of science text books in Nigeria. There is no dearth of good science textbooks being written and published in Nigeria (Bajah, 1999). Science Laboratories Science laboratories as places where students do science are an important teaching and learning resource. Laboratory, which may be part of the classroom or separate special room do not exist in many primary schools in Nigeria. Government's plan to de-emphasis regurgitating of scientific facts can never be achieved without science laboratories. Even at the secondary level, science laboratories are poorly equipped. At Universities, surveys have shown deterioration of laboratories. Laboratories built to accommodate certain number of students now accommodate twice as much due to high demand for schooling in recent time (Omoifo et al, 2001). EVIDENCE OF CRISIS IN NIGERIA SCIENCE EDUCATION Nigeria is the only African country with as many as more than 40 Universities, about 44 polytechnics, over 56 Colleges of Education, so many secondary and primary schools as is found in many developed countries such as Japan, Germany and the United States. That Science Education program in Nigeria is in crises is not questionable. Resources both human and infrastructure are on the decay. Results from survey of graduates of Nigerian Universities (Omoifo, C. N. et al. 2001) testify to this. High orientation towards social sciences and humanity is the choice among students in Nigeria. Fields such as science, engineering, agriculture and health seems to be given low priority. Unfortunately they are the fields that are of great need if Nigeria is to be scientifically and technologically developed. In 1999, the annual conference of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria focused on the evaluation of science technology and mathematics education in Nigeria. Presentations revealed the present situation of science teaching in Nigeria. Problems and constraints to science teaching as well as areas of achievements were reported. A summary of reports highlights the constraints of policy implementation, assessment procedures, the importance of resource materials and a host of others. Lack of adequate and relevant science teaching and learning equipments has resulted in science being learnt more as a body of knowledge. This results in students emphasizing recall of scientific information. Problem solving ability, which is crucial for scientific achievement, is low. (Owolabi, 1999). Statistics also show that students are not performing well in science examinations. (Ogunleye, 1999). In addition, available learning resources for teaching and learning primary science and the percentage of teachers competent to use such resources, in schools is low. (Nwoji, 1999) THE WAY FORWARD AND RECOMMENDATIONS Science, in a broader sense, may be seen as the systematic study of nature. It includes the interactions between humans and their environment. There is therefore a natural inter-dependence between development of science and technology and the development of society. The progress and development of any nation depends largely on the quality of scientific and technological research. Education in science and technology are the most important areas of the curriculum to enable people to make sense of the world and to use the resources at hand. Science and technology education should therefore be given high priority in the school curriculum. Development may therefore be seen as both a technological advancement, a cultural and socio-economic shift to better conditions of life. It is of the opinion that science and technology education can play a vital role in contributing to development in Nigeria. This is because in modern societies, education in science and technology has become the primacy of schooling, and is currently playing an increasing role in all realms of life. As noted earlier, any reform in general education has a measurable impact on science education reform because science education policies are ingrained into the overall educational policies set by the Federal Ministry of Education. These policies are not formulated in isolation, even though a branch of the Ministry was created to provide divergent contexts for advancing science education reforms in Nigeria. It is not easy to secure high quality science education in any country without a joint effort from all stake-holders. To arrest the decline in the effectiveness of science education in Nigeria, there is need for a new trend in general cooperation as the way forward. Perhaps what are needed are not just funds from donor organizations and government but joint projects at different levels among all the stake-holders. Nigerian National Policy stipulates that government will after consultation with the states set up a National Committee to advise on the production of suitable textbooks and instructional materials for the whole Federation. This is yet to be achieved after several decades. Textbook production in Nigeria should provide for effective teacher and students' guide. Students' activities and assessment activities should be well cared for. The process of textbook production for Nigerian education system should give room for the control of quality texts for science. By this, unnecessary competition between publishers and ‘hungry’ authors will be highly reduced. This is very essential for science education in Nigeria. Another vital area craving for attention is in the area of science curriculum reform. Although Nigeria is famous with the integrated science at the primary and junior secondary levels, problems still exist at the senior school level. Science curriculum at the senior secondary schools, which treats all students as future scientists, is being challenged (Bajah, 1999). It is being argued that students be allowed to study alternative science courses. Japan's model of non-science major's curriculum – option, 1A according to Shimozawa, (1989) will be a welcome idea for Nigeria. This will further strengthen the aim of Nigerian Integrated Science and help in the recent trend of Science for All. Although many important investigations have been conducted to discover the prospects and challenges facing science education in Nigeria, many issues remain unresolved with regard to science education reform and improvement. Obviously, Nigeria is a developing country trying to construct a suitable philosophical foundation of education that is capable of meeting its needs for vocational education and science/technological education. Coupled with these needs are the cultural, socio-economic and political reforms necessary for moving Nigeria forward into the twenty-first century. In the words of Jegede (1976) more than two decades ago: ‘Our philosophy of education for life is analogous to the story of the talents in the Bible. Some were given only one. Some two and some five. No one was left out. Our schools, colleges and universities have failed to tap the scientific potential talents of every child and until we are able to do this successfully, we cannot grow as a nation’ (p. 4). The recommendations are hereby organized for the curriculum policy makers, textbook authors and science teachers. Curriculum Policy Makers It appears the traditional curriculum reinforces the masculine characterization of science as abstract and disconnected from social and environmental concerns. It also associates science education with pedagogy of telling or transmitting knowledge. It is therefore evident that school science curriculum demand a shift. It is recommended that the traditional science curriculum is replaced by a curriculum that emphasized on replacing the transmission of knowledge approach by approach of relevance. This approach should stress curriculum’s scientific content that is directly applicable to everyday science-related problem solving. This demands a reconstruction of the content-driven curriculum to shift more to a context-driven science. Policy makers should make spirited effort to produce a relevant science curriculum. In the development of curricular materials and instructional protocols due recognition should be given not only to interests, opinions, images, priorities, expectations, experiences and prior knowledge they hold for science, but also to gender as well as geographical differences. The implication is that the curriculum must be established by determining balanced views of all educational stakeholders, including that of the pupils whom the school science is meant for. Such a situation would open more opportunities for pupils to meaningful and relevant science education. Furthermore, the results of this write-up and many others might be disseminated effectively to parents, educators and others who influence these learners’ decisions. Textbook Authors Several studies suggest that background experiences may play an important role in enhancing understanding of new concepts. A scientific textbook ten years old is scarcely worth reading today. Therefore, publishers and authors of school textbooks must be made aware of research findings, so that pupils’ interests can be included in the school textbooks through feedback from research. This is because for some years past, the government of Nigeria has allowed free-lance publishers to produce textbooks for Primary and Secondary Schools using all kinds of authors. These are the textbooks which are currently being used in the schools. Textbook production in Nigeria should be well supervised to provide for effective teacher and students' guide. Students' activities and assessment activities should be well cared for. The process of textbook production for Nigerian education system should give room for the control of quality texts for science. By this, unnecessary competition between publishers and ‘hungry’ authors will be highly reduced. This is very essential for science education in Nigeria. Science Teachers The most important resource in the classroom is the teacher. A highly motivated and adequately trained teacher can rise above the constraining circumstances of poor material resources and government apathy. Pupils need the type of science education that can assist them to solve daily life problems. Teachers are expected to play a key role in achieving this. For example, findings from several studies appear to suggest that pupils appreciate the valuable role the science they learn at school will play in their everyday lives and that of the community. To foster pupils’ interests in school science, it is essential for science teachers to make clear the wide range of opportunities which are available through the acquisition of scientific knowledge or qualification. Efforts must be made by the teachers to allay the fear and apprehensiveness of students about science. Typically, all pupils at all levels would want a career that will earn them a lot of money; implicit assumption is that pupils’ knowledge of the range of science related occupations that are likely to earn them a lot of money is limited. Teachers should therefore, make effort to give specific examples and also emphasize the value of science qualifications in a wide range of occupations during teaching. There is the need for science teachers to be self-motivated teachers who will continually seek solutions to problems facing them in the classroom, who will initiate changes to improve their teaching and who will not wait for government or external aid to implement changes. CONCLUSION This paper discusses science education reform in Nigeria for National Development, its prospects and challenges. Also considered is the background of Science Education in Nigeria in terms of her National Policy on Science Education Science Teachers, Curriculum and Laboratories. Finally, various recommendations were made for the curriculum policy makers, textbook authors and science teachers. In a world filled with the products of science-based technology, scientific literacy has become a necessity for everyone. Everyone needs to use scientific information to make choices that arise every day. Everyone needs to engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about important issues that involve science and technology. Many of present jobs demand advanced skills, requiring that people be able to learn, reason, think creatively, make decisions, and solve problems. A high quality of science and technology education can play a major role in contributing to these skills. Science and technology centres should be supported in partnerships to provide quality professional development for teachers and science curriculum resources to schools. Science education should be seen as a fundamental component of basic education for sustainable development. The Federal governments should provide financial support for development of curriculum, materials, teacher preparation, and continuing professional development as well as assessment that supports this goal. References: 1. Bajah, S., (1999) "Science Teachers Association of Nigeria: Forty-One Years of Service to Science Teaching" In Ware, Silvia, ed. 1999, "Science and Environment Education: Views from Developing Countries," Science Education Series, The World Bank Human Development Network, Education Group Washington, D. C. 2. Federal Ministry of Education (FME) Nigeria, (1981) National Policy on Education Federal Government Press, Lagos, Nigeria. 3. Jegede, O. (1976). Education for What' Paper presented at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Members, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria, August. 4. Nwoji, Q. J. R., (1999) Evaluating the Use of Learning Resources for Primary Science Education: Implications for the Learners. Science Teachers Association of Nigeria 40th Annual Conference Proceedings 245 - 249. 5. Ogunleye, A. O., (1999) "An Intrinsic Evaluation of the Nigeria Secondary School Physics Curriculum" Science Teachers Association of Nigeria 40th Annual Conference Proceedings 227 - 236. 6. Olarewaju, A. O., (1987) 'Some Problems Identified in Implementing the Core Curriculum for Integrated Science" Journal of Science Teachers Association of Nigeria 25, (2), 61 - 69. 7. Omoifo, C. N., (1995) "An Evaluation of the Initial Implementation of the NCCE Integrated Science Program in Nigeria" Ph. D. Thesis, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. 8. Omoifo, C. N., (1996) "Increasing Female Participation in Science, Technology and Mathematics Through the Integrated Science Program in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria" UNESCO Africa Six-Monthly Journal of the Dakar Regional Office 13 50 - 57. 9. Omoifo, C. N., Badmus G. A. and Awanbor, D. A. (2001) "Education and Achievement in the Early Career of the University of Benin Graduates" (in Press) Research Paper Series Publication Association of African Universities Accra, Ghana. 10. Owolabi, T., (1999) "An Intrinsic Evaluation of Senior Secondary School Physics Curriculum" Science Teachers Association of Nigeria 40th Annual Conference Proceedings 211 - 216. 11. Shimozawa, J. T., (1989) "Objectives of the Revised Edition of the Course of Study – Science Courses for the Pre-University Schools" Journal of Science Education in Japan 13 (2), 55 - 62. 12. Staley, E. (1963). The Future of the Underdeveloped Countries, London: Erederick A. Praeger. 13. UNDP (1993-2005). Human Development Report. Oxford, Oxford University Press and UNDP (available at http://www.undp.org/) (Special theme 1995: The revolution for gender equality)