EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN NIGERIA, POLICY IMPLEMENTATION: CRITIQUE AND A WAY FORWARD

Early childhood education is a starting point for a child’s development and the key foundation of the Nigerian Educational System. This type of education is recognized by the Nigeria National Policy on Education (FRN, 2012). In the National Policy provisions were made stating the objectives and guidelines taken by the government to achieve meet early childhood education goals. This policy encourages and endorses private participation in the provision of pre-primary education. This article examines the implementation of the policy, pointing out the purposes of early childhood education, achievements made so far, current problems, and recommendations to address these problems