EXAMINE THE ATTITUDE OF PARENTS TOWARDS THE PRIMARY EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Primary education is the foundation a child requires in his or her educational pursuit. The quality of primary education a child get would determine his performance in secondary school as well as tertiary level. It will equally affect his or her life after school. As such the importance of primary education cannot be overemphasis. It is in this regard that Malotyre and Clarkj (1996) opined that the attitude of parent determine the quality of education their children or wards receive in primary school. The positive attitude of parent have a positive impact on their children performance and aspiration, help in raising knowledge and increasing understanding and facilitate academic progress through the involvement of parents in their children academic activities. On the other hand negative attitude of parent towards their children education have a negative effect on their academic progress leading to poor academic performance and consequently the withdrawal of such children from school. This makes such children take to street and become menace to the society later in life.

However, Obodochi (2003) opined that most parent in the rural areas of Nigeria are careless about the primary education of their children as such put up negative attitude towards their children’s education at level. This is so because most rural dwellers in Nigeria are more interested in achieving short term immediate development of their children as such prefer sending their children to learn vocational trade or assist them in farm work but parent in urban areas have a positive attitude to education of their children and wards owing to their perception about education and the value they attach to education and its effect on the future of their children. It is in this regard that Wilkinson (1997) states that the perception of the value of education to a large extent determines the attitude of parent towards their children in Kwali Area Council Abuja.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Primary education is the foundation of education and is very vital to a child’s educational development Okoh (2005). But in spite of the importance of primary education to children’s educational development, the attitude of parents towards their children education in unsatisfactory and remains a big impediment to primary education in the area understudy. This is evident in the high rate of street hawking by children of primary school age and enrollment in vocational trade during school hours. This is attributed to myriad of vague problems ranging from poverty to cultural and religious constraints as well as parents lost of faith in Western educational sequel to the declining standard of education and the high rate of unemployed graduate combing the street in search of jobs endlessly. Hence the attitude of most parents towards the education of their children becomes questionable. It is against this, that the subject matter: Attitude of parents towards the primary education of their children is seen as a problem worthy of being study. As such the search light is on Kwali Area Council Abuja.