WHAT ARE THE AIMS OF EDUCATION?



Man is a purposive animal the only animal that acts with an aim because it has value Okafor (1984) saw educational aims as child and need oriented. Aims are broad ways of stating educational outcomes. According to Tyler (1973), they are broad and very abstract in nature, as seen in the five national aims of Nigeria in the National policy on Education (FGN, 2004:6).
·        A free and democratic society;
·        A just and egalitarian society;

·        A united, strong and self-reliant nation;
·        A great and dynamic economy;
·        A land full of bright opportunities for all citizens
These aims are derived from the national philosophy (N.P.E) and formulated by policy markers, with the help of the Federal agencies and exam bodies like National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), West African Examination Council (WAEC) etc.
From the nature of aims, the following are obvious
(a)              They are very broad and ambiguous
(b)              They are cannot be achieved through a single course of study
(c)              They are not formulated by classroom teachers,
(d)              They are somewhat problematic for curriculum implementers to work on.
Summarily, Onwuka (1985), views educational aims as an orientation to the main emphasis in educational programmes, and are only steps toward translating the needs and values of society and that of individuals into an educational programme.
For aims of education, Aristotle resumes the formal argument by saying that to speak of flourishing or happiness as the chief good seems a platitude, but a proper account might be given if we could ascertain the function of man.
In the chapter of Democracy and Education specifically entitled “Aims in Education”, Dewey is remarkably unspecific about such aims. He does begin the chapter with the following passage that mentions most of the points he develops later, those that are familiar with Dewey’s writings will recognize familiar themes.
Dewey is on firmer ground when he simply assumes that an aim is present and discusses some of its feature. He points one that the activity in at least three ways. First, it calls for observation of the given conditions to see what means are available for reaching the end, second, consideration of the aim of the activity suggests that proper in which means should be arranged in order to reach the end. Third, knowledge of the aim guides the choice of alternative courses of action available. Although the language is slightly different, this analysis is very similar to that given of a problem situation many years later in Dewey’s logic (1938). It is also close to Aristotle’s view. Dewey ends this particular: “The net conclusion is that acting with an aims is all one with acting intelligently” (p.103).
Dewey next turns to the analysis of the criteria of good aims. He focuses on three characteristics. First, closely related to what has already been said about, an aim should be a natural out growth of existing condition educational and moral theories, Dewey says, often violate this principle because they assume ends that lie outside their spheres of activities. second, and again closely related to the first characteristics, is the requirement that aims be formed in the process of realizing them. We begin with a tentative sketch of aims and, as the situation develops, the aims directing it become more definite and dear. Again, this is in the spirit of not imposing aims from outside the activity. Third, “The aims must always represent a freeing of activities.” The notion of freeing an activity is not a clear one. As Dewey explains the phrase, he seems to means the review of the different functions that follow one another as part of the activity. He gives an example of hunting rabbit and indicate that it is not simply shooting but also wanting to eat the rabbit or to provide evidence of marksmanship. It is apparently this complex set of activities, one following another, that is to be thought of as “feeling of activities” put another way, an aim should have the characteristic, apparently, of setting in motion- freeing – a series of acts or decisions. It is this dynamic quality of freeing, again, that Dewey is contrasting with the overly static character of ends as sometimes discussed. He is objecting to the idea of a fixed end as something to be “attained and possessed.
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