Examination of the Appropriateness of the Age of School Children in Primary Schools of Rivers State, Nigeria
Keywords:
School Age, Primary School, Appropriateness of School AgeAbstract
This is a descriptive survey that looked at children in primary schools of Rivers State, Nigeria, to determine the age of the pupils and their appropriateness. A total of Twenty-one thousand, three hundred and sixty-five (21,365) pupils were randomly selected from all the local government areas of the state. The study had two research questions and they were to find out what the age of school children in primary schools of Rivers State and to determine if the age of primary school children in Rivers State was appropriate. The result of the study showed that children in primary schools in Rivers State are generally younger than the stipulated age for most classes; they are being enrolled into the primary school far too young. It discovered that there were children as young as 2 and 3 years enrolled in primary schools. The conclusion was that schools and parents are not adhering to the stipulations of the National Policy on Education in enrolling children in schools. Recommendations and suggestions for further related study were made.
References
1. Adeniji, G. (2016). Ideal school age for children. https://punch.ng.
2. Asiabakwa, I.P. & Mbakwem, J. (2008). Assessment of facility needs of government primary schools in Imo State, Nigeria: Some neglected areas. New York Science Journal 1(2) 22-29.
3. Batista, D.; Davila, E.; Gallagher, M.; Jarbawi, S.; Matsumoto, Y.; Mehta, S; Roux, O. & Singh, O. (2007). Learning Plus Initiative: Plotting an Assessment methodology for an Integrated School-Based Model of Learning and Delivery of Essential Services for Children in Rwanda and Lesotho. Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). http://www.sipa.columbia.edu.
4. Bengtsson, S.E.L. (2009). Exploring the research process behind the UNICEF Learning Plus Initiative. A paper presented at the INEE Global Consultation in Turkey, March 31, 2009.
5. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education. NERDC.
6. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2013). National Policy on Education. NERDC.
7. Gosalia, P. (2015). Importance of Age-appropriate education. The Swaddle. https://www.theswaddle.com
8. Hansen, U.J. (2018). Why does age determine the How, What and With Whom of learning. Education Reimagined. https://education-reimagined.org
9. Heubler, F. (2005). Age and level of education in Nigeria. International Education Statistics. https://heubler.blogsport.com
10. Lagos State University Info (2022). NCCE Standard age for children to start primary 1 in Nigeria. https://lasu.info.com
11. Lawal, I. (2022). Mixed reaction over age limit for admission into varsities. The Guardian. https://www.guardian.ng
12. Lekan, B.K. (2022). Meet Joshua Beckford – the Nigerian who is the youngest ever Oxford student. https://www.newswirengr.com
13. Linde, S. (2022). Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in early education. https://www.study.com
14. Movin, A. (2000). DA and your child’s education. Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum.
15. Natividad, G.; Spector, J.M. & Evangelopoulos, N. (2018). Research topics and trends in educational technology; in Gloria Natividad, J. Michael Spector and Nicholas Evangelopoulos, An analysis of two decades of educational technology publications: Who, what and where. Lecture notes in educational technology. Springer.
16. Ogwo, S. (2022). What has age got to do with tertiary education admission? Business Day. https://www.businessday.ng.
17. Patil, S. (2022). Top five youngest FIFA World Cup winners. https://www.khelnow.com
18. Sasu, D.D. (2022). Children per class in elementary schools in Nigeria, 2018, by State. Statista. https://www.statista.com
19. Sasu, D.D. (2022). Children in enrolled public elementary schools in Nigeria, by age and gender. Statista. https://www.statista.com
20. Shipley, T. (2014). Early childhood education: implementing developmentally appropriate practices in literacy instruction. http://www.wholechildeducation.org
21. Sule, I.D; Emmanuel, H.A.; Alabi, C.T.; Adebayo, I.; Eleweke, T.; Imam, A. & Bashir, M. (2019). Thousands of pupils skip primary 5 and 6 to JSS 1. Daily Trust. https://www.dailytrust.ng
22. Techie, T.M. (2022). Minimum admission age for 2022/2023 JAMB: age limit for universities, polytechnics and colleges. https://www.schoolcontents.info
23. Thomas-Odia, I. (2019). What’s the right age to start pre-school? The Guardian Newspaper. 14th September, 2019.
24. Thomas, S.E. (2023). One size does not fit all: The reality of the age-grade principle of schooling in the Global South. Learning Portal. https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org
25. Van Praag, L.; Van Candenberg, R. & Orozco, M. (2023). Age is more than just a number: The role of age and maturity in the process leading to early school leaving in Flanders (Belgium). British Educational Research Journal (BERA). 44(4), p.557-572. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj3334
26. Zunjic, A.; Papic, G.; Bojovic, B; Matija, L.; Slavkovic, G. & Lukic, P. (2015). The role of ergonomics in the improvement of quality education. FME Transactions 2015, 43, 8
2. Asiabakwa, I.P. & Mbakwem, J. (2008). Assessment of facility needs of government primary schools in Imo State, Nigeria: Some neglected areas. New York Science Journal 1(2) 22-29.
3. Batista, D.; Davila, E.; Gallagher, M.; Jarbawi, S.; Matsumoto, Y.; Mehta, S; Roux, O. & Singh, O. (2007). Learning Plus Initiative: Plotting an Assessment methodology for an Integrated School-Based Model of Learning and Delivery of Essential Services for Children in Rwanda and Lesotho. Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). http://www.sipa.columbia.edu.
4. Bengtsson, S.E.L. (2009). Exploring the research process behind the UNICEF Learning Plus Initiative. A paper presented at the INEE Global Consultation in Turkey, March 31, 2009.
5. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education. NERDC.
6. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2013). National Policy on Education. NERDC.
7. Gosalia, P. (2015). Importance of Age-appropriate education. The Swaddle. https://www.theswaddle.com
8. Hansen, U.J. (2018). Why does age determine the How, What and With Whom of learning. Education Reimagined. https://education-reimagined.org
9. Heubler, F. (2005). Age and level of education in Nigeria. International Education Statistics. https://heubler.blogsport.com
10. Lagos State University Info (2022). NCCE Standard age for children to start primary 1 in Nigeria. https://lasu.info.com
11. Lawal, I. (2022). Mixed reaction over age limit for admission into varsities. The Guardian. https://www.guardian.ng
12. Lekan, B.K. (2022). Meet Joshua Beckford – the Nigerian who is the youngest ever Oxford student. https://www.newswirengr.com
13. Linde, S. (2022). Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in early education. https://www.study.com
14. Movin, A. (2000). DA and your child’s education. Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum.
15. Natividad, G.; Spector, J.M. & Evangelopoulos, N. (2018). Research topics and trends in educational technology; in Gloria Natividad, J. Michael Spector and Nicholas Evangelopoulos, An analysis of two decades of educational technology publications: Who, what and where. Lecture notes in educational technology. Springer.
16. Ogwo, S. (2022). What has age got to do with tertiary education admission? Business Day. https://www.businessday.ng.
17. Patil, S. (2022). Top five youngest FIFA World Cup winners. https://www.khelnow.com
18. Sasu, D.D. (2022). Children per class in elementary schools in Nigeria, 2018, by State. Statista. https://www.statista.com
19. Sasu, D.D. (2022). Children in enrolled public elementary schools in Nigeria, by age and gender. Statista. https://www.statista.com
20. Shipley, T. (2014). Early childhood education: implementing developmentally appropriate practices in literacy instruction. http://www.wholechildeducation.org
21. Sule, I.D; Emmanuel, H.A.; Alabi, C.T.; Adebayo, I.; Eleweke, T.; Imam, A. & Bashir, M. (2019). Thousands of pupils skip primary 5 and 6 to JSS 1. Daily Trust. https://www.dailytrust.ng
22. Techie, T.M. (2022). Minimum admission age for 2022/2023 JAMB: age limit for universities, polytechnics and colleges. https://www.schoolcontents.info
23. Thomas-Odia, I. (2019). What’s the right age to start pre-school? The Guardian Newspaper. 14th September, 2019.
24. Thomas, S.E. (2023). One size does not fit all: The reality of the age-grade principle of schooling in the Global South. Learning Portal. https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org
25. Van Praag, L.; Van Candenberg, R. & Orozco, M. (2023). Age is more than just a number: The role of age and maturity in the process leading to early school leaving in Flanders (Belgium). British Educational Research Journal (BERA). 44(4), p.557-572. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj3334
26. Zunjic, A.; Papic, G.; Bojovic, B; Matija, L.; Slavkovic, G. & Lukic, P. (2015). The role of ergonomics in the improvement of quality education. FME Transactions 2015, 43, 8
Downloads
Published
2023-09-02
How to Cite
Ibiye Omieibi-Davids. (2023). Examination of the Appropriateness of the Age of School Children in Primary Schools of Rivers State, Nigeria. Central Asian Journal of Social Sciences and History, 4(8), 86–100. Retrieved from https://cajssh.casjournal.org/index.php/CAJSSH/article/view/854
Issue
Section
Articles
