Historical Analysis of Federal Government Innovations in Early Childhood Education in Nigeria, 1977-2008

Federal government innovations in Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Nigeria, 1977-2008 set out to examine and explain the status of this level of education, the improvements and innovations that have been successfully implemented as well as the challenges and how they can be remedied. The Federal Government (F.G) was instrumental to the inclusion and recognition of E.C.E. in the National Policy on Education (NPE), involvement of State Governments in E.C.E., establishment of the Early Child Care curriculum, establishment of pre-primary sections in existing public primary schools, stipulation of teacher pupil ratio of 1:25 per class, adoption of a multi-sectoral approach to the implementation of the ECCDE and the development of the National Policy for Integrated Early Children Development (IECD) in Nigeria. The dearth of trained teachers with specialization in Early Childhood education, partial implementation of the policy on ECCDE, job insecurity and poor salaries at this level, inadequate assistance through Corporate Social responsibility (C.S.R.) by Corporate Organizations to ECCDE are some major challenges militating against ECCDE in Nigeria. With the spread of ECCDE into the rural areas there would be a gradual improvement on its services delivery.