ASSESSMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE EDUCATION PROVIDERS’ ADHERENCE TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE NATIONAL MINIMUM STANDARDS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN OWERRI EDUCATION ZONE
ABSTRACT
The study was designed to find out the extent to which the Early Childhood Care Education providers’ adhere to the national minimum standard on Early Childhood Care Education in Owerri Education Zone. The study adopted a descriptive survey design approach in which five research questions were posed and three null hypotheses tested. The population of the study comprised of 541 subjects (96 ECCE providers and 445 caregivers) in the nine Local Government Areas in Owerri Education Zone. A structured questionnaire titled “Early Childhood Care Education Providers Adherence to the National Minimum Standard Questionnaire (ECCEPANMSQ)” was developed by the researcher to guide the study. 51 items were trail-tested on a sample of 16 Caregivers and 4 ECCE providers in 4 ECCE Centres in Okigwe education zone. The data obtained were computed using Crobach Alpha method. This gave an overall score of 0.71. The five research questions were analyzed using mean and Standard Deviation, while the t-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. An overview of the overall results showed that ECCE providers to a little extent recruit staff in compliance with the national minimum standard on ECCE, ECCE centres were to a little extent supervised in compliance with the national minimum standard on ECCE, ECCE providers to a little extent adhere to the use of instructional materials in compliance with the national minimum standard on ECCE, ECCE providers to a little extent adhere to the provision of environment that promotes quality learning outcomes in compliance with the national minimum standard on ECCE and ECCE providers to a little extent adhere to the protection of children’s health in compliance with the national minimum standard on ECCE. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends among others that; National and State desk officers should embark on regular visitation to ensure that ECC centres are established in compliance with the national minimum standard as prescribed by NERDC. Judging from the findings of the study, limitations of the study were identified and suggestions for further studies were made.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
People and nations are what they are because of the nature and types of education they have been exposed to. Education is a process of developing knowledge ability in learners in such a way that they use it to improve their society. Following the Nigerian National Policy on Education (NPE), the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004), defined education as that process that helps to develop the whole being, physically, mentally, morally, politically, socially, economically and technologically to enable individuals function in any environment in which they may find themselves. Education is a process of developing knowledge ability in learners towards the formation and modification of their behaviours for the benefit of the society. Consequently, most countries of the world have provided various educational programmes for their citizens because education is conceived as the greatest legacy that any nation can confer to its child.
A child is a young human being between birth and puberty. According to Opera (2012), a child is a person known as a minor from birth to the legal age of maturity, for who parents and caregivers, foster parents, public or private homes, institutional or agency is responsible. He or she is somebody under a legally specified age who are considered not to be legally responsible for his or her actions. However, the concept of a child varies from one culture to another. But for this study a child is conceived as a person from the age of zero to five years under the care of parents or caregivers, helpers and securities in Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) Centres. ECCE is an education programme, intentionally designed towards thegeneral development of the child. Maduewesi (2002) sees Early Childhood Care Education as education given to children from zero to five years. Similarly, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) defined Early Childhood Care Education as education provided by the early childhood care professionals to create an enabling environment for a child to thrive and develop to the fullest potentials. In the context of this study, ECCE refers to education strictly designed by the early childhood care experts to create an enabling atmosphere for a child to thrive and develop to the fullest potentials.
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