Dewey’s Philosophy and Contemporary Education in Nigeria- Implications for Democracy and Education

Dewey’s Philosophy and Contemporary Education in Nigeria- Implications for Democracy and Education

Statement of the Problem

The central problem addressed in this study is the extent to which Dewey‘s philosophy can influence contemporary education in a democratic Nigeria. There is in recent times an outcry that the desire to build a democratic society through education has not been fully realized. This is because of contemporary issues that had plagued the Nigerian educational system such as equal educational opportunity, curriculum and educational reforms, vocational/technical education, the inexplicit role of university education in internalizing tenets of democracy, democracy and the practice of quota system in Nigeria. From the views above democratic education of the citizens is yet to be resolved (Akinpelu, 1981, p.207; Adewole, 2001, p.2; Okoh, 2005, p.5).The question of how to make the policy objective of building a democratic society relevant to contemporary Nigerian education remains the major concern of philosophers of education, educators and other stakeholders. For instance, in the developed nations, the system of governance has been a major catalyst in boosting education for national development. In Nigeria, the contrary seems to be the case. There are claims that not only does democracy suffer in Nigeria, education too does not enjoy the priority and the seriousness it deserves. Government‘s undemocratic disposition impinges negatively on education (Akinpelu, 2005, p.225). A genuine system of education in a democratic setting should yield some distinctive value system with educational relevance. A dispassionate examination of Nigeria‘s educational system reveals a considerable degree of discontinuity, jarring inconsistency, and disharmony referred to as ―Educational Disjunctivitis‘‘ (Brutt, 1969, p.24). Evidence of such disjunctions seems to abound in her objectives, curricula, educational processes, pedagogy, as well as policy formulation and implementation. Democratic education, however, needs a more pluralistic view of truth. There is need to also explore and integrate ideas of other civilizations as well as knowledge of the essential works from outside the African cultural mainstream has imperative conditioning identifying possible constraints in Nigerian democracy which may affect her education. It is against this background that this study sets out to critically review Dewey‘s philosophical ideology and assumptions about democracy, knowledge (education), pedagogy and curriculum, democratic education processes, as well as their functional application in order to identify the relevance or otherwise of such variables (factors) on education in a democratized Nigerian society. Simply put, the study explores Dewey‘s philosophy on contemporary education in order to resolve salient lapses that affect education in Nigeria. Thus, this is an exercise in transformational and reformative education. In a nutshell, this research study is to explore Dewey‘s philosophy and contemporary education in Nigeria: implications for democracy and education.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to explore, in line with Dewey‘s philosophy, the current concern for democracy and education in Nigeria towards achieving an overall objective of a democratic society. The objective of this study is to examine Dewey‘s philosophical views that can help to resolve the salient issues and challenges which may have plagued the Nigerian educational system. Specifically, the study objectives include:

i. To identify various connotations of Dewey‘s philosophical orientation or concept of education and democratic education;

ii. To examine the influence of Dewey‘s philosophy in solving the problems of equal access and opportunity to education;

iii. To ascertain the relevance of Dewey‘s philosophy on democracy and quota system;

iv. To assess Dewey‘s assumptions and ideological orientations in understanding vocational/ technical education in Nigeria;

v. To ascertain through Dewey‘s philosophy the role of university education in democracy.

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