Implementation of Early Childhood Education: A Case Study in Nigeria

Abstract Early Childhood Education (ECE) is the education given in educational institutions to children prior to entering the primary schools. Recently, there have been heightening concerns raised by stakeholders concerning the quality of education in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE). This paper assesses the level of implementation of ECE in Chanchaga local government area, a local government in one of the north-central states in Nigeria. The sample size was 32 teachers, selected from 10 schools (out of 31 in the local government area). Questionnaire, interviews, and observations were used as research instruments. The study found out that while the enrolment level is high and, appreciably, there are teachers who specialize in ECE, basic teaching/learning and other basic resources are sparsely available, and most of the ECE centers are overpopulated. Employment of more ECE specialist teachers, training/retraining of caregivers/teachers, and provision of necessary resources would go a long way to actualize effective implementation in the local government