Towards Educational Planning for Social Reconstruction and National Development in Nigeria

This paper is theoretical in nature. It examines how education in Nigeria could be used for social reconstruction and national development the concept of educational planning is examined. The essence of educational planning as noted in the paper is to connect education with national development. Phases of educational planning processes and trends in the educational planning in Nigeria were discussed. Approaches to educational planning such as the social demand approach, the manpower approach, the rate of returns approach and the synthetic approach were discussed. The characteristics of the contemporary Nigerian society were highlighted. The challenges to educational planning for social reconstruction and national development in Nigeria were also highlighted. Suggestions on how to plan education in Nigeria for social reconstruction and national development were made. It is recommended among other things that, a strong association that could bring pressure on government for effective implementation of educational plans be formed, and that Nigerians should ensure political stability in order to effectively have stable educational policies.