Comparative Study: Early Childhood Education in Nigeria and England

This essay undertakes a comparative analysis of early childhood education systems in Nigeria and England, exploring the historical context, current policies, and key challenges within each nation. The essay begins by establishing the significance of early education as a foundation for future development and then delves into the specifics of pre-primary education in both countries. It examines the structure, curriculum, and governmental involvement in early education, highlighting differences in approaches, funding, and access. The essay also considers the influence of cultural and socioeconomic factors on early childhood education, including parental attitudes, the role of private institutions, and the impact of policies like the UK's Free Early Education Entitlement. Furthermore, the essay evaluates the effectiveness of these systems, referencing research on the cognitive and social development of children. The conclusion synthesizes the findings, emphasizing the importance of quality early childhood education and its impact on individual and national development.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
THE COMPARISON OF EARLY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA AND ENGLAND.....................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

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INTRODUCTION
The social life has developed significantly and therefore the change in need in social needs. It
demands a change in approach towards social policy. The social policy is a means to manage
social issues and provide solutions to them. The economic and environmental factors create a
change in social problems as well. Furthermore, the social structure and state policies are also
strong determinants of the change in social policy. Education is the basis of development in
every society. The most important stage of education is the early stage i.e pre-primary. It can be
considered as a foundation of future education and development.

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The Nigerian Educational System also realizes the worth of early education. The Government
has taken initiatives to achieve early childhood education objectives. In the UK childhood
education starts at the age of five, hence, early childhood education regards the children under
the age of five. This essay focuses on comparing and contrasting the early education in Nigeria
and England.
THE COMPARISON OF EARLY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA AND ENGLAND
Over the years, scholars had different views concerning the importance of early education, but in
Nigeria, it is regarded as vital(Adediran and Adeyemi, 2016). The pre-primary education starts
from the age of three to five. This education is provided in day care centers and nursery schools.
The readiness of children depends on the type of homeschooling, they have had from 0 to 3 years
of age. The Government, however, does not have an active role in the establishment of day care
centers and nursery schools, but it does have a policy guideline to manage pre-primary
education(Ajayi, 2019). In fact, it also lays emphasis on the proper national curriculum and
books in the native language of Nigeria. In addition, there is supplementary reading material,

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teacher’s manual, certificate of training and much more. Despite all these policies the country
faces challenges in the establishment(Becker, 2011).
Early childhood education is perceived as crucial in the UK also. There are many provisions in
the country concerning the same. There is the availability of play schools, playgroups, nursery
schools, etc. for the children between 3 to 5 years of age. The local authority provides the play
schools and it is open to all sections of the society(Moss, 2014). The nursery schools and classes
are used by all people in the population, but private nursery schools are a thing for rich families,
but they are also registered as per the provisions of the playgroup. In the UK, there is special
emphasis on early childhood education, the Elective Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE),
2004 can be used as a proof for that. As per the provision, 15 hours in a week, preschool
education is free but not mandatory. In fact, over 95% of people make use of this provision for
their 3 and 4-year-olds (Smith, 2012).
Early childhood education as defined by the FRN (2012) is the type of education that is provided
to children in the age group of 3-5 years, so as to prepare them to enter primary schools (Akanbi,
2012). Early childhood education is said to have a profound effect on the development of
children (Havnes and Mogstad, 2011). If the impacts of homeschooling and socio-economic
status of the family are controlled, the preschool is recorded to enhance the cognitive
development of the children (Ige, 2011).
In Nigeria, the creche, nursery, and kindergarten are the most common names of the early
childhood education institute. These establishments are mostly run by private business owners.
Education experts like J.J. Rousseau (1782-1788), Maduewesi (1992) John Amos Comenius
(1590-1690), and many others have advocated and supported the early education and they
portrayed the views that educating children at an early age is vital for their cognitive, personality,
and behavioral development (Obiweluozor, 2015). Robert Owen, in 1816, found the first pre-
primary school. The experts believed in providing education to both sections of the society, i.e.
rich and the poor. However, in Nigeria, the need for establishments concerning early education
was not very prevalent and popular until recently. In the early 1980s, some researchers
conducted the study and observed that the very small population of people sent their children to
pre-primary schools (Sadeque, 2010). Also, working mothers preferred their children to be with
family members instead of play schools. This clearly reveals the mindset of people in Nigeria at

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that time regarding early childhood education. Later, the government realized the need for
establishing nursery schools, play schools, pre-primary institutions and more. The policymakers,
education planners, administrators, etc. came together to bring the change (Nadeem et al., 2010).
In the UK, pre-primary education is considered vital because it influences the perception of the
children and the effects are long-lasting. It was also found in a study that pre-primary education
was beneficial for children in developing language skills who didn’t have highly educated
mothers (van Krieken Robson, 2019). The most recent study in the UK is done by the Effective
Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE). The data were collected from 30,000 kids, their
parents, environment in homes, and the type of pre-school they go to. It was observed that a high
level of provision significantly positively impacted the development of children (Hatcher, 2015).
However, attendance has no visible impact on learning. The quality of pre-schools did contribute
to the social and cognitive development. The establishments that had educated, well-qualified,
and trained teachers produced better results (Goodley and Runswick‐Cole, 2011). The
effectiveness of pre-school setting varies. The studies done by EPPE asserts that properly
planned and executed curriculum provided better results and develops the child’s cognitive,
social, and behavioral skills. The centers where equal importance was given to social and
cognitive goals delivered better results and were a success. However, establishments that
supported shared thinking were also commendable (Berridge, 2013). Early Childhood Education
Policy (ECEP) proposal focuses on promoting early childhood education quality, equality, and
access to families who do not have a high income. The current policy of Free Early Education
Entitlement provides 15 hours of early education for a period of 38 weeks for children between
3-4 years of age. However, there are few policy challenges such as high and low-income levels
of parents, access to ECEC is not easy for everyone, insufficient funds for the facilities, the
difference in the quality of education, etc. These challenges are common and need proper solving
(Baan et al., 2019).
National Policy on Education (FRN, 2012) states the framework for early education in Nigeria
but it fails to specify the care requirements for children under 3 years of age. Therefore, private
operators are the ones to handle early childhood education in the area. The main issue is that
these private operators do not have proper guidelines or quality to meet the needs of the children.

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The analysis was done by UNESCO, UNICEF, and UNDP observed and put forth the issue and
urged for government intervention in early childhood education (Obiweluozor, 2015).
In Nigeria, the pre-primary education was not seen as vital in the early years, but soon its
importance was realized and initiatives were taken to promote the same. In the UK, as seen in
many studies, early childhood education is considered as important for development (Powell,
2016). The importance of early childhood education is realized all across the globe, the
developed countries have been first to realize it, but developing countries are not far behind
(Davies-Holmes, 2016). It was examined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) that in approx. 65 countries the strong literacy at the age of 15 years is
because of the majority of the population, realizing the importance of pre-schooling and in
countries where initiatives were taken to maintain the standard and quality (Kaasch, 2013).
Sending children to pre-schools can help reduce social and economic differences. Also, this
education at an early age is highly beneficial for the child and his success, skills, behavior,
perception, cognition, and more. By promoting early childhood education, countries can achieve
individual as well as economic development (Babbit, 2014). The countries like China have taken
this concept to another level and have been successful so far.

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CONCLUSION
The pre-school education helps in the development of the child along with enhanced
concentration, social skills, and intellect. It also encourages diversity among children as people
from different backgrounds and classes send their children to nursery schools to receive early
childhood education. Several types of research and studies strongly portrayed the importance of
early childhood education in shaping the future. This background affects many decisions later in
life. The national policy of any country should be focused on achieving the desired objectives.
The government should provide proper facilities, funds, establishments, well qualified and
trained staff. In fact, the early childhood education program should be well controlled and it must
be ensured that proper development of the child is done in all areas, namely, social, behavioral,
intellectual, cognitive, etc. Additionally, there should be proper infrastructural facilities for the
pre-primary school, nursery schools, and more. There should be proper investigation and
monitoring of these facilities before opening them up for children. It is now clear that enhanced
quality of pre-schooling will deliver improved and better children.

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REFERENCES
Adediran, D. and Adeyemi, D. (2016). Influence Of Parent-School Partnership And Community-
School Partnership On Lower Primary School Social Behaviour In Southwestern
Nigeria. The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention.
Ajayi, H. (2019). Social Inequality in Early Childhood Care and Education Provision in Nigeria:
A Review of Literature. World Journal of Education, 9(3), p.1.

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Akanbi, D. (2012). Political Dispensation and its Effects on the Early Childhood and Primary
Education in Nigeria. Journal of Sociological Research, 3(2).
Baan, A., Clarke, C., Forestor, S., Heywood, L., Tarraf, G. and Tarar, S. (2019). Early Childhood
education Policy Proposal. [online] Spi.ox.ac.uk. Available at:
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Babbit, V. (2014). Taylor & Francis Open Access Survey: Exploring Authors Views of Taylor &
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Becker, B. (2011). Social disparities in children's vocabulary in early childhood. Does pre-school
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Berridge, D. (2013). Policy transfer, social pedagogy and children's residential care in
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Bradbury, A. (2014). Learning, assessment and equality in Early Childhood Education (ECE)
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Davies-Holmes, A. (2016). Education and international development: an introduction. Compare:
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Goodley, D. and Runswick‐Cole, K. (2011). Problematising policy: conceptions of ‘child’,
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Hatcher, R. (2015). Building a Social Movement for Education in England: policy and
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Ige, A. (2011). The Challenges Facing Early Childhood Care, Development and Education
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