Missionary contact with the people
of Nigeria started at the latter pail, of the 15lh Century when the
Portuguese set their foot into what is now called Nigeria. As early as 1472,
the Portuguese, in search of commerce had visited Lagos and Benin. They soon
realized the importance of communicating with the people in a common language and the need to share a common faith with
their customers. This gave rise to their introducing the Christian religion to
their customers and their establishment of schools.
By 1515, the Catholic Missionary
activities had started in earnest in Benin and a school had been established in
the palace of
the Oba of Benin for the sons of both the Oba and his chiefs who had been
converted into Christianity. Between 1515 and 1571 the Portuguese-merchants had
established"^ number of trading posts, churches and schools in Lagos,
Benin and Brass. In addition, a seminary had been founded on the Island of Sao
Thome off the coast of Nigeria. The main objective of the seminary was to train
African s as Priests and teachers to manage the churches and schools that have
been found. However, the Catholic influence was soon wiped out by the slave
trade which ravaged West Africa for nearly three hundred firearms and the like.
The Portuguese attempt at introducing western formal education had no impact
for it faded with the collapse of the Portuguese influence in Nigeria.
It was in the latter part of the
nineteenth century that western education made any significant impact on
Nigeria. The resurgence of Christian activities, was a resultant counter point
to the ignoble and obnoxious slave trade which appalled human conscience,
depleted and disillusioned the Africans. But again, the humanitarian concern of
the Christian missionaries was later to be beclouded in political manouvres
which led to the theory of the flag following the Bible in Africa'.
Meanwhile the British Government had
abolished slave trade in the then British Empire in 1833 while Freetown in
Sierra-Leone was acquired in 1787 as a colony in which the liberated Africans
could settle. Apart from the above, the revival of missionary movement in
Britain had led to the founding of Baptist Missionary Society (1792), London
Missionary Society (1795) and the Church Missionary Society (1799). Following
their establishment, several of their missionaries moved into the field, with
the slate in the left hand, and the Bible in the other, in this enterprise,
sierra-Leone was to be the pivot of Christian Missionary excursions and
incursions into several parts of West Africa.
Within a
short time, some of the liberated-Africans had been converted and educated in
the formal school system in Freetown. Some of them returned home particularly
to Abeokuta in Ogun State to agitate for Christian Missionaries to bring to
their people schools, which they considered to De the touch stone of
civilization.
It was, however, the Wesleyan
Methodist. Society which had the distinctive honour of being the first
Christian organization to arrive in Badagry in Lagos State of Nigeria, where
they opened their first school.
On 24lh September
1842, the Wesleyan Methodist Society sent Rev. Thomas
Birch Freeman who was the superintendent of the Wesleyan Methodist Society in
the Cape Coast to Badagry after a formal invitation by the Yoruba
emigrants from Sierra-Leone who had
spieled in Badagry.
Freeman was accompanied by Mr. de Graft an African born at Cape Coast
with his wife.
On December 19,1842, the Church
Missionary Society represented by Mr. Henry Townsend arrived at Badagry-on his
way to Abeokuta for data collection in preparation for missionary activities in
Nigeria. After this initial exploratory visit of Rev. Townsend, he was
accompanied by Rev. Samuel Ajayi Crowther and Rev. C.A. Gollmer to Badagry in 1844 for Ihe purpose of
establishing the Yoruba Mission. They wanted to use Abeokuta as their base, but
could not get to Abeokuta that year because of the death of King Sodeke. They
however built a church, a school and a mission house at Badagry. They moved to
Abeokuta on 3rd August 1846 and founded two schools immediately, one
for boys and the other for girls.
In 1846, the Presbyterian Mission
arrived at Calabar and established a "station while the Southern^ Baptist
Convention opened a school at Ijaye in 1853. In 1855, the Southern Baptist
Convention had founded a school at Ogbomoso and the first Baptist School in
Lagos which became the nucleus of the Lagos Baptist Academy was founded. .
Meanwhile,
after the British bombardment of Lagos in 1851 missionary work was extended to
Lagos in January 1852 after formal invitation by John Beecroft the then British
Consul of Lagos. The Church Missionary Society was represented by James White
while John A. Martin represented the Wesleyan Mission. The Roman Catholic
Mission soon made its impact felt in Lagos. With the arrival of Padre Anthonio,
an emancipated slave who became a missionary, Catholic Missionary work started
in earnest in Lagos By 1868, the Roman Catholic had founded its first school in
Lagos since the earlier Portuguese Missionary activities.
By 2857, the
Niger Mission had been established by the Rev.
Samuel Ajayi Crowther and Rev. J.C.
Taylor Schools were immediately founded at Gbebe and Oriitsha. In 1864, another school was opened at Idda
followed by further ones at Akassa and Bonny.
The Early Mission Schools and their Problems
The primary objective of the early Christian
missionaries was to convert the natives to Christianity through education. The
knowledge of the Bible, ability to sing hymns, recite catechisms and to
communicate both orally and in writing were considered essential for a good
Christian. As already observed, several missionary bodies, with their
political, economic and denominational sympathies emerged during this period,
working as hard as they could to establish as many schools as they could. It is
important to note that each missionary -body operated its own educational
system and financed its own educational project from = the meager resources
available to its for government assistance was a thing of the future.
In the process of implementing their
educational policies, the Mission faced some of the stated problems.
1. There were no central school laws and
as a result there were no standards for running the schools.
2. Varying administrative techniques were
adopted for schools management.
3. There were no standard qualifications
for teachers.
4. There were no regulations to guide the
movement of teachers as well as the pupils, thus both teachers and pupils left
school during the school hours at
will. Samuel Crowlher for example once complained about irregular attendance in
his school at Onitsha where the
boys preferred to go about hunting birds, rats and lizards.
5. In all the schools, emphasis was on
convention into Christianity and religious instruction remained the basic core
of the school curriculum during the period. The education imparted was not meant
to transmit the Nigerian culture neither did it suit the needs and aspirations of II10 society.
6. There was inadequate finance. Many of
the schools were maintained by the
local missions with occasional donations from abroad lack of adequate funds
also affected the availability of adequate
qualified personnel. Some schools were maintained from the Sunday collections. .
7. There were no trained teaches and no
training colleges. The lack of fund
coupled with the shortage of teachers led to the closure of some schools. For
example, the Methodist was compelled to close down their Girls Grammar School
in 1892 only to be reopened in 1912.
8. In the early schools, there were not
common syllabus to fellow and there were
kick of standard text books. Many of the text books used were imported and were
not relevant to environment of the pupils.
9. There was lack of adequate supervision
of schools including building,
teacher and subjects taught.
10. There
was no central
exanimation system and every mission school bad her own standard.
11. Micro was the problem o uniformity in the
condition of vice of teachers. Teachers could be
employed and dismissed at will
whilst salary depended on the wish of the head of the mission
12. Must of the schools because of lack of
teachers, used the monitorial system,
a system in which the older students wore made to teach the younger ones.
13. The method of teaching
was inadequate for note learning was paramount
at the period.
14. The intense missionary rivalry in the
southern part of Nigeria led to uneven
distribution of schools in Nigeria.
Colonial Government and Education in
Nigeria
The efflorescence of missionary
endeavour, ironically, coincided with European interest in the commercial and
political drive to -penetrate the interior of Nigeria. The dynastic quarrel in
Lagos between Kosoko and Akintoye was exploited by the British Government and
Lagos was then bombarded in 1851 as earlier mentioned, and by 30 July, 1861,
Lagos was supposed to be ceded to the British Government which technically
meant that Lagos city became a British colony. But this was purely a political
penetration without educational responsibilities. The burden of providing
education for me people of Lagos, and other areas which was not under the
colonial flag was still shouldered by the missionaries.
It was only in the year 1872 that,
the colonial government" made available the sum of £30 to each of the
three missionary societies involved in educational activities in Lagos- the
C.M.S, the Wesleyan Methodist and the 'Catholic to support their educational
activities. This marked the beginning of the system of grants-in-aid to
education which formed the major educational financing policy of the colonial
government. In 1877, the grant was increased to £200 per year for each of the
three missions. The grants-in-aid remained at that amount until 1882.
With this initial government
contribution to the missionary education, the colonial government soon felt
that he who paid the piper must dictate the tune. Ana as a result, by 1882, the
first educational ordinance was passed regularizing the school system, and
laying clown the condition for grants-in-aid.
The
1882 Education Ordinance
Politically, between 1974 and 1086,
Lagos and the Gold Coast were under one Colonial Administration with Accra as
its headquarters. Thus the 1882 Educational Ordinance applied to both Lagos and
Accra. The Ordinance which aimed at the control of education by government had
the following provision.
1. The constitution of a General Board of
Education with power to appoint and dissolve
local Boards of Education at such places as they may consider desirable.
2. The constitution, powers and duties of
the Local Board of Education.
3. Classification
of schools into:
(i) Government
schools which were maintained entirely by
public funds,
(ii) Assisted
schools established by private persons and aided from public
funds.
4. Freedom of parents as to religious
instruction of their children.
5. Grants to be used for school buildings
and teachers' salaries. :
6. Condition of grants-in-aid to private
schools-based on managerial control, attendance of children and examination
results in specified subjects.
7. Appointment of an inspector of schools
for all the British West Africa. When appointed
the Inspector would spend most of his time in
the Gold Coast, while Lagos would
contribute one-third of the inspector's
fixed annual salary of £400.
8. Special grants to be made to industrial
schools.
9. Admission of pauper children into
Government and assisted schools.
10. Defining school curriculum to include
Reading, Writing, English Language,
Arithmetic and Needlework for girls.
In an effort to implement the 1882
Ordinance, Rev. Metealfe Sunfer, onetime Principal of Fourah Bay College, was
appointed the first Inspector of School for West Africa. Except for the general
awareness of the intention of Government to control the development and growth
of schools in the Lagos settlement and its environment, the 1882 Education
Ordinance achieved little success. This ordinance imitates too closely the
English Elementary Education Act of 1870 which aimed at satisfying the needs of
England at that time. The Board of Education and the Local Boards were
wholesale importation of the English Board of Education and the School boards.
These were unsuitable for Nigeria. It must be borne in mind tat during this period,
England was already divided into administrative units suitable for school
boards to function. The picture on the Gold Coast and in Nigeria was different
for there was no structure comparable to that of England. The clause on
religious instruction was inserted into the 1882 Ordinance as an imitation of
the Cowper-Temple Clause of the English Education Act of 1878 which aimed at
resolving the religious controversy among the English people. This could only
have been in anticipation of religious differences in Nigeria and not with a
view to resolving any denominational controversy. Apart from the Muslims, no
parent bothered about the type of religious teaching in the school to which he
sent his children.
Apart from the above the curriculum
was very much English and the medium of instruction was English, which was
foreign to the colonial child.
Furthermore, the proposed system of
grants-in-aid was cumbersome and found unworkable and ridiculously complicated
by Netcalf Sunter who was expected to administer the system. The restlessness
of the nationalists and the desire of the colonial government to extend British
influence into the hinterland led to the separation of Lagos form the Gold
Coast Colony in 1886. a new Ordinance was then enacted and known as the Education
Ordinance of 1887. This ordinance was
the first effective attempt by government to promote education and control the
sporadic expansion of education by the mission. The area of operation of the
Ordinance was the Colony of Lagos which comprised Lagos Island, Ebute-Metta,
Yaba, Badagry-corresponding to the former Colony Province and now Lagos State
of Nigeria. In 1887, the name Nigeria was not yet in existence and the area now
known as Nigeria had not been defined.
The 1887 Education Ordinance
The 1887 Education Ordinance for the
Colony of Lagos could be regarded as the first of what might be called Nigerian
Education Ordinance. It was a cautious but realistic ordinance that laid down
certain principles which have become the foundation of the educational laws of
Nigeria. The provision of the Ordinance included.
1. The constitution of a Board of
Education which would be composed of similar members as in the 1882 ordinance.
This Central Board of Education was made up of the Governor as the Chairman
members of the Legislative Council, four nominees of the governor, and the inspector of schools.,
2. The appointment of an Inspector of
Schools (as in the former Ordinance)
and also the time, a sub-Inspector of schools and other education officers.
3. Extension of grants-in-all to teacher
training colleges and as previously to
schools.
4. Power of the Board to make, alter and
revoke rules for regulating the
procedure of grants-in-aid.
5. Empowering the governor to open up and
maintain schools.
6. Rates and conditions of grants-in-aid
to infant schools, primary schools, secondary schools and industrial schools
based partly on subjects taught and partly on the degree of excellence in the
schools.
7. Safeguards as to religious and racial
freedom.
8. Certification of teaches.
9. Admission into an assisted school of
pauper and alien children assigned to it’s by the Governor.
10. Establishment of scholarship for
secondary and technical education.
The ordinance established the
principle of partnership in education, which resulted in a dual system of
education. The government supplemented the effort of the missions, voluntary
agencies and individuals by grant –aiding their schools whilst at the same time
establishing and maintaining its own schools where the mission and the
voluntary supply was inadequate. The new Central Board of Education included
members of the legislative council instead of those of the Executive Council in
1882 Board. Since the executive council consisted of the officials only, while
the legislative was made up of both officials and non-officials, which should result
it balanced deliberations.
In addition, the provision against
racial discrimination was welcomed by the nationalists who clamoured fro
schools to be open to children without distinction of religion or race.
Furthermore, the special grant to industrial schools was evidence of the
attempt that was made to encourage manual and technical skill. For the first
time government accepted some responsibility for secondary education by the
provision of grants-in-aid to secondary schools and of scholarship for deserving
primary school leavers. Government at the same time acknowledged the importance
of teachers in an educational system as it was provided in the ordinance.
Henceforth, teachers were to be trained, examined, awarded certificate and to
receive stipulated salaries. Thus, the Ordinance was shaping a profession for
teachers.
Furthermore 1987, the provision in
the Ordinance empowering the Governor to establish Government schools showed
that Government has accepted her responsibility to educate the citizens of the
state irrespective of their circumstances of birth.
The effect of the 188 Ordinance was
a gradual expansion of school education into Yoruba land by the C.M.S the
Wesley Methodist, the Roman Catholic Mission and to a les extent the American
Baptist Mission. The Presbyterian Mission with its headquarters at Old Calabar
was propagating general and industrial education along (he banks of the Oil
River. In 1809, Dr. Henry Carr, a Nigerian was appointed the Sub-Inspector of
school for the Colony and Protectorate of Lagos.
In 1891, he was promoted Deputy Inspector and the following year, he
became Her, Majesty's Inspector of schools for the Colony of Lagos Henry Carr
during his tenure to office, advocated for Government control of, schools. He
did advocate for greater Government financial support for the schools to make
control easy. The Muslim communities in Lagos protested against the neglect of
the' Muslim children and this gave rise Co the establishment of the fist
Government School in Lagos for (he financial support which children of (heir
Christian counterparts had received in their mission schools. The 1916
Education Ordinance
The area
now known as Nigeria which was governed by the British Colonial Administration
as two separate Protectorates became one administrative unit in 1914. With the
amalgamation of the Colony and the protectorate of Southern Nigeria with the
protectorate of Northern Nigeria in -1-914. The former Governor of the Northern
Protectorate Lord Frederick Lugard was
appointed Governor General of Nigeria.
On his assumption of office as
Governor-General, Lord Lugard made his criticisms of the education system in
both the South and the North public. Although he wanted a unified education
policy for the country, he nevertheless set up two Boards of Education each to
take care of the two distinctive areas that have been amalgamated. Lord Lugard
diagnosed the problems of Nigeria's -educational system and recommended
solutions immediately. His recommendations were however met with opposition by both the
missions and the colonial office but they were later included in an Educational
Ordinance of 1916. the • 1916 Education
Ordinance was approved on 21 December 1916 y while Educational Code were the attempt-of
Lord Lugard to provide for the whole country, education based on good character
and usefulness to individuals and the society at large. Whereas the Ordinance
applied to the whole country, the code applied to the1 Southern
Province only. ; The 1916 Ordinance and code had five major objectives:
1. Training on the formation of character and
habits of discipline.
2. Co-operation between Government and
Missions.
3. Rural as well as Urban Education.
4. Increase in the number of literate
Nigerians to meet the increasing demand
for clerks and similar officials
5. A measure of Government control over all
schools including non- assisted
schools.
The major achievements of the
Ordinance were its coverage of the whole country, the increased financial
participation of government, in the schools, co-operation between the
government and the mission and a measure of Government control over education
as a whole.
The code on the other hand
simplified grants-in-aids. The regulations of the code prescribed that the
grants to assisted schools shall no longer be awarded on the basis of an annual examination in certain set
subjects but rather on a frequent inspection
and examination extending through the school year. The percentage which
determined the amount' of giants were classified thus:
1. Tone of the school, discipline
organization and moral instruction 30%.
2. Adequate and efficiency of the teaching
staff 20%.
3. Periodical
examinations and general progress 40%
4. Buildings,
equipment, sanitation 10%.
Another remarkable achievement of
the code was the-right to inspect or obtain information from non assisted
schools which were already increasing in the Southern Province. The code in
addition stipulated the age limit of pupils in 'the infant classes as well as
in the elementary school system. No child above the age of thirteen should be
allowed in the infant class while children above the age of twenty years should
not be permitted to slay in the elementary school. The code also granted
Religious Instruction as an examinable subject. Prior to this period, Religious
Instruction could be taught in the assisted schools but could not be examined.
This section of the code was highly acceptable to the missions who regarded
religious instruction a- t!-e central point of their educational endeavour. The
Phelps- Stokes Commission on Education in Africa.
The Phelps- stokes commission on
education in Africa, also known as the Africa Education commission was
established on the initiative of the American Baptist foreign missionary
society of make a comprehensive enquiry into the needs and resources of .
Africa with particular regard to the quantity and quality of education being
provided. It was financed by the Phelps- stokes fund. The commission was
appointed early in 1920 and consisted of persons who had direct experience of
Negro education or whose experience was of relevance to Africa education. The
commission was set up to;
a. Inquire into the education work being
done at present in each of the areas to the studies.
b. Look into the education needs of the
people in the light of the religious, social, hygienic and economic condition;
c. As
certain to what extent these needs a are being met;
d. Make available in full the results of
this study.
The commission visited Nigeria and
some other counties and it's report titled "Education in Africa" was
published in 1922.lt identified certain misconception about the continent of
Africa and its people which appeared to hinder economic development for the
continent and the provision of education for her people. It observed that
contrary to the opinion held in Europe, there was sufficient evidence of
potential wealth to encourage capital investment in Africa. It also pointed out
that it was unfair and unfortunate to hold the
opinion that Africans
did not give
sufficient promise of development. It also did not concede to the doubt cast on
the improvability of the Africans people.
On this the commission noticed that
people like Isaac Oiuwole, Henry Carr, Eric Moore, Bishop James Johnson,
Herbert Macaulay and a host of others all of whom had received university or
professional education and were doing quite creditably confirmed the
improvability of Africans.
The Phelps-stokes commission
strongly recommended the adoption of education to the need of the individual
and the community. If observed that this principle which was being strongly
emphasized by American and British educator in respect of their counties was
also desirable for African pointed out that much of the indifference and
opposition to education in African was due to the failure to relate school work
to Africa situations and that school methods which had become obsolete in
America and Europe were still novelties in African. The commission also
condemned the situations where all group responsible for education in colonial
Africa had differing conception of education a situation which led to differing
goals for education. It therefore recommended clearly defined objectives of
education which according to it should be namely the development of character,
the promoting of health and healthy living acquisition of agricultural and
industries skill and improvement of family life.
The commission also lamented that
many of the shortcoming of education systems in the past were due to lack of
organization and supervision, It therefore recommended that government
and religious missions in Africa should adopt and apply sound principles of
administration, in the area of supervision and inspection of their educational
enterprises, ft also pointed out the neglect of the education of the masses and
of native leadership.
The Africa Commission on Education
had a remarkable impact on educational development in Nigeria and rest of
Africa. It was the first true commission on education in Nigerian and its thoroughness
accuracy of observation and the comprehensiveness of its scope laid emulative
precedence for other commission which were to play remarkable role in the
development of education in Nigeria in the 1940s and year before and after
independence. Secondly,' its recommendation that educational development should
include the attempt to bring different patterns of education into a system to
broaden the curriculum (from its literary outlook) different institution within
the uniform system were responsible for the ripples which brought tremendous
development of education in Nigeria in the late 1920s and 1940s. Thirdly, many
of the recommendation of the commission are still valid and relevant today
particularly in the area of making education relevant to the needs of the
people.
Finally, the Phelps-stokes
commission virtually forced the British Colonial Government to issue the'1925
memorandum on education in British Colonial territories -its first policy
document on African Education. 1 his eventually led to the 1926 education al
Ordinance in Nigeria which gave order and direction to educational development
and laid a foundation for an educational system.
The 1925 Memorandum on
Education in British Colonial Territories
The Phelps-Stokes Commission reports
geared the British colonial Government to demonstrate its interest in African
education by issuing its first educational policy in 1925. The memorandum set
out the principle on which the educational system of the colonies should be
based. Its content consisted mainly of the proposals of the Phelps- Stokes
commission. These among others included.
1. The establishment advisory boards of
education to help supervise all
educational institutions.
2. Adaptation
of education to local conditions.
3. The
study of the educational use of the vernaculars,
4. Thorough supervision and inspection of
schools,
5. Education
of women and girls as an integral element in the whole educational system.
6. Regard for religious training and moral
instruction as fundamental to the
development of a sound education and should, therefore be accorded equality with secular
subjects.
The 1925 Memorandum on Education in
the British Colonies had three primary characteristics; The Phelps-Stokes
Commission reports geared the British Colonial Government to demonstrate its
interest in African education by issuing its first educational policy in 1925.
The memorandum set out the principles on which the educational systems of the
colonies should be based. Its content consisted mainly of the proposals of the
Phelps-Strokes Commission. These among others included:
1. The establishment of advisory boards of
education to help supervise all educational institutions.
2. Adaptation of education to local
conditions.
3. The study of the educational use of the
vernaculars.
4. Thorough supervision and inspection of
schools.
5. Education
of women and girls as an integral element in the whole educational system.
6. Regard
for religious training and moral instructions as fundamental to the- development of a sound
education and should, therefore be accorded
equality with secular subjects.
The 1925 Memorandum on Education in
the British Colonies had, three primary
characteristics:
(i) It was the first statement of intentions
of the colonial government on African
education since 1842 when Western Education was introduced in Nigeria.
(ii) It was an outcome of the Phelps-Stoles
report which brought into light the apathy of colonial government to the
education and the incompetence of the
Christian missions in the field of education:
(iii) The policy document was a complete adoption
of the Phelps-Stokes report on education in Africa, which was published in
1922. This memorandum, more than any other piloted Nigeria educational policy and development from 1925to
1945.
The 1926 Education Code and the
Hedge- Schools The task of translating the
1925 education policy into reality in Nigeria was
that of Sir
Hugh Clifford, the
Governor, Clifford identified
the poor quality of education and the mushroom growth of schools as
the two major
defects in Nigerian
educational system. He therefore
proposed more financial
provision for-education and a control of the educational development.
The outcome of his efforts at achieving these was the Education (Colony and
Southern Provinces) Ordinance No 15 of 1926. the ordinance provided.
1. For registration of all teachers as a
condition for teaching in any school in the Colony and Southern provinces.
2. That new schools could be opened only
after approval by the Director of Education and the Board of Education.
3. The closing of the school conducted in a
manner detrimental to the interest of the community where it is sited.
4. For the definition of the functions and
duties of supervisors.
5. For the strengthening of the Board of
Education to consist of the Director, and the Deputy Director of Education, the
Assistance Director, ten representatives of the mission and other educational
agencies and
re-defining the board's' functions to include advice to the government on
educational matters.
6. For regulating minimum pay for teachers
in the assisted school.
The main object of the 1926
Education Ordinance was to curb the development of mushroom schools or hedge
schools. Such schools had grown so rapidly that even the missions which were
responsible- for most of them could not exorcise adequate control over them.
The Ordinance also aimed at improving the quality of the teachers, providing
schools with experienced leadership and guidance, creating a conducive
atmosphere for realistic co-operation between missions, other voluntary
agencies and local communities, and generally supplying the
educational needs of the individuals and communities in Nigeria.
However, while the 1926 code
attempted, to some extent, to" curb
the indiscriminate establishment of
new schools, the expansion of the school system continued relatively
uncontrolled, it was a time when the people considered education as opportunity
for good employment and good livelihood.
The proliferation continued, till 1930 when the whole world, was 'hit by
economic depression and the subsequent scarcity of money and materials.
Amalgamation of the
Education Departments of the Northern and Southern Provinces, 1929.
Lugard's vigorous but unsuccessful
attempts to unify the two educational system of the north and south were
brought into reality in July 1929 when the Education Departments of both
Northern and Southern provinces were merged under a new Director of Education,
Mr. E.R.J. Hussey, who was in office until 1936.
When Hussey became Director of
Education, lie reviewed the entire educational system a/id then proposed certain
reforms. He contemplated a gradual growth of education within fifty to one
hundred years which would allow not only a logical increase of school
facilities for the masses, but a/so a gradual Improvement of the standard
of higher education at the top. He
therefore, proposed three levels of education for Nigeria.
(i) The six-year
primary education course which prior to this period, had been eight-year course) with the local
language as the medium of communication or instruction. This level of education
was to emphasize
agriculture, hygiene, handicraft and interest in the local environment
(ii) The secondary level was also to be a six
year course after which most pupils would leave in search for employment in various fields.
(iii) The third stage, called vocational higher education would provide for vocational courses that would eventually
rise to the standard of a British University.
It was this idea of the third stage
that later led to the establishment of the Yaba Higher College. Though the idea
of the college was conceived in 1930, it was nd! until 1932 that the college was
opened to students. Hussey proposed the appointment of Africans as school
supervisors. He also proposed refresher or in-service courses to enable
teachers already in service to acquaint themselves with the new syllabus.
However, as good intentioned these
proposals were, they were affected by
the economic depressions of the 1930s which seriously affected the
government finances and causes serious set-backs in government financial
expenditure.