AN ASSESSMENT OF PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION ON PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS’ PERFORMANCE IN SOME SELECTED PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN BENIN CITY.

h the theoretical case for universal pre-primary school education is strong, the practical aspect of it is weak.  This paper attempts to make a case for the practicality of pre-primary school education by investigating its effect on primary school performance. I am of the opinion that two or three years of pre-primary school education has the possibility of increasing the average scores of  pupils in primary school, over and above the average scores of pupils without any pre-primary school background. It has also been discovered that pre-primary school attendance positively affects the pupil’s self-control in primary school. This is measured by behavioral patterns such as attention in class, effort, class participation, socialization, and discipline. These positive effects on behavioural skills provide evidence of possible pathways by which pre-primary school might affect subsequent primary school performances, as pre-primary school facilitates the process of socialization and self-control necessary to make the most of class room learning. Moreover, behavioural skills are as important as cognitive skills to future success in life.

Many government and private structures have turned to pre-primary school education in order to give children a better start to life. While is it evident that there are substantial evidence that pre-primary school education have significant benefits to disadvantaged children, little is known of its benefits to the general population as a whole.  Pre-primary school education appears as a successful and cost-effective policy to prevent early grade failure and its long lasting consequences in low income countries.

In the National Policy on Nigerian Education (NPE, 2004) pre-school or pre-primary education or early childhood education is a process of educating young children in educational institutions prior to their entry into primary schools. This study assesses Pre-primary schools programme activities universally, without some references to the Nigerian society. The objective is to determine the extent to which the programme on the ground has met with the stipulated policy statement as contained in the National Policy on Education. The findings revealed the jeopardy due to: the lack of government adherence to the objectives of the policy in respect of adequate funding, infrastructural development, material and non – material resources and standard curriculum guidelines as stipulated in the policy statement. The findings in this study would thus serve as a yardstick for success or otherwise of the policy statement as contained in the National Policy on Pre-primary education which would serve in facilitating actions toward improving Pre-primary education programme universally, and Nigeria in particular.