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Assessment of the Effect of Universal Basic Education on Educational Development
Chapter One
Introduction
1.1 Background to the Study Generally speaking, education is the most
important catalyst for national development. Countries that have developed over
the years have successfully developed their education system, as such are
socially, economically and technologically developed. In essence, there is no
country which is highly developed but has a weak system of education. It can be
observed that all developed countries have a good system of education that is
contributing to keep them socio-economically better. What is widely accepted is
that good school education provides basic foundations for national development;
therefore, one can comfortably conclude that there is a direct relationship
between education and national development. Education according to Aluede
(2006) means the act of bringing up or training of a child, through instruction
and in the process brings about the strengthening of his/her powers of body and
mind to be able to understand his culture. Education in its general sense is a
form of learning in which knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people
are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, and
other means. It occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on
the way one thinks, feels or acts. In the views of Adepoju (2007), education is
a tool for the acquisition of skills, relevant knowledge and habits for
surviving in the changing world. As such in every society, the education sector
stands as a medium through which positive transformation could be achieved.
Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of
knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits(https://creativecommons.org).The
place of education in national development cannot be overemphasized. Its
importance is stressed in the opening statement of the National policy of
education (2004) where it is maintained that ―education in Nigeria is an
instrument ‗par excellence‘ for effecting national development‖ In other words,
education is not just a medium of knowledge and skill acquisition, It is also a
tool for nation building. The state of education is one of the crucial
indicators of the seriousness of a society in its quest for national development
because the quality of education in a society determines the quality of her
manpower.The relationship between education and development is well established
such that education is a key index of development.Education is one of the most
powerful instruments known for reducing poverty and inequality and for laying
the basis for sustained economic growth. It is fundamental for the construction
of democratic societies, dynamic and globally competitive economies. For
individuals and for nations, education is the key to creating, applying and
spreading knowledge (Mingat, Bruns, and Rakotomalala, 2003).To this end,
education and training have continued to receive a very high priority in the
country‘s national development plans in order to educate and prepare enough
people to fill middle and high level positions in the private and public
sectors of the national economy. Agunloye(2012), holds that, the core purpose
of Education as an enabling instrument, is to equip the benefactor with the
appropriate knowledge and skill needed to get started in the journey of
self-sustenance and the sustenance of the society. At the end of the enabling
process, the individual should become self-reliant and independent as a
productive citizen. In his opinion, this is a fundamental obligation society
owes to its citizenry. To fulfill this obligation, education must be available
and accessible to all and made compulsory for all children of school age (5-15
years old) irrespective of perceived ability.
NB: The Complete Thesis is well written and ready to use.
