Managing Nomadic Education for National Cohesion and Global Competitiveness in Nigeria

Abstract

The establishment of the Nigerian National Commission for Nomadic Education in 1989 created wider opportunities for an estimated 9.3 million nomads living in Nigeria to acquire basic literacy skills. This commission was established to address low literacy rates among pastoral nomads and migrant fishermen, which put literacy rates at 0.28 percent and 20 percent respectively. To improve the literacy rate among Nigeria’s nomadic populations, the National Commission for Nomadic Education employed various approaches such as onsite schools, ‘shift system’ schools with alternative intake, and Islamiyya (Islamic) schools, to provide literacy education to its nomads. A critical appraisal of these approaches by the commission, however, shows that very few of the schools were actually viable. This paper examines, Managing Nomadic Education for National Cohesion and Global Competitiveness in Nigeria.  The conclusion here is that, government can use nomadic education as a tool for national unity, economic and social development. This Paper therefore, suggests that, the culture of the true morality at the implementation level of nomadic education should be emphasized as against the current practice of craze for paper qualification, Citizenship education should form part of the school curriculum at all levels of education. The emphasis should be on promotion of nationality and heightening of empathy, and finally, universities should be adequately funded by giving top priority in the budget (at least a minimum of 30%) should be allocated to education.