INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, PROVISION, UTILIZATION AND NURSERY PUPILS’ PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education is an important instrument for the development of a nation's social life, human resources, political awareness and the economy at large. It is clearly stated by the federal republic of Nigeria (1988:15) in her national policy of education that 'education has been adopted as an instrument for effecting national development: it is in the light of this that the federal government is doing everything possible to see that illiteracy rate is reduced or totally wiped out of the nation because no country can grow beyond the educational level of its citizenry.

Nursery education or early childhood education which is the first stage of formal school system in Nigeria today forms the bedrock of an individual's education life. This is because the quality of an individual's subsequent educational prowess depends largely on the quality of nursery education that the individual received. Hence the broad aims of nursery education within Nigeria can be summarized as preparation and laying of strong foundation for primary school and other levels of education in future.