The values that we hold as a nation will have an effect on the kind of curriculum that a ministry

or institution/organization will put in place or design. It is this type of curriculum that determines
the shape of the education system in our country. Thu the relationship between our values and
curriculum design cannot be ignored when determining what kind of education (knowledge and
skill) should be imparted to the student learner. In other words, the purpose of education to an
individual learner and ultimately to the nation is closely attributed to the values that individual or
nation holds.

What are Values?

Values regulate and guide human behavior and action in our day to daily life. Values are
embedded in every word we select and speak, what we wear, ways in which we interact, our
perceptions and interpretation of others reactions in what we are say and so on.
Values are formed on the basis of interests, choices, needs, desires and preferences. These
comprise the nuclei of value formation. Values have a selective or directional quality. When
preferences acquire certain definiteness, intensity and stability, these become the criteria for
judgment, choices, action and grounds for decision-making in
Behavior. Value thus is considered to be an enduring belief upon which human beings act by
preferences.
Values involve the processes of thinking, knowing/understanding feelings and action. These
involve feelings i.e. Strong liking for something, feeling deeply about the things one values and
so on. People's action often give us clues as to what they value. If we try noticing what a person
does in spare time when he or she is not being coaxed or threatened to do a particular activity, we
may get some ideas about what he/she
Values.
Generally, value refers to the 'desirable'. It is difficult, however to define what is desirable, what
kind of things/actions are good. What is desirable today may not be a desirable tomorrow and
what is desirable here may not desirable elsewhere. Desirable is when our actions promote the
general good in terms of the norms and ideals of a
Particular society and in terms of the consequences of our practices and action.
In the context of education we understand values on the criterion of their intrinsic worth without
reference to any end. Such values are called intrinsic or eternal values which are good in
themselves and in their own right and are not the means for something else. Values like truth,
happiness, peace, beauty are considered intrinsic values and are desirable in any society.

How are values acquired?

Development of values takes place during the process of socialization. Socialization always
occurs in a context. The smallest of the context in which the child lives and moves is the
immediate family, school teachers and peers and the neighborhood, play area etc. Another layer
of context is the direct involvement of individuals affecting such as parent’s interaction with
neighbors etc. Still the wider context relates to the broader community in which the child lives.
Examples are family network, mass media, work places, family friends. Though the child might
not have direct contact but the different layers of systems affect the child’s development and
socialization. Each layer of context interacts making a highly complex context in which the child
grows up. As people affect a child so the child has an influence on them. Nothing ever remains
static. As the child grows, the contexts also change which influence the child’s attitudes,
behavior, values etc. Values are learnt as we learn habits in the process of growing up.
Learning of values takes place quite early in life by the word of mouth or simple commands from
parents and other adults at home. In early years of life, prohibitions and parent identifications are
the source of values.
Curriculum design
Curriculum is the whole range of formal studies and learning experience, offered by a school.
Curriculum includes independent study and investigation; lectures by outsiders; participation in
school athletics, plays, and concerts, educational television programs, field trips, and work or
service projects in the community. (Akhtar, 2004). Curriculum organizes all learning experiences
to give students the most benefit from them at each level of their school career. Curriculum is
socially and culturally constructed, making the study of material culture (documents) related to
curriculum necessary to more fully understand the system of meaning related to curriculum
development (Hodder, 2000).
Curriculum can be defined as the document, plan or blue print for instructional guidance which is
used for teaching and learning to bring about positive and desirable learner behavior change
(Offorma, 2014). This definition refers to the formal curriculum, which is planned ahead of time,
bearing in mind the characteristics of the curriculum recipients, the philosophy and goals of
education, (reflecting the culture of the people) the environment, the resources, methods of
teaching, and evaluation procedures. It is the road map to attainment of the goals of education.

The relationship between values and curriculum design

There is no doubt but that the value system of the society influence the shape of the curriculum.
There are no differences in the nature of learning and psychological and mental development of
boys and girls from one nation to the other, but the social setting in which education takes places
is markedly different (Akhtar, 2004).
Values are not just visible in the wider society but also in spaces closer to future generations, like
classrooms and schools. Moreover the individual learner in that classroom or in that particular
school is a product of a family living in a certain society. Therefore, since the society plays an
important role in curriculum development, there are certain values that a society would want its
school educators to uphold as they transfer knowledge to the student learner. It must be made
clear that there cannot be values without a society of people, and there cannot be education in
schools without a society of people. Thus, everything that takes place in the education system of
any given country is as a result of a society of people. Although values may differ according to
the culture one is accustomed to, there are of course a set of common values in each given nation
or country. These common values are in most cases the ones that shape the education system of a
nation. They are embedded in the school curriculum which act as a medium to transmit those
values through educators to the students who are expected to bring about change in the society.
The values themselves are internal and can only be seen through the lives of people, the way an
individual behaves, thinks and do certain things. It is this kind of thinking or behavior that
determine the system of education of a given nation. The shape of the curriculum designed is as a
result of the values that a certain country upholds and to a larger extent, this will determine the
level of economic, social, political development in a country. If the values of a given nation
support the dependency syndrome i.e. only the other person can do it and not I, even the bigger
percentage of the content of the curriculum will be skewed towards dependency syndrome. The
manner in which the intended skill or knowledge will be transferred to the student learner will be
skewed towards dependency syndrome. Students will be taught not be creative or not to innovate
their own ideas but to always copy or wait for someone to do it. It is in small percentages that
creativity will be taught and implemented.
The relationship that exist between values and the curriculum is key to bring about what the
government, educator, student, and every person want to see in the society or the nation. When
less attention or effort is made in this regard, then the country is destined for poverty, economic
and social stagnation. The curriculum will provide what kind of values are to be imparted to the
individual learner so that when they are done with school, they are able to bring about
development and change in the society.
When South Africa for instance was faced with the challenge of multiculturalism in post-
apartheid, the government of South Africa under Nelson Mandela came up with certain values
which the constitution was to uphold. The preamble to the Constitution states that “South Africa
belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity”. It promises to “lay the foundations for a
democratic and open society…and to improve the quality of life of all citizens” (RSA, 1996, p.
1). This would seem to commit the South African government to, amongst other things, the
implementation of policies and programs aimed at fostering social cohesion, solidarity and the
valuing of cultural diversity. According to Bame and Theresa (2011), the school is seen as the
primary channel through which this South African vision could be implemented. They state that
this challenge of multiculturalism does not only concern South Africa but it cuts across the
African continent. Bane and Theresa (2011) argue that given the socializing influence of the
school, teacher education and the school system have a critical role to play in the re-socialization
of the mindset needed, if multiculturalism is to ‘succeed’ The development of educational
curricula that build on the key tenets of Mandela’s basic values of mutual care and concern, non-
violence, spirit of forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, chivalry, freedom, respect, reconciliation and
a belief in human dignity are essential to recreate the mindset necessary to practice and support a
truly multicultural school environment, and the society which one hopes for. Bane and Theresa
(2011) further state that school shapes society and the future through today’s children. Indeed,
schools shape children’s perception of the world through processes of socialization. This means
that the values, beliefs and norms of society are internalized by our children so that they come to
think and act like other members of society. This relation between school and society suggests
that if multiculturalism, in terms of recognition and respect of differences, integration and
communication between cultural ensembles, intercultural management, support of minority
rights, and the stimulation of peaceful coexistence, is to flourish in Africa, the school system,
and indeed teacher education, is an important medium through which to begin to shape this
vision. From the above given example and the conclusion made by Bane and Theresa it can be
deduced that the school and its curriculum is a vehicle through which the nation uses to transfer
those values it thinks will bring about development and change in the society and ultimately to
the nation.

Values differ across countries. It is for reason that even the level of social, political and
economic development vary from one country to the other. Western countries for example tend
to do well in terms of the education system than African countries. It should be noted that the
school curriculum of most African countries that were colonized by western countries is not very
different from the curriculum of most of these western countries. But someone could ask, “Why
are western countries more developed than African countries?’’ It could be that what is learnt in
most of the African schools is not implemented. The students that are said to be agents of change
in the society fail to live the education (knowledge and skill) taught at school. It could also be
that the values that are learnt at home and in the neighborhood through socialization do not blend
well with the knowledge and skill taught at school. The content of the curriculum is not lived
out. It is only there for information or knowledge and not application. Gulati and pant(n, d),
writing about education for values in India, one of the developing countries, concluded that it is
in the process of translating goals into action that the enacted curriculum falls short of the
intended curriculum. “We value those aspects of education that lead to academic excellence and
employment. Those who do not succeed to the extent desired are not valued. Whatever is valued
is taught and is considered more appropriate. Knowledge and information takes over and the
desired values which are important for the development of the individual and health and equity
of society is relegated to the background. For example, children today are taught the skills to
keep up with the increased sophistication of computer but the concern for values and the related
policies are not implemented with the same vigor and enthusiasm. The choice of emphasis
determines the nature of education provided in schools” (Gulati and pant, n, d).
The common fundamental values than govern most of the developing countries turn out to be the
ones that hinder development despite them being good. One of the highest fundamental value in
the southern world for example is respectful dependency. In the respectful dependency, people
are driven by the reality of “being” and not “becoming”. They believe that only someone else
can change something and not I. They have no sympathy for their fellow men, i.e. they reap to
gather for themselves. Under respectful dependency people are not flexible, i.e. they have no
room for change or diversification. They believe in communal survival or subsistence, to have
only enough for today. Learners are taught not ask questions, not to doubt, not to conduct
research or search for the facts. Countries in this circle believe in “tomorrow only god knows”.
They don’t encourage implementing long term plans. They have no courage to fight the wrong
even if something is seen to be wrong. Finally individuals in the respectful dependency don’t
embrace new ideas and creativity. It is these values that have shaped the education system in
most African countries. Despite having some of the good contents in the curriculum, these values
outweigh the contents that aim at changing a nation for better if implemented or put to action.
Therefore it can be said that the curriculum itself may have right knowledge to be transferred to
the student learner, but if the values which an individual learn at home, neighborhood or the
community they grow from outweigh that knowledge or skill, then the learner will only learn in
order for them to know and get employed after school.
On the other hand, the fundamental values for western countries have seen their education
system to greater heights. In the western world, competition is widely encouraged. People are
taught to research as they grow up, i.e. they look out for information. When the student learner is
learning, doubt, skepticism, new ideas, search for facts, questioning, debate, discussion and
rivalry are encouraged. They look for merit, talent, exceptional disposition, i.e. a person who is a
winner. A person is seen as important figure, because he or she is the one with dreams and risks.
An individual is the driving force of anything. These values when infused into the school
curriculum and implemented by those who are the products of the said curriculum may work to
the advantage of a given country.

Values and purpose of education

The major objectives of acquiring knowledge in Africa including Nigeria are amongst others: -
providing individual happiness and pleasure, self-realization, public morality and to eradicate the
problem of economic and technological dependence on the advance countries of the world.
Unfortunately, the type of education that was introduced to the continent of Africa by the
missionaries was designed to aid the spread and acceptance of the Christian faith by converting
all those who come within the four walls of the mission house (Fanfunwa, 1974). To that extent,
education in most parts of Africa is unable to serve and meet the needs of the people for whom
they are intended to. Instead, the schools have continued to pursue those objectives set out by the
colonial masters and thus making most countries in Africa to depend on foreign assistance for
growth, many years after their independence. In fact, Ukeje (1976) had stated that the best that
such system had produced for us are students who are Nigeria in blood but English in opinion, in
moral and in intellect.
The purpose of education whether western or indigenous is to make the individual live
successfully and contribute meaningfully to the growth of his society

To be able to achieve this, the education offered the individual should take into consideration the
factors and culture operative in the individual's society. This is because there can be no
meaningful and effective education in the absence of culture

Oninyama and Oninyame (2002) referred to values as the aspect of cultural practices, actions or
objects that are valued in high esteem in the society. These cultural values are so cherished to the
extent that the society wants them not only to be preserved, but wants them transmitted from one
generation to another. They dominate a very wide area of activities among the Africans ranging
from the tradition institutions through virtues to communalism and group solidarity. The modes
of transmission of these values are usual ly by means of indigenous education (Itedjere 1997).
Education itself, according to Okpilike (20002) is a process by which the community seeks to
open its life to all the individuals within it and enables them to take part in it; in attempt to pass
on to them its culture including the standards by which it would have them live. The important
thing in this definition is that where that culture is regarded as final, an attempt is made to
improve on it on the younger minds, where it is viewed as a stage in development; younger
minds are trained both to receive it and to criticize it and improve upon it.
The various African societies including Nigeria had interactions since historical times in the area
of trade, warfare, arts and craft. While these interactions lasted, there were cultural exchanges
but the various societal values were held intact. However, when western education was
introduced most African cultural values were cast aside. Western education is associated with
formal education which is a systematic and planned procedure for transmitting content to achieve
state goals. Western education has to do with teaching and learning in a school system of certain
subject matters with the sole aim of making the individual to live well. But more than this goal,
western education as practiced in Nigeria has gone out of its way to relegate almost all aspects of
African cultural values to the background

Values and theories

The theory of existentialism
According to Panza and Gregory (2008), existentialism is the study of existence. It is not the
study of everything that exist, e.g. chairs and tables, people or llamas. They argue that if
existentialism studied everything that exists, then all philosophy, science, and religion would
seem to have the same subject. But existentialism isn’t the study of everything that exists; it’s the
study of existence itself i.e. the study of what it means for something to exist at all as opposed to
not existing. It’s also the study of what it means for something, as opposed to nothing, to exist at
all. The primary focus of existentialism is a particular kind of existence, the kind of existence
that includes existing things like you, because you’re aware of your existence and capable of
questioning it. ( Panza and Gregory, 2008).
This theory was developed by the French philosopher Jean- Paul Sartre. Existentialism is the
philosophy of existence, of the nature of human existence, its value, and its meaning. Because
questions about existence have very little interest when people exist as rotting corpses,
existentialism is really the philosophy that studies what it is to be alive. It isn’t defined so much
by any unified answer to this question, but by the way in which it rejects traditional answers to
questions concerning the meaning and value of human life, and the way that it insists that such
questions are real and that the lack of any real answer is a problem. Existentialists, both theist
and atheist, reject not only traditional religious systems that attempt to systematically provide pat
answers, but also the possibility of any ultimate answers. They insist that even if a God and a
heaven exist, the meaning of this life and how you should live will always be open questions,
requiring decisions you must face as an individual. Because existentialism considers the
questions to be important, it seeks a way of living with the fact that no answers will be
forthcoming.

The theory of existentialism waters down the value of respectful dependency by most of the
underdeveloped and developing countries. The fact that it questions the existence of God and
ultimately rejects any given answer to existence means that it does not encourage dependency
upon God and upon each other as human beings. It encourages questioning and independent
decision making. It could be that most developed countries have embraced the principle behind
this theory. They keep on questioning by means of researching and wanting to know more. Thus
there values when incorporated into the school curriculum seem to work to the betterment of the
society and their nation at large. Their education system seem to be outstanding and of good
quality.

Pragmatism by John Dewey

What is Pragmatism?

By nature, pragmatists are pluralists - they believe that that there are many different realities,
with everyone searching for truth and finding meaning in life according to their experiences.
They place a great deal of emphasis upon change, focusing on the fact that the world is a work in
progress, a reality which is in a constant state of flux. They believe in utilitarian principles - the
greatest good for the greatest number, and the fulfilment and meeting of human need.
Pragmatists believe in experimentation, placing more importance on the notion of being active in
learning, giving more credence to actions than ideas (Educational System, 2013). Pragmatists
judge something to be good if it has achieved what it set out to do; essentially, pragmatism is an
approach towards successfully "… getting things done" (Talisse and Aikin, 2008, p. 1).

Dewey’s philosophy emphasizes the social function of intelligence that ideas are instruments of
living rather than ends in themselves. Education is seen as basically a social process rooted in
problem solving and the exploration of meaning of experience. According to Dewey no
changeable absolutes or universals exist. This philosophy encourages experimentation and
observation by way of scientific research.

Unlike the respectful dependency, Dewey’s philosophy embrace the operational values where
people are taught to consult, evaluate and check others. In the respectful dependency, learning is
by awaiting instruction which make students to only memorize and reproduce that which was
taught. It is difficult to change and innovate things under the respectful dependency because
scientific research is something that has received no critical attention. On the other hand, western
countries seem to have embraced the theory of pragmatism. Research through instrumentalism is
widely encouraged. It could be true that there curriculum is skewed towards research and hence
their education system seem to be progressing and not stagnant.

Talisse, R. B., Aikin, S. F. (2008) Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Continuum
International Publishing Group

Christopher Panza and Gregory Gale. 2008. Existentialism for Dummies. Canada: Wiley
Publishing, Inc. Pg. 1.