Abstract
Nigerian secondary education continues to face a significant gap between its policy goals of self-reliance, national integration, and functional competence and the prevailing realities of rote learning, examination-driven pedagogy, and skills mismatch. This paper advocates a pragmatic reconstruction of its philosophical and pedagogical foundations, drawing on John Dewey’s philosophy of experience, inquiry, and democratic education. Through a critical analysis of pre-colonial indigenous systems, colonial legacies, and post-independence reforms, particularly the National Policy on Education, the study highlights persistent challenges such as teacher-centered methods, infrastructural deficits, and weak policy implementation.
The proposed pragmatic framework repositions education as the continuous reconstruction of experience for effective problem-solving and democratic living. It recommends problem-centered interdisciplinary curricula, experiential and student-centered pedagogies, authentic competency-based assessment, and robust teacher professional development. By integrating indigenous functionality with twenty-first-century demands such as digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, this approach bridges theory and practice while respecting Nigeria’s cultural diversity. Ultimately, a Deweyan pragmatic orientation offers a coherent pathway for transforming Nigerian secondary education into a dynamic tool for individual empowerment and national development. The proposed reconstruction holds important implications for curriculum design, teacher education, and educational policy reform in Nigeria and comparable contexts.
Keywords: Pragmatism, Nigerian Secondary Education, Dewey, Pedagogical Reconstruction, Contemporary Relevance
Authors:
Uyanga, U. D. (Ph.D)
Department of Sociological Foundations of Education
University of Uyo
08035476078, unwanauyanga@gmail.com
Inyang, Felix Edem
08039457778, revfelixinyang@gmail.com
Department of Sociological Foundations of Education
University of Uyo