Thesis Abstract

This paper is occasioned by the alarming trend of moral decadence among the Nigerian educational  in recent times. This paper therefore, attempted a conceptual definition of the concepts of education, moral values and moral education. It also logically analyzed the present Nigerian secondary school curriculum as contained in the National Policy on Education (2004) and methods of teaching morality in our institutions with a view of exposing their weakness. Among other things, quarried is the fact that moral education does not stand out as an independent core subject. The use of indoctrination as a method of teaching morality is equally faulted. Thus, student-centered methods such as questioning and discussion methods are suggested. The following are recommended as realistic approaches towards enhancing moral education in Nigerian secondary schools. (1) Adoption of effective and comprehensive continuous assessment techniques. (2) Introduction of biographical studies. (3) Professionalization of teaching. (4) Revival of school games. (5) Effective evaluation of students moral status and indication of same in their certificates upon graduation etc. 

Keywords Moral values, Moral education, Curriculum, Continuous assessment, Indoctrination, Affective domain

Thesis Overview

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Education is universally acclaimed as the best legacy that can be bequeathed to a child. To achieve this goal, there is no gain-saying the fact that in order to provide adequate all round education the responsibility of providing should not be left in the hands of parents alone. The family, school, community must play their roles as well.

 Education is a very complex, time-consuming, energy sapping needs proper formulation of good policies and programmes  to be beneficial to the people, thereafter followed by diligent and dedicated implementation of the various processes that comprise it in order to achieve the desired goals set out.

All of what has been outlined above goes to show that education cannot be adequately defined in few phrases or words. What education seeks to achieve is to impart knowledge and develop skills to people in the quest of transforming them to worthy citizens in character and learning, making them useful to the society or country they come from or live in Moral Problems.

SOME CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATIONS: THE CONCEPT OF EDUCATION 

The term, education is polymorphous and thus appears to have defied a universally accepted definition. The concept is defined in various ways by different scholars, sometimes even with the same scholar depending on the time, condition and place under which such individual is giving the definition. Etymologically, the term education is derived from the Latin words „Educere‟ and „Educare‟. The former means to „draw out‟ or „to lead out‟. In this light, education is seen as a systematic process or activity which is directed towards inducing learning in an individual who is exposed or committed to such an educational process. The later „Educare‟, means to „Nourish‟ „to bring up‟ or „to raise‟. From this angle, education is seen as a process aimed at helping the individual lead the fullest of life he is capable of living. Perhaps, these different etymological orientations about the term, education, gave rise to the variations in definitions given by different scholars. However, in this paper, the term is viewed from a sociological and humanistic view points. Frankena, in Amaele(1998) states that, education is a process of enculturation or socialization of the younger by the elder members of the society. He stressed further that education in its broadest sense, involves the process through which an individual acquires the various physical and social capabilities demanded of him in the society by the group into which he is born and within which he must function effectively. Elliot in Ogbebor (1996), defines education as a means of preserving the way of life in which the person believes. Durkhein in Kalusi (1996), defines education as „the systematic socialization of the younger generation by which the later learns religious and moral beliefs, feelings or nationality and the collective opinions of all kinds, In the humanistic view point the following definitions are worthy of note: Okafor (1981), defines education as „the acculturation by which the individual is assisted to attain the maximum activation of his potentiality according to the right reason and to achieve thereby self fulfillment or self realization. Okeke (1993) sees education as rearing, upbringing, fostering, training‟. This implies that education aims at helping the individual to develop. Similarly, Igborgbor (2000) sees education as „the acquisition of needed competencies for life in the society