A PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION ON OBAFEMI AWOLOWO'S MENTAL MAGNITUDE: THE QUEST FOR AN ENHANCED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION THROUGH ICT

Mental magnitude is central to Obafemi Awolowo's philosophy of education. His philosophy of education does not explore the best method in teaching; but, rather it emphasizes the role of education in the integral formation of the individual (human being). Nonetheless, he was more concerned with the discipline of the human mind; which of course suggests that his philosophy of education would have adopted the idealist theory of education which can easily lead to a good training of the mind, the development of man's physical and spiritual wellbeing, and the subjection of appetite or desire to reason. In as much one can draw strength from his objective of education focusing on the idealist theory and the implication it will have on the current misconception of education as a means of acquiring degree certicates for acquisition of wealth; the emphasis on skill acquisition does not have a basis in the mental magnitude of Obafemi Awolowo. This is largely reflected in the Nigerian society were skill acquisition is taken for granted and the emphasis more is on classroom education as the only means of wealth creation; this again suggest his emphasis on free education. The thesis of this paper is to firstly applaud Obafemi Awolowo's mental magnitude as a means of instilling discipline and imbibing an integral and character formation of the individual in a society bedeviled by materialism, addict of privileges, inordinate desire for lust of power etc. This paper on the other hand shall push forward a case for skill development and acquisition in the spirit of entrepreneurship; thereby, updating it in the curriculum of formal education. It will argue further that, skill acquisition can contribute towards the doctrine of mental magnitude so that youths in Nigeria can focus on skill acquisition and formal education as the pathway to progress, wealth creation and character formation. This paper shall adopt an expository and qualitative research method to argue for mental magnitude and entrepreneurship education through skills acquisition.

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