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International policy brief series Education & Science Journal of Policy Review & Curriculum Development first assured brilliant Vol. 2 No.1 September, 2012 1 FUNCTIONAL AND QUALITATIVE SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION FOR ADDRESSING DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION IMOH-OBONG INYANG INYANG (MRS) Department of Social Studies Akwa Ibom State College of Education Afaha Nsit - Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria Abstract The effectiveness of Social Studies education as an instrument for fostering development administration in the society cannot be overemphasized as education is the fulcrum on which development of any nation hinges. Social Studies as a discipline in Nigerian schools, provide citizens with problem-solving attitudes. Functional and qualitative Social Studies education can help in addressing challenges of development administration in a nation. On the basis of the above exposition, the paper examines the need for functional and qualitative education as well as the concept and objectives of Social Studies. This paper also examines how functional and qualitative Social Studies education can be used to address challenges of development administration in Nigeria and other third world countries. Recommendations and conclusions are made. Key words: Social Studies, Functional & Qualitative Education, Development Administration Introduction physical and social, emphasizing on Effective and efficient development cognition, functional skills and desirable administrations are vital for the attitudes and actions for the purpose of advancement of any given society. These are producing an effective citizenry. This type of ideals desired by all nations for their citizens. education can be said to be the study of man The only way of achieving these is through in his ability; this study draws from a wide the provision of functional and qualitative variety of sources to relate the individual to education, like Social Studies, to every his social environment i.e where he lives, his citizen of the country (Inyang et al, 2009). activities in the past and present, his culture, In some third world countries like his frame of mind and how he relates. It Nigeria, the issues of development focuses on developing the right values, administration have been posing challenges attitudes and abilities which will help the to the government and to all well meaning people to get on well as good citizens. Above Nigerians. The Nigerian society has been all, it has as its central interest the child faced with so many problems right from awakening to his civic and national duties. independence and these have served as Nigeria's philosophy of education obstacles to the efforts of Nigerian aims at the development of the individual gover nment towards development into a sound and effective citizen. This, it administration. Education has been seen as a hopes to achieve through the provision of tool for change; hence the Nigerian functional and qualitative educational gover nment adopted education as opportunities for all citizens at all levels of instrument par excellence for addressing the education both inside and outside the formal nation's challenges and to enhance school system. In the light of this Ukeje development administration. (1970) opined that, “the primary aim of According to Ololobou (1989), Social education is to produce good citizens”. To do Studies education is an organized, integrated this according to him, education should be study of man and his environment, both geared towards inculcating national Correspondent Author: Imoh-Obong Inyang Inyang (Mrs.), Department of Social Studies, Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit - Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria 2 consciousness, national unity and the right nation. No laws are diligently enforced for type of attitudes for the survival of the social protection even as the slogan is “use individual and the Nigerian society. Hence what you have to get what you want” has Social Studies education is needed from the become the order of things. primary level of education. Every individual, community, This has become more imperative society, nation and the world at large desires particularly in some third world countries efficient and effective development like Nigeria that is witnessing challenges of administration. One of the major development administration and a steady approaches to development administration is ethical decline and moral degeneration through education which has to do with the which has manifested in the production of inoculation of knowledge, skills, values and wrong caliber of citizens who are corrupt, attitudes, with the major aim of transforming violent in nature, drug traffickers, the individual who in turn becomes an indiscipline to the core, nepotic, greedy, instrument of development to himself, power drunk, arrogant, materialistic, family, community, nation and the world. s e x u a l l y i m m o r a l l y, f r a u d u l e n t , Education plays the greatest role in the promiscuous, unjust and above all morally process of transforming the child who would bankrupt. eventually transform the nation through The reason for this, according to effective and efficient administration. Oganwu (2002), is that the major social From the foregoing, there is need to institution are bereft of any authentic make use of functional and qualitative Social cultural education with emphasis on values, Studies education to make the upcoming beliefs, attitudes, knowledge of social skills, Nigerians and others from the third world traits and abilities required for development countries to internalize some of the moral of the nation and members of the diverse and social values and behaviours, so that communities. These can be seen in they can behave appropriately. The thrust of functional and qualitative Social Studies this paper however, is how functional and education which aims at internalizing the qualitative Social Studies education can be ideas of the society into the youths. Olowo used to ensure effective and efficient (2008), states that Social Studies education is development administration in Nigeria and a conscious process of inculcating certain any other third world country. values, habits, skills and attributes which the society considers desirable and essential for Functional and Qualitative Education its survival as a unit and to ensure effective Functional education is the type of and efficient development administration. education that enables the child to face Efforts made by some third world practical problems with practical solutions. countries to cleanse their country from This is the hall mark of our indigenous unethical codes and immoral acts sometimes education before the advent of western ended up in futility due perhaps, to lack of education in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. commitment by leadership and unpatriotic Fadeiye (2005) agrees that through behaviour of the citizenry. This simply this medium a child acquires practical means that there is a show of bad citizenship knowledge and skills necessary for survival qualities in every facet of their national life, in his environment. Functional education therefore posing challenges on development encourages discipline, respect for elders and administration in these countries. It is constituted authorities, respect to the norms t h e r e f o r e n o t s u r p r i s i n g t h a t i n and values of the society as well. In support contemporary Nigeria, people earn money of this assertion, Ajeyelemi (2008) viewed without working for it. There is no fellow functional education as one of the most felling, among citizens as brethren of one efficient ways to groom excellent leaders and 3 empower the poor. In the past decades, Zeilbeger (1999) highlighted Nigeria has made great efforts to produce principles of functional and qualitative good leaders and reduce poverty through education among which are that: education. But as the country with the largest 1. Functional and qualitative is based on black population in world and with limited the natural needs of the child to educational expenditures, Nigeria, enquire and to know, to observe and unfortunately, still lags behind in the pursuit to work, and especially to play; it of all the millennium development goals strives to arouse in the child special particularly those relating to universal longing like the love of good work literacy, eradication of poverty and that will not come by force, but rather sustainable development administration. in a free atmosphere and in suitable Adeniyi (2008) viewed qualitative living conditions; for that purpose, education as good and relevant education the school should create a lively and achieved through diligent learning and happy environment, where the child research, which produces sound and useful will work enthusiastically. knowledge and creative skills of production 2. The child has to be put in the centre of and development. This is that education that the curriculum but not according to not only emphasizes the total development the principles exterior to the child. of the recipients but also makes every 3. The educator should get to know provision, through appropriate legislation, properly the child's interest and the workable policies and appropriation of changes that he undergoes as he resources to make it work. The admixture of grows up physically and emotionally, elements of culture, morality, manners, art, hence the teacher should adopt his science and technology, knowledge teaching to the natural growth of the application, and creativity as well as values,

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