Education

The Importance Of English Language To A Quality Education In Nigeria

English Language –  Education has been described as the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which make one a functional member of society. Many have erroneously likened education to schooling which is just an aspect of it.

Educationists talk about three kinds of education, namely: formal education, non-formal education and informal education. Formal education is structured learning which takes place in a school or a similar institution. Formal education builds cognition and is likened to the cognitive domain of learning.

Non-formal education deals with planned and structured programmes and activities geared towards instilling skills and technical knowledge outside the formal education curriculum. With its interest in dexterity and technique, non-formal education is similar to the psychomotor domain of learning. Informal education deals with the kind of learning that occur outside a structured curriculum; it concerns attitudes and values. It is the kind of education that is instilled into a child from the cradle and that the child continues to use until death.

Advertisement

Related Articles

It deals with empathy, love, good manners, compassion and whatnot; that is why it is connected to the affective domain of learning. These three types of education have also been described as the three H’s of man: formal education (the head), non-formal education (the hand) and informal education (the heart). Having explained education and its types, I shall proceed to establish the importance of the English language to the realisation of quality education in Nigeria.

First of all, it is important to establish the difference between “the English language” and “English language.” The former is used when English is emphasised as a language. In other words:
Non-standard: English language is spoken by over one billion people.
Standard: The English language is spoken by over one billion people.

By contrast, we say “English language” when English refers to a subject taught at educational institutions.
Non-standard: She got an A for the English language.
Standard: She got an A for English language.
Take note that, in both contexts, the “l” in “language” is not capitalised. Hence, do not write:
Non-standard: The English Language is spoken by billions of people.
Non-standard: She got an A for English Language.

RECOMMENDED: Non-Verbal Communication As A Tool For Effective Teaching

With this clarification, I can proceed to discuss the importance of the English language as a subject connected to the different types of education. In formal education, the National Policy on Education (NPE) (section 3f) states that: “From the fourth year, English shall progressively be used as a medium of instruction and the language of the immediate environment and French shall be taught as subjects.” This means that from primary four upward, English serves as the language of instruction for other subjects and also as a compulsory subject for students. This emphasises the importance of the English language as a subject and the reason attention must be paid to its appropriate and effective teaching in schools.

Advertisement

The English language also has to be effectively taught in vocational and technical schools. The NPE (2014:24) explains technical and vocational education and training as a comprehensive term referring to those aspects of the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life. The English language has a crucial role to play in effective vocational education because the textbooks and technical manuals used for these programmes are mainly written in the English language.

Again, the students at vocational schools need competence in the English language in order to deal with the jargon (technical terms) used in their specific fields. Importantly, too, competence in English will help them establish their relevance in society. All of these realities make the teaching of the English language very important, even in non-formal education.

RECOMMENDED: The Essentials Of Communication By Ganiu Bamgbose, PhD

 

Advertisement

Finally, in informal education, the teaching of English language is instrumental in students’ ability to exhibit the right values and attitudes. The knowledge of modals, for instance, helps one to communicate with politeness. Let us take a critical look at the sentences below:
Give me your pen, please.
Could you please give me your pen?

While both sentences perform the same function, the second will be adjudged polite and appropriate because of the use of the modal auxiliary “could.” Such knowledge lies in the effective teaching of the English language.

In conclusion, English language has to be effectively taught in Nigeria and other countries where it serves as the official language, as quality education and learning largely depend on competence in the English language. Again, it is important to pay attention to the development of indigenous languages with a view to encouraging the younger generation to use these languages. This eases the difficulty of learning a second language.

Advertisement

© 2022 Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
Department of English,
Lagos State University

Facebook Comments
Dr Ganiu Bamigbose

Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB) is a Nigerian academic and researcher. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of English, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria. Ganiu has a PhD in English and has published both in local and international journals within the scholarly ambit of applied linguistics. He has discursively engaged issues around pedagogical and political discourses and popular culture. His research interests include but are not limited to Pragmatics, (critical) discourse analysis, English grammar, sociolinguistics, stylistics and English language in Nigeria

Recent Posts

Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Launches Anti-Scam Campaign To Protect Mutual Fund Holders

Stanbic IBTC Asset Management has implemented strong measures to safeguard its customers from an alarming…

4 weeks ago

Bad governance: Recreating Nigeria To Avert Collapse

Michael Owhoko, Ph.D The root cause of Nigeria’s problem is, unarguably, an inappropriate system of…

1 month ago

Top Reasons FUZE Talent Show 3.0 Will Blow Your Mind!

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers has launched the third edition of their highly anticipated FUZE Talent…

1 month ago

Stanbic IBTC Launches DiSEP 4.0, Empowering Nigerian Youths With Cutting-edge Digital Skills

Stanbic IBTC Holdings, a member of Standard Bank Group, has unveiled the fourth edition of…

1 month ago

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Champions Nigerian Art With ART X Lagos Sponsorship

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers has again made a significant mark on Nigeria's cultural landscape by…

1 month ago

NOVA Bank In Early Crisis As Pioneer MD, Wale Adedeji ‘Exits Ship’

NOVA Bank, one of the latest commercial banks in Nigeria, may be experiencing a major…

1 month ago
Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5318 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5318 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Undefined variable $post in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5314 Warning: Undefined variable $rows in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323 Warning: Attempt to read property "seo" on null in /customers/e/a/5/brandnewsday.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/admin_section/common-function.php on line 5323

This website uses cookies.