LANGUAGE, EDUCATION AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Language education is being considered in this paper as a veritable weapon or tool for youth empowerment. Particular attention is paid to Nigeria’s National Policy on Education, specifically the National Language Policy and its implementation strategies. The essence of this approach is to ascertain whether or not these policies have any sound philosophical or ideological basis, and also whether or not there are pragmatic strategies for achieving the goals, especially that of youth empowerment. The paper posits that the education sector of the Nigerian society is supposed to be a very fertile ground for the generation and cultivation of new intellectual ideas, concepts and practices that can be applied to address the MDGs. To support this assertion, the author examines the documents on the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), and the State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEEDS). It was found that Education For All (EFA) goals - aspects of MDGs- are laudable but their achievement is fraught with some intractable problems. Crafting philosophically sound policies is one thing but implementing them religiously is a different ball game. It was recommended that; youths generally have a way of reinvigorating a society. They should adhere stubbornly to the do’s and don’ts of their faith in order not to be distracted from their focus of nation development; parents should bear in mind that if they do not invest in their children who are around them, such children will not have peace. Parents should also live a godly life so as to lead their children aright.