What is Education?
Various scholars have tried to define education, none of which is adequate to cover all aspects of education. That is, each of these definitions experience one aspect of education or the other. Let us examine some of these definitions. D. O. O. Conner (1957) sees educations as the process by which society through which schools, colleges, universities and other institutions deliberately transmits its cultural heritage. This definition stresses only formal education of organized classroom groups. While R. S. Peters (1972) sees education as basically initiation, that is initiation into the values of society and the young ones are from time to time initiated into these values.
In all, education may be defined as the process by which an individual born into a human society, learns the way of life, which include knowledge, skills and values of the society, at home, community and schools, so that he can function effectively as a member of the given society. This definition covers educational practices in both school and school-less societies.
Western Education in Nigeria
There were two systems of Education in Nigeria before the advent of Western Education and it was noted that Islamic Educational system was predominantly in the Northern part of the country. History had it that it was the Wesleyan Methodist Mission that arrived in Nigeria to start both Christian and education work and this was in September 1842, arriving in Badagry, Rev. Thomas Freeman and Mr. and Mrs. Degraft started work at once and from there they traveled to Abeokuta to visit those who had also arrived there either from the Gold Coast (Ghana) or the Sierra-Leone. In these two places, at Badagry and Abeokuta the first schools were established.
After the arrival of the Methodist, the Church Missionary Society arrived a year later led by the Rev. Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Mr. Townsend and the Rev. C. A. Collinar at Badagry from where they expanded to Abeokuta in the year 1836. Crowther opened a school for boys and his wife opened another one for girls. They were however, housed in the Mission house. This knows as the Yoruba Mission gradually took off. A few years later the Yoruba Mission (C.M.S) opened an institution for the training of teachers at Abeokuta and by 1862, the mission had extended its work considerably not only in Badagry and Abeokuta, but also in Ibadan and Lagos. By the year the Yoruba Mission had 13 indigenous ordained missionaries, 42 trained teachers, 16 schools and pupil enrolment of 895.
Samuel Crowther later decided to extend his Missionary work to the other parts of the Southern Nigeria. For this, the C.M.S. Niger Mission was established with Bonay as its Headquarters in 1832 but the Headquarters was later removed to Onitsha. By 1862 centres had been opened at Akasa Onitsha and its environs. The C.M.S Niger Mission was made up at this time of 3 ordained indigenous missionaries, 11 teachers and two schools with a population of 32 pupils were established. Crowther's work in the Niger was said to have been facilitated by the co-operated he receive from Mr. McGregor, the Niger explorer by granting him and his agents passages to move freely in the area. While the C.M.S Niger Mission was advancing in its missionary and educational work, the C.M.S. Yoruba Mission experienced a major setback about 1867 as a result of the wars between Abeokuta and Ibadan, Abeokuta and Dahomey, and Lagos and Badagry. In 1874 for missionary work was extended rapidly thereafter and the C.M.S Grammar School was opened in Lagos in 1859 with 6 pupils.
Meanwhile, the United Free Church of Scotland had started a Missionary work at Calabar at about 1847 founding the Duke Town School and later the Hope Waddel Institute which was a Teacher Training College and a vocational school. The Roman Catholic Mission arrived in Nigeria from Dahomey (Benin) in 1860 and established her first mission station in Lagos establishing schools for boys and girls. One remarkable feature of the catholic schools was that Portuguese rather than English were used in the initial years. This was because the main body of the indigenous Roman Catholic was made up of people expelled from Brazil who could not speak English. This situation continued until about 1876. The expansion of the catholic missionary work was rapid, even though they came much later and this was due to the fact that a member of Rev. Sisters came from France to assist with the education of girls while several Rev. fathers came from Ireland to assist in the Missionary work. Consequently, St. Gregory's College was founded in 1896 by an Irish Rev. Father. Earlier, the African Mission of the Southern Baptist Convention led by T.J. Bowen started their Missionary work in Lagos and the Baptist Academy was founded about this time. From the initial account of the development of Western Education in Nigeria it could be seen that for several years the colonial government in Lagos paid deaf ears to educational masters only to listen as from 1863.
Purpose and Function of Western Education
- It creates awareness and sense of belonging
- It develops individual talents and personality
- It trains citizens for good citizenship
- It promotes civilized behaviour
- It encourages the effective use of facilities
In conclusion, the beginning of Western Education in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized because it was through this that we Nigerian could be boost of ourselves. I think if there is no education in Nigeria, Nigeria will be more rough and in darkness till now.
