CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

People and nations are what they are because of the nature and types of education they have been exposed to. Education is a process of developingknowledge ability in learners in such a way that they use it to improve their society. Following the Nigerian National Policy on Education (NPE), the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004), defined education as that process that helps to develop the whole being, physically, mentally, morally, politically, socially, economically and technologically to enable individuals function in any environment in which they may find themselves. Education is a process of developing knowledge ability in learners towards the formation and modification of their behaviours for the benefit of the society.

Consequently, most countries of the world have provided various educational programmes for their citizens because education is conceived as the greatest legacy that any nation can confer to its child.

A child is a young human being between birth and puberty. According to Opera (2012), a child is a person known as a minor from birth to the legal age of maturity, for who parents and caregivers, foster parents, public or private homes, institutional or agency is responsible. He or she is somebody under a legally specified age who are considered not to be legally responsible for his or her actions. However, the concept of a child varies from one culture to another. But for this study a child is conceived as a person from the age of zero to five years under the care of parents or caregivers, helpers and securities in Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) Centres.

ECCE is an education programme, intentionally designed towards the general development of the child. Maduewesi (2002) sees Early Childhood CareEducation as education given to children from zero to five years. Similarly, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) defined Early Childhood Care Education as education provided by the early childhood care professionals to create an enabling environment for a child to thrive and develop to the fullest potentials. In the context of this study, ECCE refers to education strictly designed by the early childhood care experts to create an enabling atmosphere for a child to thrive and develop to the fullest potentials.

ECCE is a special field of education for development of children. The Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) recognizes the importance of ECCE and thereafter, began to explore ways of implementing the Early Childhood Care Education for general development of the child. The purposes of ECCE as stipulated in the National Policy on Education by the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004:5) include: to effect a smooth transition from home to the school, prepare the child for the primary level of education, provide adequate care and supervision for the children while their parents are at work, inculcate social norms in the children, inculcate in the children the spirit of enquiry and creativity through the exploration of nature, environment, art, music and playing, develop a sense of co-operation and team spirit, learn good habits, especially good health habits, and teach the rudiments of numbers, letters, colours, shapes and forms through play.

These objectives must be implemented in the schools by ECCE proprietors and caregivers.

Early Childhood Care Education proprietors are owners and managers of Early Childhood Care Education centres.

Early Childhood Care Education proprietors include organizations, corporate bodies and religious organizations (churches) that are authorized by law and edict to establish the Early Childhood Care Education centre (Waheed, 2000). They provide instructional materials and recruit staff such as helpers, securities and caregivers. A caregiver is a person who looks after somebody. Encarta (2010) defined caregiver as somebody who has the principal responsibility for caring for a child or dependent adult, especially in the home.

Based on the foregoing and in order to achieve the objectives of ECCE, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), in conjunction with United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), provided the minimum