Abstract
This paper examined the means by which value could be added to Nigeria’s educational policy so as to keep in tune with the challenges of transformation in the twenty-first century. Nigeria as a nation had adopted education as an instrument par-excellence in reforming the society and to conform with the technological development globally. However, variance in input and output in education showed that the values derivable from the education sector are not forthcoming. This paper looked into the development of education from traditional to Western education focusing on the content and emphasis. Opinions of a few educators on value and value systems are also highlighted in this paper. A 20-item Questionnaire was used, to collect data in this study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 100 and 50 lecturers and students respectively from the two Colleges of Education in Oyo State, involved in the study. The results showed that the values of traditional education are still relevant and should be embedded in our policy in practical terms especially, functionalism. It also showed that the value base of the nation’s educational system has been eroded by corruption, emphasis on paper qualification, and private participation, among others. It is, therefore, recommended among others, that moral and citizenship education should be made compulsory and more attention should be paid to entrepreneurship education in Nigeria; students should be encouraged to learn a trade apart from getting a paper qualification.
Keywords: Value, Policy, and Functionalism.
Akanbi, G. O., (2010). Value-added policy for transformative education in the 21st century Nigeria. International Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education, 2, 63-73. (A Journal of Institute of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife).