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Early Childhood Education: Development, Challenges and Prospects in Nigeria.

Musa Muhammad Musa, Ismail Bello Abubakar & Nasiru Yusuf Danladi

Abstract

The early childhood education (ECE) comprises essential programme and activities which are critical to the holistic development, academic success and future achievements of children. ECE is recognized by the federal government that Nigeria, as a foundational and essential programme that Nigerian child must experience. This is why the government has given highly rated attention to it through various interventions that include formulation of policy documents and network of relationships among different sectors. Unfortunately various challenges are facing the early childhood (ECE) implementation and development in Nigeria. Therefore this paper tends to examine and discuss the issue of development, challenges and the prospects of the early childhood education in Nigeria context. It establishes that the federal government of Nigeria in it national policy on education has given official recognition to the development and provision of early childhood education in the country. This combined with a number of factors to give rise to an unprecedented expansion in the provision of child care and early childhood education institutions in the country. However, nearly all the early childhood education in the country is provided by private propriectors. It also identifies the inability of government among others to put effect most of the measure it stated in the National Policy on Education (FRN2012) which aimed at ensuring that the policy objectives are achieved. It has also established that the provision and development of early childhood education will have positive prospects on the educational development of children in later life in Nigeria.

Keywords

EducationChildhoodDevelopmentChallengesProspects.

References

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