Primary Education for Sustainable Peace and National Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Way forward

Abstract

Education is an important key to achieving sustainable national development. For a state or nation to achievea sustainable national development, the quality of the education provided at the grassroots level should be improved. This paper attempts toexplain the concept of primary education, the concept of peace as well as the concept of sustainable national development with the aim of examining the linkage between the three concepts. The paper provides an insight into three major challengesfaced by primary education in Nigeria whichincludethe issue of funding, the issue of qualified teachers and over crowded classrooms as well as the issue of language of instruction. The paper believes that if the stated challenges are properly addressed, then Nigeria will sustain the needed peace and national development.The paper finally suggested ways on how to solve the challenges confrontingprimary education in Nigeria. This is to be done through adequate allocation of funds by all the three tiers of government in Nigeria for educational development. Quality assurance in primary education should ensured through community active participation in primary schools to ensure the creation of conducive atmosphere for learning stimulated by supply of qualified teachers. Equally, the Federal Government should set machinery in motion for the development of a national from the three major Nigeria languages, to be used for instruction in primary schools