ASSESSMENT OF NIGERIA CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATION (NCE) TEACHERS’ PERFORMANCE IN THE ATTAINMENT OF SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This study assessed the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) teachers‟ performance in the attainment of social studies curriculum objectives in upper basic schools in Nigeria. A total number of eight (8) research objectives, research questions and hypotheses each were formulated in this study. The research design used in this study was descriptive survey, using researcher designed questionnaire and social studies performance test respectively. There were twenty thousand, one hundred and eighty-four (20,184) basic schools in Nigeria with a total population of six million, five hundred and eighty thousand, eight hundred and thirty-five (6,580,835) teachers and students. A sample size of seven hundred and eighty-two (782) respondents was selected for data gathering in this study. The instruments used in this study were validated and adjudged reliable via Cronbach alpha (r) reliability co-efficient of.855. Data analyses were undertaken through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. The bio-data section of the questionnaire was analyzed using frequency counts and simple percentages. Chi-square and Pearson moment correlation statistics were used in the testing of hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The findings of this study revealed that NCE qualification of social studies teachers had significant influence in creating awareness and understanding of man‟s social and physical environment in the students; NCE social studies teachers‟ implementation of the curriculum contents are significantly adequate to promote in the students interdependence relationship of their communities aimed at resolving their problems. In addition, the study revealed that significant relationship exists between available instructional materials for teaching and its actual application by NCE social studies teachers in the attainment of curriculum objectives for basic schools. Among others, it was recommended that the recruitment of NCE social studies teachers should be based on merit and thoroughly scrutinized; that efforts should be made to ensure that the curriculum content of social studies is well understood and implemented to effectively attain the objectives of basic education. There is also the need to encourage usage of different practical oriented teaching methodologies such as problem-solving, demonstration and field trip in the teaching and learning of the social studies across the study area.

The issue of education is as old as man himself, for it has to do with the transmission

of the cultural values and norms of a given society from one generation to another. But as far as modern education is concerned today, it derives it raison d‟etre and legality from the universal declaration of human rights. This declaration asserted that everyone has a right to education without any form of discrimination as it has become today. It is therefore worthy to note that the importance of education to any nation cannot be over-emphasized. Also, it is in recognition of this importance that the international community and governments all over the world have made commitments for her citizens to have access to education. The provisions of the Nigerian Constitution concurred with the various international conventions and protocols aimed at evolving a new prosperous and peaceful world over which Nigeria is a signatory to.

Among such international human rights instruments that supported education as a fundamental human rights include Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) and the African

Charter on Human and Peoples‟ Rights (1981) respectively. Indeed, the 1980s saw more backward than forward movement in most countries of the world. It was at that point that the World Conference on Education for All (WCEFA) was held in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 for the purpose of forging a global consensus and commitment to provide basic education for all.