Towards a Christian Philosophy of Education in Nigeria: Insight from Paulo Freire
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Date
2019
Authors
Falako, F. O.
Ifenatuora, T.N.
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Publisher
HUMASS: McU Journal of Humanities, Management, Applied & Social Sciences. A publication of McPherson University, Ajebo, Ogun State.
Abstract
This paper draws lessons from the theory of the Brazilian, Paullo Freire (1921 – 1997). An educationist, thinker and a self-proclaimed Christian humanist, Freire has left a significant mark on thinking about progressive practice. His Christian worldview pervaded his theories though inspired by philosophies like phenomenology, personalism, existentialism and Marxism. For him, humanization is the goal of every valued educational and social activity. Thus, he was able to bridge the disconnections between the elitist educational practices of Brazil and the reality of stark and excruciating destitution of the poor. The apparent similarities between the Brazilian experiences and the Nigeria of today necessitated the study. The thesis of the paper is that the Nigerian educational system needs borrow from Freire’s philosophy to effectively tackle the issues of illiteracy, curricular irrelevance, unemployment and other societal ills. Adopting a critical approach, the authors recommended that for Nigeria to overcome the challenges of backwardness, education should be more relevant, holistic, functional and transformational.
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Scholarly article
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Citation
Falako, F. O. & Ifenatuora, T. N. (2019). “Towards a Christian Philosophy of Education in Nigeria: Insight from Paulo Freire.” HUMASS: McU Journal of Humanities, Management, Applied & Social Sciences. A publication of McPherson University, Ajebo, Ogun State. Vol. 2, No. 1. Pp. 234-249.