RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY IN NIGERIA: ROLE OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN ENSURING NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Educational policy refers to the set of principles, laws, guidelines, and procedures that manage and regulate the operation of educational systems or institutions. These policies are developed by government bodies, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to ensure that education is delivered in a consistent, fair, and effective manner. They cover a wide variety of issues, including curriculum development, classroom management, assessment and testing standards, teacher training and education, funding and resource allocation, and the rights and responsibilities of students and teachers. On the other hand, the main goal of mathematics education is to produce competent and effective mathematics teachers, with necessary skills, competencies, intellectual and moral training, who will assume responsibility and leadership roles in various educational agencies for effective national development. This paper discusses the meaning and purpose educational policy within the context of educational research that are so related to mathematics education, as stipulated in the National Policy on Education (NPE Revised 2013). Also, concepts and determinants of national development that can be derived from the implementation of mathematics education policies were discussed, as well as the roles of mathematics education in ensuring national development. The paper concluded that effective implementation of the policies related to mathematics education is inevitable, as they are geared towards problem solving skills, teamwork, digital literacy, critical thinking, scientific literacy, communication skills, enterprise skills, and management skills, as contained in the latest mathematics education policy (CCMAS 2022), which form part of the determinants of national development in the 21^st century.