Attitude Of Parents Towards Primary Education Of Their Children In Nigeria


INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Primary education is the foundation a child requires in his or her educational pursuit. The quality of primary education a child gets would determine his performance in a secondary school as well as tertiary level. It will equally affect his or her life after school. As such the importance of primary education cannot be overemphasis.

It is in this regard that Malotyre and Clarkj (1996) opined that the attitude of parent determine the quality of education their children or wards receive in primary school. The positive attitude of the parent has a positive impact on their children's performance and aspirations helps in raising knowledge and increasing understanding and facilitates academic progress through the involvement of parents in their children's academic activities. On the other hand, the negative attitude of parents towards their children's education has a negative effect on their academic progress leading to poor academic performance and consequently the withdrawal of such children from school. This makes such children take to the street and become a menace to society later in life.
However, Obodochi (2003) opined that most parents in the rural areas of Nigeria are careless about the primary education of their children and as such put up a negative attitude towards their children’s education at the level. This is so because most rural dwellers in Nigeria are more interested in achieving short term immediate development of their children as such prefer sending their children to learn vocational trade or assist them in farm work but parents in urban areas have a positive attitude to education of their children and wards owing to their perception about education and the value they attach to education and its effect on the future of their children.

It is in this regard that Wilkinson (1997) states that the perception of the value of education to a large extent determines the attitude of parents towards their children in Kwali Area Council Abuja.

1.2 Statement of Problem
Primary education is the foundation of education and is very vital to a child’s educational development Okoh (2005).
But in spite of the importance of primary education to children’s educational development, the attitude of parents towards their children's education is unsatisfactory and remains a big impediment to primary education in the area under study. This is evident in the high rate of street hawking by children of primary school age and enrolment in vocational trade during school hours. This is attributed to a myriad of vague problems ranging from poverty to cultural and religious constraints as well as parents' loss of faith in the Western educational sequel to the declining standard of education and the high rate of unemployed graduates combing the street in search of jobs endlessly. Hence the attitude of most parents towards the education of their children becomes questionable.

It is against this, that the subject matter: Attitude of parents toward the primary education of their children is seen as a problem worthy of being studied. As such the searchlight is on Kwali Area Council Abuja.

• The Objective Of The Study
The central objective of the study is to examine the attitude of parents towards the primary education of their children in Kwali Area Council Abuja. The specific objectives are:
• To find out the perception of parents about the value of primary education on their children's educational development in Kwali Area Council.
• To evaluate parents' involvement in their children's academic work in Kwali Area Council.
• To determine whether the declining standard of primary education affect parent attitude toward their children's education.
• To identify that parental attitude that is militating against primary education in Kwali Area Council.
1. To make recommendations for practice, policy and future research on the subject matter.

1.4 Significance of the Study
The significance of a study of this magnitude cannot be overemphasized. Parents, local government education departments, and state and federal ministries of education involved in policy formulation and implementation would find this study really useful especially as they utilize the findings of the study.

The study will equally add to the existing body of knowledge on the subject matter. Students undergoing research work similar to the present study who may wish to use this work as reference material or a springboard for their own work will find this work really useful.

1.5 Research Questions
1. What is the perception of parents about the value of primary education in Kwali Area Council Abuja?
2. How involved are parents in their children's academic work in Kwali Area Council Primary schools?
3. Does the declining standard of primary education have any effect on parent attitude toward their children's primary education?
4. What are those parental attitudes that militate against the primary education of children in Kwali Area Council?

1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study covers the empirical examination of the attitude of parents towards the primary education of their children in Kwali Area Council. The study equally covers the perception of parents about the value of primary education as well as their involvement in their children's academic work. The study also seeks to find out whether the declining standard of education has any effect on the attitude of parents toward their children's primary education as well as the parental attitude that militate against primary education in Kwali Area Council Abuja
The research is limited by the inaccessibility of research subjects resulting in using less than a fair representative sample, low return rate of questionnaires, and inability to use correct data gathering instruments due to ignorance between the researcher’s institution and the study area.

1.7 Definition of Terms
All the terms will be defined as they were used in the context of this research.
• Parental Attitude: The way parents behave toward their children in primary school.
• Parents: This refers to a father, mother or guardian's responsibility for the educational training of wards or their children in primary school.
• Primary School: School for children between the ages of 5 and 11 establish for elementary studies.
• School Management: This is an act of getting things done through teachers or the day to day running and administration of the primary school.
• Educational Policy: This is the statement of the government on education.
• Educational leadership: This is the process of formulating and implementing educational policies in primary schools.
• Headteacher: A teacher who is in charge of primary school.
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