A Review of Issues in Deaf Education Under Nigeria's 6-3-3-4 Education System

This article examines issues affecting the education of deaf people under Nigeria's 6-3-3-4 system of education. The system was introduced in 1976 and serves all categories of learners in Nigeria, irrespective of disability. The broad aim of education under the system is to provide all Nigerian learners a wide variety of educational and vocational opportunities to ensure the optimum development of their potential. Evidence indicates that the implementation of the 6-3-3-4 system in Nigerian schools, including schools for the deaf, remains unsatisfactory. A plethora of problems running the gamut from inadequate personnel training programs, lack of facilities, failure of inclusion programs, to limited vocational preparation opportunities, inadequate funding of services, and absence of a legislation supporting the implementation of the 6-3-3-4 system are identified as the major factors militating against the effective implementation of the system in Nigerian schools, including schools for the deaf. The implications for improvements in these areas to achieve a more meaningful implementation of the 6-3-3-4 system are discussed.