Deficit Factors In the Implementation of Educational Policies and Reforms in Bayelsa State, Nigeria (Published)
This paper focuses on deficit factors in the implementation of educational policies and curriculum reforms in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. It is reasoned that the education sector in Bayelsa State has undergone certain reforms guided by public policies at all levels in recent years. However, much as these policies are actions by public officials, there is a significant absence of corresponding results in productivity and performance index. This perhaps may be as a result of the deficits occasioned by exclusion of the policy holders (teachers and students) who are critical to the implementation and reform process that are expected to drive positive educational outcomes. This paper takes an analytical view on the merits of the educational policies and reforms from 2012 till date viz-a-viz teachers’( personnel), exclusion factors, wastages and corruption that have attended these policies and reforms among others. The conclusion is that, these educational policies and reforms in the state do not have a buy-in of the critical stake- holders with resultant effects of aparthy, absence of commitment, indifference attitude and stagnation in performance. The paper recommends among others that, there must be deliberate engagement of the critical stakeholders on the types of educational policies and reforms that would ultimately benefit the state without any form of exclusion elements in its planning and implementation.
Keywords: Curriculum, Deficit Factors, Educational, Implementation, Reforms, policies
The Status of Social Studies in Nigeria’s Educational Scaffolding (Published)
The main crux of this paper is to draw the attention of all social studies practitioners, researchers, students of our discipline – social studies and others, to the fact that social studies in Nigeria’s education system is not the preserve of the Universal Basic Education level schools. This is undoubtedly an integral part of it. However, there is more to it than is ordinarily perceived.
Keywords: Education System, Educational, Nigeria, Scaffolding, Social Studies
Needed Educational and Professional Re-Orientation of School Principals for More Effective Counselling Services in Nigeria (Published)
The purpose of this paper was to examine the needed educational and professional re-orientation of school principals for more support towards effective counselling services in Nigerian schools. In this endeavour, principal’s positive disposition has been conceived as a tool for successful realization of guidance programmes in schools. This paper also noted that inspite of the acknowledged or well known significance of school principals towards effective counselling services in schools, their disposition is however, not quite supportive. The paper therefore, recommends the re-orientation of school principals towards providing more support for counsellors job. Towards this goal, it examined various educational and professional ways and means of re-orientating school principals. The re-orientation of school principals would enable or facilitate more positive principal’s support for counsellors in schools. It s hoped that the points made in this paper would bring into sharper focus of educational policy makers and school operators, the desirability of re-orienting school principals for more effective counselling services in school. This could be done through (i) leadership training and re-orientation that emphasizes guidance services (ii) increasing the content of counselling course units in principal’s in-service education (iii) counselling association of Nigeria routine interface with school counsellors and principals amongst others.
Keywords: Counselling, Educational, Professional, Re-orientation, School Principal