Library Education in Nigeria Repositioning for Professional Relevance in the 21st Century

Introduction

The thirst for knowledge has always led humans to seek education, and as such many countries of the world, including Nigeria, place a high premium on the education of their citizens. Adjudged the most populous country in Africa and the eighth most populous country in the world with a population of over 150million, Nigeria is located on the Atlantic coast in West Africa, bordered by Benin on the West, Niger and Chad on the North, and Cameroon on the East (Academic American Encyclopedia 1994). The history of formal education in Nigeria dates back to the colonial period but has evolved over the years. While the colonial period used a system of decentralization in which educational systems in the Northern, Eastern and Western parts of the country varied, the post-independence era saw a unification of the educational system for the entire country. During the post-independence era, the country has witnessed several educational policies such as the 7-5-2-3educational policy (7 years of primary education, 5 years of secondary school, 2 years Higher School Certificate Levels, and 3 years of university education) which was later revised to the 6-3-3-4educational system (6 years of primary education, 3 years of junior secondary school, 3 years of senior secondary school, and 4 years of university education). The 6-3-3-4system was replaced with a 9-3-4 system in 2009, which called for 9 years of uninterrupted schooling made up of 6 years of primary education, and 3 years of junior secondary, 3 years of senior secondary and 4 years of university education, Recently the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqquayat Rufa'I, as cited by Awoyinfa (2013), affirmed that plans are on the way for the introduction of a 1-6-3-3-4(1 year of pre-primary, 6 years of primary education, 3 years for junior and senior secondary education with 4 years of university education) aimed at giving Nigerians high-quality and pragmatic education.