PHILOSOPHY AND PRAXIS

Moral education in Nigerian school curricula exists in the form of religious instructions and civil education, where children learn the religious beliefs, practices and prohibitions of Christianity and Islam, and about other ethnicities in the country. In these engagements, children are merely told what to do, with little logical explanation for why moral principles are necessary, or why morality is important in general. The ultimate implication of this state of affairs is that the typical Nigerian child grows into an adult, following “the ways of the ancestors and religious principles,” without exposure to moral reasoning, or ever engaging in any kind of critical thinking concerning moral issues, or even knowing that such a thing exists, in the first place. With the recent explosion of moral decadence among Nigerian youths, facilitated by the decay of culture and the availability of social and other media, it seems evident that the existing system of moral education in Nigeria has been inefficient, partly because it is devoid of logic, critical thinking and capability for the development of independent mindset and initiative. Yet, no amount of technological development and scientific advancement would be worth anything without the concomitant adequate moral education and development of the individual to harness them appropriately. Inability to exercise coherent, independent reasoning inevitably takes its toll on human and national development, especially in the area of social cohesion and co-existence. Using the method of critical analysis, therefore, this paper advocates the revitalization of basic moral reasoning and critical thinking on moral issues in Nigerian basic education system, in order to fill this yawning gap in the national educational scheme. Data for the study have been acquired from library and archival resources.

Open Full Text (PDF)