Toward Building a Solid Foundation for Social Science Education in Nigerian Educational System: A New Approach to Functional Citizenship Education

Abstract

The national philosophy of education in Nigeria recognises the need for social science knowledge in building the desired social orientation needed after independence in mobilising the young citizens for national development. But, the provision for teaching and learning the social science subject disciplines is made only for senior secondary schools and institutions of higher learning; because, learning the curriculum content of the social sciences in the real context of the subject disciplines that make up the social sciences is beyond the grips of the child in primary and junior secondary schools. However, the National Policy on Education emphasises the need for teaching and learning in primary and junior secondary schools to be directed toward building the foundation for senior secondary and higher education. Thus, as did the USA, the teaching of social studies education in Nigerian schools at these levels is meant to lay a foundation for the learning and use of social science knowledge in developing the desired citizenship for national development. But, unlike the USA, this approach seems to yield very little success in the context of Nigeria. This paper examines issues relating to the seeming failure of social studies education as a foundation for social science education in building the desired responsible citizenship.