Implications of Missionary Education for Women in Nigeria: a Historical Analysis

Okonkwo, U.U.; Ethel Ezeh, M.N.

Abstract:

Education is a key factor in human development and social transformation. The problematic of women development in Nigeria traces its roots in the type of education dispensed by missionary agencies and the British colonial administration. Christian Missionaries were the first to initiate the development of western education in Nigeria. Government participation first took the form of giving limited financial assistance to voluntary agencies and gradually developed into the recognition of education as the responsibility of the Government. The present study is a historical analysis of the evolution of the development of education in Nigeria in relation to the contemporary women question it seeks to establish the place of girls’ education in the missionary and government overall plan for the education of Nigerian youth. The objective of the study is to demonstrate the significant economic, social and political implications of the government controlled education for women in Nigeria. If women still lag behind in these three key areas of human development, the history of education has had its own contributions to make. The primary source of the study is based on archival data in form of annual and periodic reports, programme of education for boys and girls, statistical information and relevant government publications.