The Nigerian System of Education.
Education in Nigeria is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing state-controlled
policy regarding public education and state schools. The education system is divided into Kindergarten, Primary education, Secondary education and Tertiary education. Nigeria's central government has been
dominated by instability since declaring independence from Britain, and, as a result, a unified set of education policies has not
yet been successfully implemented. Regional differences in quality, curriculum, and funding characterize the education system in Nigeria. Currently, Nigeria possesses the largest population of out-of-school learning youth in the world.
Primary education begins at around age 3 for the majority of
Nigerians. Students spend six years in primary school and graduate with a
school-leaving certificate. Subjects taught at the primary level include
mathematics, English language, Christian Religious Knowledge, Islamic knowledge
studies, agricultural science, home economics and one of the three main
indigenous languages and cultures: Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo. Private schools also offer computer science, French, and Fine
Arts. Primary school students are required to take a Common Entrance
Examination to qualify for admission into the Federal and State Government
Secondary schools, as well as private ones.
Before 1976, education
policy was still largely shaped by the colonial policy of the British Colonial
Period. In 1976, the Universal Primary Education program was established. This
program faced many difficulties and was subsequently revised in 1981 and 1990. The Universal Basic
Education, UBE, came as a replacement of the Universal Primary
Education and intended to enhance the success of the first nine years of
schooling The UBE involves 6 years of Primary School education
and 3 years of Junior Secondary School education, culminating in 9 years of
uninterrupted schooling, and transition from one class to another is automatic
but determined through continuous assessment. This scheme is monitored by the
Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, and has made it "free",
"compulsory" and a right of every child. Therefore, the UBEC law
section 15 defines UBE as early childhood care and education. The law
stipulates a 9-year formal schooling, adult literacy and non-formal education,
skill acquisition programs, and the education of special groups such as nomads
and migrants, girl child and women, Al-majiri, street children and disabled
people
Students spend six years in Secondary School, that is 3 years of
JSS (Junior Secondary School), and 3 years of SSS (Senior Secondary School). By
Senior Secondary School Class 2 (SS2), students are taking the GCE O’Levels
exam, which is not mandatory, but some students take it to prepare for the
Senior Secondary Certificate Examination. The Senior Secondary School ends on
the WASSCE. Junior Secondary School is free and compulsory. It leads to
the BECE, which opens the gate to Senior Secondary School. SSS curriculum is based on 4 core subjects completed by 4
or 5 elective subjects. Core subjects are: English; mathematics; Economics;
Civic Education; one or more electives out of biology, chemistry, physics or
integrated science; one or more electives out of English literature, history,
geography or social studies; agricultural science or a vocational subject which
includes: Commerce, food and nutrition, technical drawing or fine arts.
After the BECE, students can also join a technical college. The
curriculum for these also lasts 3 years and leads to a trade/craftsmanship
certificate.]
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is made up of thirty-six States
and the Federal Capital Territory. There are about two Federal Government
Colleges in each state. These schools are funded and managed directly by the
Federal Government through the Ministry of Education. Teachers and staff are
Federal Government employees. Teachers at the Federal Government schools are
required to possess a bachelor's degree in Education or in a particular subject
area, such as, Mathematics, Physics etc. These schools are supposed to be model
schools carrying and maintaining the ideals of secondary education for Nigerian
students. Admission is based on merit, determined by the National Common
Entrance Examination taken by all final year elementary school pupils. Tuition
and fees are very low, approximately twenty five thousand naira ($69.08),
because funding comes from the Federal Government.
State-owned secondary schools are funded by each state
government and are not comparable to the Federal government colleges. Although
education is supposed to be free in the majority of the state-owned
institutions, students are required to purchase books, uniforms and pay for
miscellaneous things costing them an average of fifty thousand naira ($200) in
an academic year. Teachers in State-owned institutions usually have a National
Certificate of Education or a bachelor's degree, but this is not always the
case as many secondary schools in Nigeria are filled with unqualified teachers who end up not being
able to motivate their students. Often these schools are understaffed due to
low state budgets, lack of incentives and irregularities in payment of staff
salaries. Some state-owned secondary schools are regarded as elite
colleges because of the historically high educational standard and producing
alumni who have prominent citizens in the various careers. These included King's College, Lagos and Queen's College, Lagos. However, the college ranking of these
institutions have since dropped because of the arrival of some private
institutions.
Private secondary schools
in Nigeria tend to be quite expensive with average annual fees averaging from
two hundred and fifty thousand naira to One million naira($1000.00 –
$4000.00). These schools have smaller classes (approximately twenty to thirty
students per class), modern equipment and a better learning environment. Most
teachers in these institutions possess at least a bachelor's degree in a
specific course area and are sent for workshops or short term programs on a
regular basis.
With the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education in
Nigeria, the recipient of the education would spend six years in primary
school, three years in junior secondary school, three years in senior secondary
school, and four years in a tertiary institution. The six years spent in
primary school and the three years spent in junior secondary school are merged
to form the nine in the 9-3-4 system. Altogether, the students must spend a
minimum period of six years in Secondary School. During this period, students
are expected to spend three years in Junior Secondary School and three years in
Senior Secondary School.
The General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) was
replaced by the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). The SSCE is
conducted at the end of the Secondary School studies in May/June. The GCE is
conducted in October/November as a supplement for those students who did not
get the required credits from their SSCE results. The standards of the two
examinations are basically the same. A body called West African Examination
Council (WAEC) conducts both the SSCE and GCE. A maximum of nine and a minimum
of seven subjects are registered for the examination by each student with
Mathematics and English Language taken as compulsory.
A maximum of nine grades are assigned to each subject from: A1,
B2, B3 (Equivalent to Distinctions Grade); C4, C5, C6 (Equivalent to Credit
Grade); D7, E8 (Just Pass Grade); F9 (Fail Grade). Credit grades and above is
considered academically adequate for entry into any University in Nigeria. In
some study programs, many of the universities may require higher grades to get
admission.
The Federal Government policy on education is adhered to by all
secondary schools in Nigeria. Six years of elementary school is followed by six
years of secondary school. Junior Secondary school consists of JSS1, JSS2 and
JSS3 which are equivalent to the 7th, 8th and 9th Grade while the Senior
Secondary school consists of SS I, SS 2, and SS 3 which is equivalent to the
10th, 11th and 12th Grade. The Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) is
taken at the end of the SS 3. The West African Examination Council (WAEC) administers both exams. Three to
six months after a student has taken the SSCE examination, they are issued an
official transcript from their institution. This transcript is valid for one
year, after which an Official transcript from the West African Examination
Council is issued.
The National Examination
Council is another examination body in Nigeria; it administers the Senior
Secondary School Examination (SSCE) in June/July. The body also administers the
General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) in December/January.
Students often take both WAEC and NECO examinations in SSS 3.
The government has majority control of university education.
Tertiary education in Nigeria consists of Universities (Public and Private),
Polytechnics, Monotechnics, and Colleges of education. The country has a total
number of 129 universities registered by NUC among which federal and state
government own 40 and 39 respectively while 50 universities are privately
owned. In order to increase the number of universities in Nigeria from 129 to
138 the Federal Government gave 9 new private universities their licences in
May 2015. The names of the universities that got licenses in Abuja included,
Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos; Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun State;
Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State; Hallmark University, Ijebu-Itele,
Ogun State; Kings University, Ode-Omu, Osun State; Micheal and Cecilia Ibru
University, Owhrode, Delta State; Mountain Top
University, Makogi/Oba Ogun
state; Ritman University, Ikot-Epene, Akwa- Ibom State and Summit University,
Offa, Kwara State.
First year entry requirements into most universities in Nigeria
include: Minimum of SSCE/GCE Ordinary Level Credits at maximum of two sittings;
Minimum cut-off marks in Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Entrance
Examination (JAMB) of 180 and above out of a maximum of 400 marks are required.
Candidates with minimum of Merit Pass in National Certificate of Education
(NCE), National Diploma (ND) and other Advanced Level Certificates minimum
qualifications with minimum of 5 O/L Credits are given direct entry admission
into the appropriate undergraduate degree programs.
Students with required documents typically enter university from age 17-18 onwards and study for an academic degree. Historically, universities are divided into
several tiers:
First generation
universities
Five of these Universities were established between 1948 and
1965, following the recommendation of the Ashby Commission set up by the
British Colonial Government to study the necessity of university education for
Nigeria. These universities are fully funded by the federal government. They were established primarily to meet a
need for qualified personnel in Nigeria and to set basic standards for
university education. These universities have continued to play their roles for
the production of qualified personnel and the provision of standards, which
have helped to guide the subsequent establishments of other generations of
universities in Nigeria. Universities in this tier are:
Second generation
universities
With the increasing population of qualified students for
university education in Nigeria and the growing needs for scientific and
technological developments, setting up more universities became imperative.
Between 1970 and 1985, 12 additional universities were established in various
parts of the country.
Third generation
universities
The need to establish Universities to address special areas of
Technological and Agricultural demand prompted the establishment of 10
additional Universities between 1985 and 1999.
State universities
Pressures from qualified students from each state who could not
readily get admissions to any of the Federal Universities continued to mount on
States Governments. It became imperative and urgent for some State Governments
to invest in the establishment of Universities.
Private universities
The Federal Government established a law in 1993, allowing
private sectors to establish universities following guidelines prescribed by
the Government.
The typical duration of
undergraduate programs in Nigerian universities depends largely on the program
of study. For example, Social Sciences/Humanity related courses are 4 Years,
I.C.T related courses are 4 years, Engineering/Technology related courses are 5
Years, Pharmacy courses are 5 Years, and Law courses are 5 Years, each with two
semester sessions per year. Medicine (Vet/Human) degrees take 6 Years and have
longer sessions during the year.
The Political System of Nigeria.
The federal government of Nigeria is
composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested
by the Constitution of Nigeria in the National
Assembly,
the President, and the federal courts,
including the Supreme Court, respectively.
Nigeria is a federal republic, with executive power exercised by
the president. The president is
the head of state, the head of government, and the head of a multi-party system. Nigerian politics takes
place within a framework of a federal, presidential, representative
democratic republic, in which executive power is exercised by
the government. Legislative power is held by the real government and the
two chambers of the legislature: the House
of Representatives and the Senate. Together, the two
chambers make up the law-making body in Nigeria, called the National Assembly,
which serves as a check on the executive arm of government. The highest
judiciary arm of government in Nigeria is the Supreme Court of
Nigeria which
was created after independence and also practices Baron de Montesquieu's theory of the separation
of powers based on the United States system and also practices checks and
balances. The Economist
Intelligence Unit has rated Nigeria as "hybrid regime" in 2016.
Legal system
The law of Nigeria is based on the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and British common law (due to the long history of British colonial influence). The common law in the legal system is
similar to common-law systems used in England and Wales and other Commonwealth countries. The
constitutional framework for the legal system is provided by the Constitution of
Nigeria.
Legislation as a source
of Nigerian law
The two fundamental sources of Nigerian law through legislation
are
(1) Acts of British parliament, popularly referred to as
statutes of general application.
(2) Local legislation (comprising enactments of the Nigerian
legislatures from colonial period to date). There were other sources which
though subsumed in Nigerian legislations were distinctly imported into the
Nigerian legal systems. They are called the criminal and penal codes of
Nigeria.
Nigerian statutes as
sources of Nigerian law
Nigerian legislation may be classified as follows. The
colonial era until 1960, post-independence legislation 1960-1966, the military
era 1966-1999.
The post-independence
legislation 1960-1966
The grant of independence to Nigeria was a milestone in the
political history of the country. This period witnessed the consolidation of
political gains made during the colonial era. Politicians genuinely focused
their lapses in the polity. It achieved for herself a republican status by
shaking off the last vestiges of colonial authority. However, despite the
violent violation of its provisions, the constitution remained the subsequent
administrations (military or otherwise).
Military regime,
1966-1999
The breakdown of law and order which occurred in the period
under review would not be attributed to any defect in the Nigerian legal
system. Corrupt practices both in the body politic and all aspects of Nigerian
life eroded efficiency and progress. There were 8 coups generally five were
successful and 3 were unsuccessful.
Executive branch
Each
ministry also has a Permanent Secretary, who is a senior civil servant.
The president is elected through universal suffrage. He or she is both the chief of state and
head of government, heading the Federal Executive Council, or cabinet.
The executive branch is divided into Federal
Ministries, each headed by a
minister appointed by the president. The president must include at least one
member from each of the 36 states in his cabinet. The President's appointments
are confirmed by the Senate of Nigeria. In some cases, a federal minister is
responsible for more than one ministry (for example, Environment and Housing
may be combined), or a minister may be assisted by one or more ministers of
State.
The ministries are responsible for various parastatals (government-owned
corporations), such as universities, the National Broadcasting Commission, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. However, some parastatals
are the responsibility of the Office of the Presidency, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Federal Civil Service Commission.
Legislative branch
The National
Assembly of Nigeria has two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is presided over by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It has 360 members, who are elected for
four-year terms in single-seat constituencies. The Senate, which has 109 members, is presided over by the President of the Senate. 108 members are elected for four-year terms in 36
three-seat constituencies, which correspond to the country's 36 states
. One member is selected in the single-seat constituency of
the federal capital.
OFFICE
|
NAME
|
TERM
|
2015 -
|
||
2015 -
|
||
Judicial branch
The judicial branch consists of the Supreme
Court of Nigeria, the Court of Appeals, the High Courts, and other trial courts such as the Magistrates', Customary, Sharia and other specialized courts. The National Judicial Council serves as an independent executive body, insulating the
judiciary from the executive arm of government. The Supreme
Court is presided over
by the Chief
Justice of Nigeria and thirteen
associate justices, who are appointed by the President of Nigeria on the recommendation of the National
Judicial Council. These justices are subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Office
|
Office holder
|
Assumed office
|
16 July 2016
|
||
1993
|
||
Umaru Atu Kalgo
|
1998
|
|
G. A. Oguntade
|
2004
|
|
Sunday A. Akintan
|
2004
|
|
Mahmud Mohammed
|
2005
|
|
Ikechi Francis Ogbuagu
|
2005
|
|
F. F. Tabai
|
1999
|
|
Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad
|
2007
|
States of Nigeria
Nigeria is made up of 36 states and 1 territory. They are:
the Federal Capital Territory, Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Local governments
Each state is further divided into Local Government Areas (LGAs). There are 774 LGAs in Nigeria.[11] Kano State has the largest number of LGAs at 44, and
Bayelsa State has the fewest at 9. The Federal Capital Territory of Abuja has 6
LGAs. LGAs replaced the Districts that were the previous third-tier
administrative units under the British government.
Military
The military of Nigeria has played a major role in the country's
history, often seizing control of the country and ruling it for long periods of
time. Its last period of rule ended in 1999, following the death of the leader
of the previous military junta Sani Abacha in 1998.
Active duty personnel in the three Nigerian armed services totals
approximately 76,000. The Nigerian Army, the largest of the services, has about
60,000 personnel, deployed between two mechanized infantry divisions, one
composite division (airborne and amphibious), the Lagos Garrison Command (a
division-size unit), and the Abuja-based Brigade of Guards. The Nigerian Navy(7,000) is equipped with frigates,
fast attack craft, corvettes, and coastal patrol boats. The Nigerian Air Force (9,000) flies transports, trainers,
helicopters, and fighter aircraft; however, most of their vehicles are currently
not operational. Recently, Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force, Sadique Abubakar,
suggested the purchase of equipment after dumping the non-operational vehicles.
Foreign relations
Nigeria currently has better foreign relations with its
neighbors, due to its current state of democracy. It is a member of the African Union and sits on that organization's Peace
and Security Council. In 1960, Nigeria
joined both the United Nations and the Commonwealth of
Nations; however, they were
briefly suspended between 1995 and 1999.
