Education and Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria

Abstract

Education either formal or informal is the process of training man to fulfill his targeted goal by exercising all the faculties to the fullest as a member of society. It is the process or art of imparting knowledge or skills on someone to enhance his/her productivity (Enemi, 2023). In other words, education helps to bring out the best in man. According to World Economic Forum (WEF 2016) as cited in Grant, C. (2017), education is the stock of skills, competencies, and other productivity-enhancing characteristics. Sanubi & Akpotu (2015) submitted that education is a bridge to the future, an agent for human capital formation, a man power industry that produces the knowledge and skills necessary for development. Hence, Plato opined that attainting knowledge was for the interest of the society and the individual. Interestingly, philosophers and scholars categorized education in four ways viz: as a spiritual pursuit, as development of innate human potentialities, as a social orientation of the human being and the contemporary aspect of education based on artificial or e-learning. Obodo et al (2007) added that science and technology education are very crucial to national development and that technology education even at the basic education level is a veritable tool to developing a stock of skilled manpower which a nation needs for development. In the contemporary era therefore, information and communication technology (ICT) is quintessential to enhancing socio-economic development considering its application in all facet of economy. This paper argues from existing literature that education is a vital tool for socio-economic development in Nigeria.  The Socratic philosophy of education which centers on knowledge is used to give direction for analysis while views of scholars were also analyzed. In summation, education is process of training nation’s manpower to harness and exploit vast natural resource endowments for socio-economic development.                                                                      

Keywords: Education, socio-economic and development, Information and Communication Technology (ICT)