An Analysis of Secondary Education in the Nigerian and Indonesian Educational Systems: A Comparative Study

Comparative Education studies are undertaken to examine issues related to education and national development by employing various comparative approaches. Educators and policymakers have become increasingly aware of the importance of educational practices of other nations. The aim of this paper was to find out the major similarities and differences inherent in the secondary education of Nigeria and Indonesia. The descriptive design of the survey research was adopted. The sample comprised 20 respondents drawn from the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Nigeria, and the Ministry of Education & Culture, Jakarta, Indonesia. A researcher- designed questionnaire and interview were used for data collection. The questionnaire was found to be reliable with the reliability index of 0.65. The data collected were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results showed that the type of curriculum Nigeria’s colonial masters left behind needs critical re-examination of contents. Results from variables with respect to Indonesia and Nigeria were, χ2 1.11 (P<0.05), χ2 11.61 (P<0.05), and χ2 25.86 (P<0.05) respectively. The paper concluded that secondary education in the Nigerian and Indonesian educational systems significantly contributed to the respective levels of educational development in the two systems. It was however recommended that Nigeria should pursue secondary education in a more practical manner than it has done hitherto.

Keywords: Comparative Education; Comparative Approaches; Nigerian Educational System; Indonesian educational System