EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA BETWEEN 1925 TO 1939

INTRODUCTION

Government involvement in Education at both the elementary and secondary levels was too minimal until the report of the Phelps-Stokes Commission in 1922. The report which was an indictment on the colonial government in Nigeria and even British colonies in West Africa spurred the government to set up advisory committee on education. In 1925 the government released its guiding principles on education in Nigeria through the 1925 memorandum on education. From this time the colonial government becomes more involved on the education of the people. This unit examines the colonial government involvement on education from 1925 to 1939.

 OBJECTIVES

By the end of this study, you should be able to

•  Mention at least five basic principles of the 1925 memorandum on education; 
• State some of the major contributions of Sir Hugh Clifford to the nation’s education. 
• Examine some contributions of Mr. E. R. J. Hussey to the development of education in Nigeria. 

AN OVERVIEW OF THE 1925 MEMORANDUM ONEDUCATION

One of the major out come of the Phelps-Stokes Commission in Nigeria education was the 1925 memorandum on education issued by the British Colonial government. Hence, educational development in Nigeria took a different dimension from 1925.

After the Phelps-Stokes report on West Africa in 1923, London was terribly affected. In 1923 the colonial administration appointed Advisory Committee on Native Education on Tropical Areas, to advise the secretary of state for the colonies on matters of Native Education. This committee known as Advisory Committee on Education for the Colonies, produced in March 1925, a memorandum which outlined the principles that helped to guide British Educational policy in Africa (Nigeria) during the colonial period. This became the first comprehensive statement of the colonial administration policy on education.

Some of the basic principles stated from the memorandum were that:

•  Government themselves should control educational policy, but they will cooperate with other educational agencies. Each territory should have an education advisory board on which all educational interests should be represented; 
•  Education should be adapted to the mentality, aptitudes, occupations and traditions of the various peoples, conserving, as far as possible, all sound healthy elements in the fabric of their social life, adapting them, where necessary, to change circumstances and progressive ideas, as an agent of natural growth and evolution. This includes the fostering and the educational use of African Arts and culture, and will, it is hoped to narrow the gap between the education class and the rest of the community; 
• Religious and character training. This is of the greatest importance, the central difficulty lies in finding ways to improve what is sound in indigenous tradition; 
• The educational service must be made to attract the best men from Britain, whether for permanent careers or for short service appointments; 
•  Grants should be given to all voluntary schools which satisfy the requirements; 
• African languages, as well as English, should be used in education; thecontent and method of teaching in all subjects should be adapted to the conditions of Africa; special textbooks should be prepared. 

The post 1925 memorandum on education in Nigeria was marked by rapid expansion in primary and secondary education, and the government involvement in establishing secondary schools.

Exercise 1:
Mention basic principles of the 1925 memorandum on education.