IMPROVING EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE, DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

The thrust of this paper is on improving Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) in Nigeria. The paper argues that the foundation of learning is laid during the earliest years of a child, yet many children still miss out this crucial early learning experiences and support for their socio-emotional and physical development. Children safety, health, and happiness, well-qualified teachers, trip(s), exposure to a variety of culture(s) and technology were identified as ways of improving early childhood education in Nigeria. The paper further notes that Early Childhood Care, Development and Education is crucial in the sense that it helps in the building of strong foundation for the child’s physical, mental, emotional and social development just as it improves the well-being of the children through healthy habits like brushing and regular washing of hands. It also brings about the development of literary and numerical skills of the children as well as socialization which helps children overcome shyness and gain self-confidence. The dearth of professionally qualified teachers and caregivers, frequent use of foreign instructional materials for teaching and learning, lack of access to ECCDE programme by children in the rural areas as well as the use of foreign language as a medium of instruction were among the top challenges of the ECCDE in Nigeria revealed from the study. To overcome such challenges, the paper suggests adequate provision of professionally qualified teachers and caregivers, the use of indigenous instructional materials for teaching and learning, the establishment of model ECCDE schools in rural areas as well as the use of indigenous language as a medium of instruction