The Nigerian child accounts for about forty five percent of the country’s population. Forty percent of children aged 6-11 do not attend any primary school with the northern region recording the lowest school attendance rate particularly in areas of insurgencies. It is estimated that about 4.7 million children of primary school age are still not in school despite increased enrolment. There are many challenges in ensuring quality education and satisfactory learning achievement. It is not rare to see cases of 100 pupils per teacher or pupils sitting under trees outside a school building because of lack of enough classrooms. The number of school facilities and qualified teachers available for basic education remain inadequate for the eligible number of children and youths. This is more so in urban areas where there is population pressure. Under these conditions teaching and learning science and technology cannot be effective; Science is an arduously and unremittingly human enterprise, it dominates our lives and presents society with tremendous opportunities and challenges. It is exciting and perplexing, and enlivening yet dull is how school science is seen by many young people. It is a damning indictment that the common science and technology committee reported that many students loose feeling of enthusiasm about science. This paper describes the Nigerian child, defines the challenges faced by the implementation of quality science and technology education in basic schooling, the professional qualities of the ideal science teacher and the essential qualities of a highly proficient science teacher, and the characteristics of a highly effective technology teacher. Suggestions are proffered towards addressing challenges.
Keywords: Education, Nigerian Child, School Facility, School Teachers
