THE NEED TO OVERHAUL THE NATIONAL AND BASIC EDUCATION GOALS BEYOND RHETORIC IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study focuses on the need to overhaul national and basic education goals beyond rhetoric in the national policy on education. Goals give direction to any enterprise, including education. Nigeria has necessary national and basic education goals, and all the educational processes are supposed to target achieving these goals. In the conceptual framework of leaving no child behind and the importance of Basic Education as the foundation for all other levels of education, this paper noted some things that need sincere adjustment. First, education goals should be dynamic, making it conform to global development. 
Having the same goals from the 20th Century up to the 21st Century may not augur well for any nation that intends to utilise education as a development tool. Therefore, it needs overhauling. Second, overhauling the policies and the goal of education requires
adequate funding, proper monitoring of policy implementation and evaluation of the outcome, pointing to the direction of overhauling. The researcher, therefore, recommended that allocated funds for basic education should be judiciously spent for the purpose. At the same time, the stakeholders should be committed to achieving the goals highlighted for basic education