Benue State University, Makurdi

POLITICS AND THE EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA

Terver M. Kwaghbo, Ph.D, Felix Terhile Bua, PhD and Terkimbi Victor Ikpato

This paper examined the role of politics in the educational development of Nigeria. It recognized politics as a very powerful influencing tool for societal development, and education as an agent that politics uses to achieve development in the society. The paper alluded that politics comes before education and that education relies on the structures already laid by politics to impact positively on society. The concepts of politics, development, and educational development were articulated, and the relationship between politics and education analyzed. A brief history of educational development in Nigeria was presented, spanning from traditional education through the advent of western education by the Christian Missionaries in 1842 to the present-day Nigeria. The role of politics in education was presented to include provision, management and control of education, enactment of laws and policies on education, launching of development plans for education, and establishing of linkages with other countries and agencies towards developing education. The paper also highlighted challenges to achieving these roles. Recommendations made included review of obnoxious government policies in education, strengthening of democratic norms and principles, adequate funding of education, adequate attention to planning and implementation of educational policies, generation of adequate and reliable statistical data, and control of corruption in the education system.

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