Educational Policy Change and Its Implication on the Teaching and Learning of History in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State

Abstract

The paper is on Policy change and its impact on the Teaching and Learning of History in Jos North Local Government of Plateau State. Nigeria. The work was informed by the continuous decline in the status of History in Nigerian schools. The survey rescarch design was used for the study. Five research questions guided the study. A sample of ten secondary schools were randomly selected from which 100 respondents comprising ninety students and ten teachers were drawn. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire. Data from the EPCITALHQ were analysed using mean scores. The result showed that Nigeria frequently changes its policies on education which has always been poorly implemented. Corruption, poor and selfish political will, inadequate trained personnel are all factors responsible for unfruitful policy formulation and implementation in education in Nigeria. It was also found that the policy which replaced History with social studies in the primary and junior secondary schools and made it an elective in the senior secondary classes is more than any other factor responsible for the decline in the status of History in Nigerian secondary schools. In view of the findings of this study. it was recommended that government should ensure the effective implementation of the recent policy which makes the study of History compulsory in Nigerian schools.