Document Analysis

education in contemporary society. It is sub-divided into formal education in twenty-first century Igbo society and Igbo traditional education in contemporary society. The comparative study of Igbo traditional education in pre-colonial Igboland and contemporary Igbo society is also part of the study.

4.1 Religion and Formal Education in the Twenty-first century Igbo Society

missionaries that introduced western religion and education. The curriculum was governed by the rules of the Koran while the products of the Koranic schools were proficient in Arabic language, reading and interpretation of the Koran. According to Fafunwa (2004), by 1830, some learned scholars of Islam came to Yorubaland from the North through Ilorin to preach and teach Islam which involves teaching and learning of the Qur’an and the Arabic language. Islamic education started early in Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria and it involves reading and writing the Arabic language because the Arabic language is the language of Koran.

National Teacher Institute (2011a) states the three stages of Islamic education as early childhood education or nursery, elementary stage and the adult education or the higher level. At the early childhood education, pupils are instructed orally to memorise chapters of the Qur’an and other Islamic rituals of purification, prayer and ethics. The instructional technique at this stage is such that the teacher recites shorter Surahs to the pupils and the pupils in turn repeat after him. At the elementary stage, pupils of about 5 to 14 years old are introduced to Arabic alphabets. They first learn the consonants which are twenty-eight followed by vowels which are 5. The learning of Arabic consonants and vowels help in proper pronunciation of Arabic letters and interpretation of the Qur’an. The pupils are also introduced into the art of writing and reading some passages of Qur’an. The third stage is made up of adolescent who have learnt the basic principles of Koran. The third school specialized in certain areas of the Islamic studies such as exegesis, law, the prophetic tradition, theology and so on.

According to Maduagwu (2015), for the ordinary Igbo person, Islam is a strange religion in Igboland. The general belief is that if the religion or education exists in Igboland, it is only being practised by Hausa-Fulani strangers in Igboland, but the

presence of Igbo Imams, Sheiks, Alahajis and other prominent Igbo Muslim leaders such as Alhaji Suleiman Onyeama, Alhaji Abdulaziz Ude and Alhaji Yahaya Ndu confirmed that many Igbo have embraced Islamic religion and its education.

According to Nnorom (2003), Okpani Egwani of Anohia village of Afikpo in Ebonyi State helped to introduce Islam in Afikpo. Okpani Egwani was abroad for several years and the villagers thought he was dead and performed his burial service.

Fortunately he returned a Moslem bearing the name Alhaji Ibrahim and some Muslim strangers who came back with him helped him to establish Islamic religion and education in his village. Thus Islamic schools exist in modern Igbo society and its students are from different parts of the country such as Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo peoples of Nigeria.

Nnorom (2003) maintains that Jama-al-Nazral School at Ntezi village in outskirts of Abakaliki is one of the Islamic educational institutions in Igboland and many of its students were selected only from the Igbo-speaking states of Nigeria. The school awards scholarships to all its students. It also offers lessons in secular subjects, Arabic and Islamic studies. Another Islamic educational institution in Igboland is the Al-Haudaa Muslim School at Enugu which was established in 1990 by Igbo Muslims in Enugu. The school was approved by the former Anambra State Government and most of its teachers were Igbo people.

4.1.2 The Missionaries and Western Education in Igboland

According to Okolo (2012a) western education is education obtained in western world but brought down to Africa by the whiteman. Western education is a formal type of education that is acquired within the school environment. Western education is organised learning that takes place in nursery schools, primary schools, secondary

schools, colleges and universities. It is a foreign education that introduced western cultural values into the Igbo society and Nigerian society as a whole.

According to Nmah (2003), western education came together with Christianity in Igboland and the missionaries established the first schools in Igboland in early nineteenth century. Nwadialor and Umeanolue (2012) averred that the C.M.S. was the first to introduce post primary education in Igboland in late 19^th century by establishing the a training school for catechists, but the distinction of the first secondary school in Igboland was given to the Methodists who founded a school at Uzuakoli in 1923. The C.M.S. established government college Umuahia in 1925, while Christ the King College Onitsha and Queen of the Rosary Enugu in 1932 and 1942 respectively were established by RCM. Nmah (2003) recalled that Ibeku high school Umuahia, Ovim Girls Secondary School Isiukwuato and St Catherine’s Grammar School in Nkwerre were established by the missionaries. The Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican churches jointly established Trinity (union) Theological College Umuahia in 1948. Igbo people benefited from mission schools. Besides those that attended the schools established in Igboland, brilliant scholars were sent to overseas for further studies.

In Onitsha, Onyeidu (2001) observed that the first teachers, evangelists, interpreters, letter writers and clerks were the products of mission schools. According to Achunike (2002), most of the early churchmen, civil servants, teachers, statesmen and women in Igboland were the products of missionary education. He added that the missionaries established schools in Igboland such as Methodist Boy’s Institute Uzuakoli, St Paul College Awka which is known as Paul University today, St Charles Training College Onitsha, and so on. Initially, the school education was resisted by

many Nigerians and Africans for some reasons. Agada (1991) pointed out that one of the reasons for outright rejection of the school education was that the schools were patterned in line with British schools in organization and curriculum. There was no relationship between the school activities and the needs of individuals and community. Through the missionary education many Nigerians especially Igbo people were encourage to abandon the traditional way of life and accept the modern life styles.

4.2 Factors that favoured the Introduction of Western Education in Igboland