EXTENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LANGUAGE PROVISIONS IN THE NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA.

  • 0 Review(s)

Product Category: Projects

Product Code: 00004972

No of Pages: 75

No of Chapters: 5

File Format: Microsoft Word

Price :

$12

ABSTRACT

The study assessed the extent of implementation of the language provisions in the national policy on education in Lagos State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Six research questions were developed to guide the study. The population of the study covered all schools, educational bodies, language teachers and students in Lagos State. A cluster random sampling method was used in selecting 120 secondary school student respondents, 80 teacher’s respondents for the study. Teachers questionnaire on awareness of language provision in the national policy on education TQALPNPE, Student’s questionnaire on awareness of language provision in the national policy on education SQALPNPE and a self-constructed interview question for the respondents at the ministry of education designed by the researcher was the major instruments used for data collection. The result from the findings revealed that: All of the teacher respondents know about the language policy in the National Policy on Education; The language policy in the National Policy on Education is on the average effective; The language policy is on the average being implemented in schools in Lagos state; The monitoring bodies of the language policy is above average effective in ensuring that the language policy is being implemented; Based on the perception of the teachers, above 60% agree to the following; There should be more training of language teachers on the implementation of the language policy. Based on the suggested possible outcome of the challenges in implementing the language policy in the National Policy on Education, the following were strongly suggested (Teachers should be provided with adequate guidance on implementing language provisions in our school, Regular trainings should be organized for language teachers in schools, The monitoring team should ensure that language teachers are trained and re-trained on a regular bases and new employed language teachers taught the rudiments of the language policy, There should be an introduction of the language policy in the university curriculum for new language teachers); From the interviews conducted, it was noted that the ministry is responsible for the implementation, particularly the department of curriculum and evaluation studies and school is entitle to full inspection once very ten years where the ministry comes to a particular school and spend the whole week in inspecting the activities of the principals, teachers and the students, the methods of teaching and every other activities that is of importance to them.

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Contents                                                                                                                                 Pages

Title Page                                                                                                                                 i

Certification                                                                                                                            ii

Dedication                                                                                                                              iii

Acknowledgements                                                                                                                iv

Table of Contents                                                                                                                   v

List of Tables                                                                                                                          vii

Abstract                                                                                                                                  viii

C­HAPTER ONE:  INTRODUCTION                              

1.1       Background to the Study                                                                                           1

1.2       Statement of the Problem                                                                                           8

1.4       Purpose of the Study                                                                                                  9

1.5       Research Questions                                                                                                     10

1.7       Significance of the Study                                                                                           10

1.8       Scope of the Study                                                                                                     10

1.9       Operational Definition of Terms                                                                                 11

CHAPTER TWO:  LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0       Introduction                                                                                                                11

2.1       Concept of Language                                                                                                 12

2.2       Importance of Language for Communication                                                            14   

2.3       The National Policy on Education                                                                              20

2.4       The Language Provision in the National Policy on Education                                   25

2.5       How Effective is the Language Provision                                                                  29

2.6       Teacher Teachers’ Awareness of the Language                                                          31

            Provision in the National Policy on Education                                                          

2.7      Students’ and the language of learning                                                                       34

2.8      The extent of implementation of the language Provision                                            35       

2.9      Summary of the review                                                                                                39

 

CHAPTER THREE:  METHODOLOGY

3.0        Introduction                                                                                                                41

3.1       Research Design                                                                                                         41

3.4       Population of Study                                                                                                    41

3.5       Sample and Sampling Technique                                                                                42

3.5       Validity of Research Instrument                                                                                42

3.6       Reliability of the Instrument                                                                                       43

3.7       Reliability                                                                                                                   43

3.8       Procedure for Data Collection                                                                                   43

3.9       Data Analysis Procedure                                                                                            44

 

CHAPTER FOUR:  DATA ANALYSIS

4.0       Introduction                                                                                                                45

4.1       Data Analysis                                                                                                              45

4.2       Summary of Findings                                                                                                 53

4.3       Interview Responses                                                                                                   55

4.4       Discussion of Findings                                                                                               58

 

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS.

5.0       Introduction                                                                                                                58       

5.1       Summary of the Study                                                                                                58

5.3       Conclusion                                                                                                                  60

5.4       Recommendations                                                                                                      60

5.6       Suggestions for Further                                                                                             61

References                                                                                                                  62

Appendixes                                                                                                                 64


LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1:        Showing the population of study                                                                   41

Table 3.2:        Showing the sample population                                                                      42

Table 3.3:        Showing the structure of the instruments                                                      42

Table 3.4:        Showing the sample population                                                                      43

Table 4.1:        Descriptive Statistics of Respondents                                                                        45

Table 4.2:        Percentage Distribution of Teacher’s Respondents                                        47

                        on Their Awareness

Table 4.3:        Distribution of Teacher’s Respondents on Level                                           47

                        of Effectiveness

Table 4.3b:      Distribution of the Student on Level of                                                         48

                        Effectiveness of the Language Policy

Table 4.4:        Distribution of Teacher Respondents                                                                         49

                        on the Extent of Implementation

Table 4.4b:      Distribution of the Student’s Respondents                                                    50

                        on the Extent of Implementation

Table 4.5:  Distribution of Teacher Respondents on the                                                        51

                    Level of Effectiveness of the Monitoring Body in

                    Implementation of the Policy

Table 4.6: Distribution of Teacher’s Respondents on Their                                                   52

                   Perception and Attitude towards the Language Policy

Table 4.7: Distribution of Respondents on the Challenges                                                    53

                    Associated with Implementation of the Language Policy.


CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

 A sound and qualitative education is the best gift any nation can give to its citizens. It is the foundation on which all other aspects of human existence stand. Education is the process by which the customs, beliefs and tradition of a people are passed from one generation to another. In order for education to take place, communication is required and for communication to occur, it requires language. Language, according to the Wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia, is the human ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication. It could be verbal, non-verbal and written. The National Policy on Education is a document that guides the Nigerian educational systems at all levels.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the degree of the implementation of the language provision in the National Policy on Education. To determine if it’s being implemented at the various academic levels, and where it’s not being implemented as a result of challenges, suggest ways these challenges can be prevented or overcome.

There are approximately 7000 languages in existence, Nigeria has two broad groups of languages – indigenous and exogenous languages. Exogenous languages are those that are foreign such as, English, French, Arabic, while the number of Nigerian languages is put at about five hundred and twenty – one (521) (UNESCO, 2003). This number includes 510 living languages, two languages without native speakers and 9 extinct languages (Crozier & Blench, 1992; Ikegbunam, 2010). Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are considered the Nigeria’s major languages due to their having speakers in excess of 18 million each, while the rest are referred to as minority languages (GreenBerg, 1996). Among the exogenous languages – English, French and Arabic – English is the official language. It has been in Nigeria since 1842, that is, before the coming of the British missionaries to Nigeria. According to Okudo (2013) in her article; National Policy on Education: Problems and Prospects for Teaching and Learning of Igbo as a Second Language in Nigerian Secondary Schools, it has been discovered that English has increasingly replaced Nigerian languages and is widely used in business, academics, and everyday life activities especially in the cities. English language also became institutionalized because it is the language of Nigerian’s colonial masters and was imposed on the people. This is really a serious challenge and the situation is making Nigerian children to no longer be inheritors but survivors of social and cultural heritage. This portends a cultural catastrophe for the country which demands serious concern by all Nigerians (Ohiri – Aniche, 2000; Obe, 1980).     

To this end, the importance of language cannot be over emphasised as it is the power source of human existence and interaction. Language has been widely studied and interpreted as the most invaluable human endowment which is indispensable in all spheres of life. Crystal cited in Amuseghan (2010) pictured language as having, to some extent, “magical and mystical” and “unique role in capturing the breath of human thought and endeavours”. (pg 55). 

Language occupies a prominent place in any nation. People in every society have a way of interacting with one another via language. The Federal Government, in recognition of the pivotal role of language, makes provisions for it in the National Policy on Education (NPE). The NPE (FGN, 2004) reflects government’s intention of using the Mother Tongue (MT) as a medium of instruction in the early stage of a child’s school life, with transition to English as a medium of instruction in the upper primary classes.

The effectiveness of using the language a learner is comfortable with, a language in which he can express his thought and translate his internal ideas into articulate sentences has been established by many scholars such as Taiwo (1976), Emenanjo (1996), Osborn (2007), Olanrewaju (1996), Oluwole (2008), Obanya (1992) and Fafunwa (1989). Though some other scholars, according to Kolawole & Dele (2002), consider the use of mother tongue or Nigerian languages in modern education as one of the problems militating against qualitative teaching and learning of the English language, Emenanjo (1996) noted that, formal education in Nigerian languages, began way back in 1831. Yet up till now; not much progress appears to have been made in education in Nigerian languages, irrespective of the 1926 Education Edict of the colonial government, and the many noble sentiments of indigenous federal and state governments and valiant activities of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria.

Emenanjo (1996) has correctly identified the barriers and challenges facing effective use of West African languages in general and Nigerian languages in particular. Studies have established the effectiveness of teaching learners in their L1, notable among such studies is the Ife Six Year Primary Project (SYPP), championed by Fafunwa from 1970 - 1981 at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Institute of Education. The main objective of the Ife Six-Year Primary Project was to develop a coherent primary education that would use the mother tongue as the medium of instruction. The project employed the Yoruba language as the medium of instruction on the assumption that the child would benefit cognitively, socially, culturally and linguistically through the use of his/her mother tongue as the language of instruction throughout primary school. The gap between the home and the school would also be bridged. English was taught as a second language using specially trained teachers throughout the six years. The project was continually evaluated with a view to determining its effectiveness.

Five major subject areas were chosen for instructional purposes. These were: social and cultural studies; science, including health and sanitation; mathematics; Yoruba language and literature; and English as a second language. The design of the experiment provided for regular intake of Primary I classes each year from 1970 to 1975. For the purposes of the study, control groups and experimental groups were established. The experimental group was taught all subjects in Yoruba except English. English was taught from the first year to the sixth as a second language. In the control classes, Yoruba was used as a medium of instruction for the first three years and English for the last three years, when Yoruba was taught as a subject. All the test materials in Yoruba, English, social and cultural studies, mathematics and science were written and printed by the project team over a period of five years. A total of 183 textbooks were produced covering teachers’ books, pupils’ books and work books in Yoruba and English, including several supplementary readers both in Yoruba and English.

At the end of their Primary VI year, the children in the experimental classes were subjected to the same external examinations taken by all Primary VI children in the state. It was found that the children in the experimental classes performed significantly better than those in the control groups in all school subjects, including English. The Ife Six-Year Primary Project revealed conclusively that a child learned best in his or her mother tongue.  Also, the National Policy on Education (2004) Section 3 (xx) states ‘Government will see to it that the medium of instruction in the primary school is initially the mother tongue (MT) of the immediate community and at a later stage, English’ The policy further states ‘In addition to appreciating the importance of language in educational process, and as a means of preserving peoples’ culture, the government considers it in the best interest of national unity that each child should be encouraged to learn one of the three major languages other than his mother tongue (MT).’

Emenanjo (1996) states; ‘The training of the mind in the understanding of the world around is best done and realised in the languages in which the students are most familiar.’ Naturally, the language that a learner is most familiar with can be any of the following: the learner’s mother tongue (MT), first language (L1) or language of the immediate community (LIC) and so; it is important to make use of the same as language of instruction in modern education. Although the national policy on education favours the development and use of the mother tongue in education but in implementation, very little may have been done or achieved in this regard. There are a lot of challenges facing the adoption and complete use of Nigerian languages in modern education and it is the quest of this paper to identify the various challenges and as well proffer solutions to these problems.

Oluwole (2008) while lending his voice to the potency of indigenous languages as a medium of instruction in modern education opined that, it is generally acceptable that in teaching and learning processes, the mother tongue of the child is of utmost importance. For one thing, it categorises a large part of the child’s environment, that is, it has names of all the objects, actions, ideas, attributes and so on that are so important to him as well as to the society. A child’s mother tongue, an indigenous language or a Nigerian language is the most appropriate vehicle to convey the theme, concepts and subject matter of what is to be learnt to the Nigerian child. Olanrewaju (1996) questioned the type of language that will be used to teach such heterogeneous group and concluded that it definitely has to be in the mother tongue or language of the immediate environment which is common to the young and the old.

The first challenge faced by anyone that attempts to use a Nigerian language in modern education is the stark realisation that most of the indigenous languages in Nigeria are not fully developed. Taiwo (1976) quoted in Oladotun’s (2014) paper on “The Use of Nigerian Languages in Formal Education: Challenges and Solutions” asserts that Kiswahili never improved until it was adopted as a lingua franca and the language of schools in Tanzanian 1967. This confirms that the indigenous languages in Nigeria need to be trusted and assigned more defined roles in the different sectors of the country. He further states that the mother tongue has very little incentive for development and use in education especially in most African countries where English (or other foreign languages) is used as the lingua franca and the medium of instruction in schools. However, the development and unrestricted use of a child’s home language or mother tongue in education will promote universal basic education and equal access to education across Nigeria and the African continent.

 

The National Policy on Education (2004) recommends that the Nigerian primary school child should be well grounded in his or her mother tongue apart from learning English and/or any other language as the L2 or L3. Taiwo (1975), in a paper titled The importance of language learning on the overall development of the child in primary school: solutions to the Nigerian problem’, submitted to the National Language Centre states that, for education to be meaningful, the child should be taught in his mother tongue which he can both read and write. The use of mother tongue in education is a practical issue and students that are familiar with an indigenous language have to struggle with the understanding of the foreign language which is being used as the language of instruction as well as the complexities of the concept that is being learnt. Oladotun (2014) while quoting Taiwo (1976) opined that, there is no favourable means of rapport between the teacher and a child on his first day at school than a common language, which is the child’s mother tongue. As the child progresses in his adventure of schooling, the mother tongue is a reassuring means of acquiring concepts and building them into ideas and skills. If Nigeria as a nation is serious in her quest to raise a generation of citizens that are academically sound, then we must revert to using the Nigerian languages as a medium of instruction in our schools.

According to Amuseghan (2010), language is a very important instrument of communication and sustenance of social, cultural, political, economic, educational, industrial and technological development in any society or nation, especially in a multilingual nation. The undisputable fact that language has long effect implications for national unity, cultural identity and development makes governments to endeavour to plan and manage resources within their territory.

 The need to ensure unity, cultural identity and development in a nation (especially the multi-lingual nations) led to the formulation of policies by governments which included provisions that will guide the development of a language curriculum, the qualification of language teachers and the methodology of teaching. Nigeria is a multi-lingual nation. The government knowing the importance of language in the interaction of members of the society, made provision for language in the National Policy of Education (NPE). This is also to prevent language extinction and expose students to indigenous languages and not English only.

The language provision in the National Policy on Education (2004 revised edition), reflects government’s intention of using the mother tongue (MT) as a medium of instruction in the early stage of a child’s school life, with transition to English as a medium of instruction in the upper primary classes.

The following language provisions are made in the Policy:

·         The medium of instruction in the primary school shall be the language of the environment for the first three years. During this period, English shall be taught as a subject.

·         From the fourth year, English shall progressively be used as a medium of instruction and the language of immediate environment will be taught as a subject.

·         In junior secondary schools, English language, French, the language of the environment and one major Nigerian language other than the language of the environment will be taught as core subject while Arabic will be taught as an elective.

·         In senior secondary schools, English language and a major Nigerian language will be taught as core subjects while French, Arabic and any Nigerian language that has orthography and literature will be taught as electives.

·         French, the second official language will be compulsory in primary and junior secondary schools, and elective in senior secondary schools.

 

1.2 Statement of Problem

Language is a very important factor in human interaction; the unity and development of a nation as well as the social, economic and cultural growth of the nation. The National Policy on Education (2004) has made provision for language which is meant to be implemented in every school and the implementation process is to be supervised by the ministry of education in all levels of government. Despite the fact that the policy made provision for language, it is worthy to note that most schools, especially in the urban areas, may not be following the language guideline as stated in the policy and the monitoring bodies may not be enforcing the implementation of these provisions. There is also the possibility of teachers not being aware of the language policy or its expectations, as a result lack the appropriate mindset to proceed with the implementation process. One major challenge that has affected the educational system in Nigeria is unavailability of teaching resources; this can also be a challenge to the effective implementation of the language policy.

The language policy was proposed because the developers observed the struggles of students who are familiar with their mother tongue or language of the environment when introduced to learning concepts in a language that is alien to them (English) in their early formative years. Presently, students’ performance level has dropped drastically and no one knows if it is due to the difficulty in understanding concepts taught or the medium/language of communicating the concept.

This study will attempt a survey of the level of implementation of the provision of language in the National Policy on Education, in selected schools in Eti-Osa Local Government and the Mainland Local Government Areas in Lagos State.

 

1.3        Purpose of Study

The main purpose of this research is to explain the extent of implementation of the language provision in the National Policy in Education in Lagos State. Other specific purposes are as follows:

  i.         To ascertain teachers’ awareness of the language provision in the National Policy on Education.

ii.         To determine the effectiveness of the language provision in the National Policy on Education.

iii.         To ascertain the extent to which the language provision in the National Policy on Education is being implemented.

iv.         To assess the teachers’ perception and attitude towards the language policy.

v.         To determine the challenges associated with the implementation of the provision.

 

 

1.4       Research Questions

The following questions will guide this study:

1.      How well do teachers know the language policy?

2.      How effective/feasible is the language provision in the National Policy on education?

3.      To what extent is the policy being implemented in schools?

4.      How effective is the monitoring body in ensuring the implementation of the policy?

5.      What is the perception and attitude of teachers to the policy?

6.      What are the challenges associated with implementing the policy?

 

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is going to be of significant to language teachers and students as well as teachers of other subjects, as it will improve the teaching and learning process. This is because the language provision is to ensure that students at all times and levels of learning understand what is being taught without misinterpretation. With the successful implementation of the language provision in the various academic levels in the country, there will be effective communication between teachers and students which will ultimately lead to an effective flow of teaching and learning.

1.6   Scope and delimitation of Study

This research work will focus on the implementation of the language provision in schools and the level of supervision carried out by the ministry of education.

It will involve teachers and students in selected pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools in Eti-Osa and Mainland areas as well as officials of the Ministry of Education in Lagos State.

However, it is believed that the data generated from this study will be sufficient enough to make decision for the whole of Lagos State Education Policy practice.

1.7    Operational Definition of Terms

Survey: This means to look carefully and thoroughly at something, with the intention of appraising it.

Implementation: This is the process of carrying out, executing or practicing a plan, method or any design for doing something.

Language:  This is the human use of spoken words as a communication system.

Provision: This is an act of providing or making something available for the actualization of a target.

National: These are the elements that make up the totality of a nation or people.

Policy: This is a program of action adopted by a person or group of person or government.

Education: This is the act of impacting and acquiring knowledge through teaching and learning.


Click “DOWNLOAD NOW” below to get the complete Projects

FOR QUICK HELP CHAT WITH US NOW!

+(234) 0814 780 1594

Buyers has the right to create dispute within seven (7) days of purchase for 100% refund request when you experience issue with the file received. 

Dispute can only be created when you receive a corrupt file, a wrong file or irregularities in the table of contents and content of the file you received. 

ProjectShelve.com shall either provide the appropriate file within 48hrs or send refund excluding your bank transaction charges. Term and Conditions are applied.

Buyers are expected to confirm that the material you are paying for is available on our website ProjectShelve.com and you have selected the right material, you have also gone through the preliminary pages and it interests you before payment. DO NOT MAKE BANK PAYMENT IF YOUR TOPIC IS NOT ON THE WEBSITE.

In case of payment for a material not available on ProjectShelve.com, the management of ProjectShelve.com has the right to keep your money until you send a topic that is available on our website within 48 hours.

You cannot change topic after receiving material of the topic you ordered and paid for.

Ratings & Reviews

0.0

No Review Found.


To Review


To Comment