A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ AWARENESS ON THE ELECTORAL PROCESS IN NIGERIA
- Project Research
- 1-5 Chapters
- Quantitative
- Chi-Square
- Abstract : Available
- Table of Content: Available
- Reference Style: APA
- Recommended for : Student Researchers
- NGN 5000
Background of the study
The phrase "knowledge is power" is not an exaggeration. The majority of participants' lack of comprehension of the process is one of the biggest challenges influencing the election process, as well as almost every other procedure in Nigeria and other developing countries. The most significant impediment to the nascent democracy is the pervasive state of ill-prepared voters' education and insecurity of lives and property, as evidenced by a spate of armed robbery attacks, political opponent assassinations, ill-prepared voters' education for the upcoming elections in Nigeria, electoral fraud, and the apparent helplessness of a government in power for a long time. The problem is compounded by the increasing number of unemployed Nigerians, some of whom are good candidates for criminal behavior. When all of the factors that should be present, such as voter education, are either unavailable or insignificant for long-term political evolution in Nigeria, the democratic experience in Nigeria over the last decade cannot be considered excellent when compared to Ghana (Uhunmwuangho & Aibieyi, 2017).
Raising awareness is a critical means of spreading knowledge. The majority of people in developing countries, like Nigeria, are uninformed of the complexities of the electoral process. It is vital that the general public understands that the electoral process comprises more than just voting. The ability to vote correctly is determined by one's awareness of all other crucial events in the election process. Proper knowledge also promotes active involvement and a sense of citizenship among the general people, both of which are vital to the development of any expanding country (Weldeab, 2010 cited in Uhunmwuangho & Aibieyi, 2017).
The significance of voter education in the political processes of any country, developed or developing, cannot be understated. Voter education must begin as soon as feasible in order for an election to be successful. Voter education is designed to ensure that voters in any country are ready, willing, and able to participate in the political process. This involves electoral literacy, instructional activities, and the conviction that the political process is legitimate and effective in selecting its own politicians. As a result, it is vital to say that voters have faith in the election process when they are adequately taught about the processes, which would be made simpler if this sensitization began in secondary school, knowing that these kids will be prospective voters when they become eighteen. This is due to the importance of this understanding in moulding their political conduct and supplying them with critical information about the country's electoral process.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Voter education plays an important role in every nation's growth process. It is the foundation of any nation's economy and an essential tool for training the young voters for long-term and democratic administration in the twenty-first century of political and national growth. The importance of voter education in any election process cannot be overstated. It is critical that voter education begin on time in order for the election to be a success. Electoral fraud has remained a thorny subject since the country's independence. The first three democratic trials were cut short due to electoral fraud and bad election administration. Furthermore, the 1999 general elections, which launched the present democratic regime, were allegedly marred by widespread and gigantic electoral malpractices and anomalies. Since the establishment of the current democratic regime, there has been little emphasis on teaching the Nigerian public about voting rights. Almost all elections in this nation have been marred by electoral violence, intimidation, manipulation of the electoral commission and security forces, election cheating, double voting, hijacking of ballot boxes, vote buying, and counters. Voter education is critical in any democratic system, as proper orientation of secondary school children to the importance of voting and participation in our country's democratic system will not only instill a high level of motivation and encouragement in the students, but will also instill confidence in the government. This strategy would undoubtedly result in a long-term democratic regime in our nation, Nigeria. Thus, it is on this assumption that this study will give an assessment of secondary school pupils' understanding of the Nigerian election process. This sensitization becomes vital if the curriculum is tailored in any manner to teach secondary school children about the country's election process, knowing that they will be part of the future electorate.
1.3 Objective of the study
The main focus of this study is to critically investigate secondary school students’ awareness on the electoral process in Nigeria. Specifically the study seeks to:
1. Analyse the meaning and nature of the concept of electoral process in Nigeria.
2. Investigate the importance of electoral awareness in secondary schools
3. Enlighten the secondary school students on the impact of electoral process in Nigeria
4. Create a balance assessment on the level of students awareness on the electoral process in Nigeria.
5. Evaluate government policies and steps government have taken to create awareness on electoral process among secondary schools students in Nigeria.
1.4 Research Questions
The research is guided by the following research question:
1. What is the nature of electoral process in Nigeria?
2. What are the importance of electoral awareness in secondary schools?
3. In what way does educating the secondary school student on voter education impact the electoral process in Nigeria?
4. What is the level of students awareness on the electoral process in Nigeria?
5. What are the steps government has taken to create electoral process awareness in secondary schools?
1.5 Research hypotheses
The following null hypotheses are tested in this study:
H01: The level of secondary school student awareness on electoral process is low.
H02: There are no known steps government has taken to create electoral process awareness in secondary school.
1.6 Significance of the study
Since this study presents an assessment of secondary school students' awareness of the electoral process in Nigeria, it is therefore pivotal to note that the findings and theoretical aspects of this work will be relevant to secondary curriculum developers, education stakeholders and the state at large. The study will enlighten curriculum developers, education state holders, and governments on the importance of voter education and participation as an essential ingredient of democratic government, which is linked directly or tangentially to other major features of democracy, such as consent, and will increase their encouragement of each target to initiate education activities, design at creating awareness of the electoral process among secondary school student. The findings from the study will also be significantly useful to students and researchers and other individuals who may have an interest in gathering or conducting further research related to the topic under study.
1.7 Scope of the study
The scope of this study borders on an assessment of secondary school students awareness on the electoral process in Nigeria. The study is therefore limited to selected secondary schools in Ede Osun Local Government in Osun State Nigeria.
1.8 Limitation of the study
The following factors poses to be a limitation during the course of this research
Financial constraint– Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint– The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.;
1.9 Operational Definition of Terms
Awareness: Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events.
Electoral process: An electoral process or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined.Electoral process are the detailed constitutional arrangements and voting systems that convert the vote into a political decision.
Voters Education: voter education refers to a longer-term pedagogical process involving more complex information, educating why the electoral process is important and necessary, the link between human rights and voting rights, the relationship between elections and democracy and the conditions necessary for democratic elections.
Democratic Election: An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy to select those who they entrust to hold public office on their behalf.
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