Characteristics of Traditional Education

Some of the basic characteristics of traditional education in Nigeria are that:

1. The education is a collective and social activity. In other words almost everybody is involved in the training of the child; 
2.  It is multi-dimensional in character in terms of its goals and the means employed to achieve the goals (methodology); 
3. It is planned in gradual and progressive steps in order to achieve conformity with the successive stages of physical, emotional and mental development of the child; 
4. The education relies more on informal instruction; 
5. It has limited specialized training; 
6. The education depends so much on oral tradition; 
7. Traditional education is practical and general towards specific situations; 
8.  Religion, ethnics and education are inextricably related. 
9. They are interwoven and inseparable; 
10. The education is basically conservative and opposed to change; 
11. The education can take place at any time and place; 
12. Traditional education is a life long process. (Amaele 2005 pp 6-7) 

Exercise 3:

Kindly suggest other characteristics of traditional education.

Contents of Traditional Education

Traditional education provides for occupational and professional training. For instance, fishing is emphasized in the riverine areas while farming is emphasized in the forest areas. The curriculum of traditional education is categorized as follows:

• Activities on character building, since conformity was necessary; 
• Physical training through physical contests, wrestling, perseverance activities, etc; 
•  Arts and crafts, carving, painting, modeling, artistic and creative pursuits, songs and dances, masquerades etc; 
•  Intellectual training, including singing and counting, games, arithmetic etc; 
•  Study of facts about natural environments: a father moves about with his son, introducing him to the names of different objects, plants, animals, etc; 
• Historical knowledge including stories about the gods, traditions of various societies which were preserved in folklore and regarded as legends which pass from one generation to another.