THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN PROMOTING QUALITY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The importance of education to personal and national development cannot be over emphasized. Over the years, governments have invested heavily in education sector because of its importance in nation building. This work was undertaken to highlight the role of the church in arresting the decline in quality education in Nigeria. Leading authors on the subject matter were consulted and the history and contributions of the church in education development in Nigeria were analyzed. Western education, it was noted, was first introduced into Nigeria by Christian missionaries and the church has been playing important roles in developing education in Nigeria. The church and education have been going together since the days of the early missionaries in Nigeria. Education offered by the missionaries tended to be more qualitative than what is obtained since government takeover of school in 1970; academic excellence and character formation were the mainstay of the curriculum of the mission schools, which produced better equipped individuals. With government intervention in education, morality and the quality of education have been on the decline; a trend that has engendered the culture of examination malpractices and other social vices. The church has, however, proven to be capable of handling schools better. Therefore, some state governments have handed mission schools back to their original owners. Furthermore, churches have been complementing the efforts of government by establishing education institutions at all level which has helped boost the system. To further improve the quality of education, government needs to partner with the church through grants and provision of infrastructure.