Roles of School Libraries in Sustainable Basic and Post Basic Education in Nigeria

Abstract

Education remained a social process in capacity building and maintenance of societal values. It is pivotal for acquiring skills, knowledge, and character for survival in the changing world. According to the United Nations‟ Report 2003, more than one billion people entered the 21 st century unable to read and write. Unfortunately, most of these illiterates are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, in which Nigeria has the greatest population. The illiteracy level of Nigeria today has contributed to the ethnic, religious, political, and economic crises. Therefore, the provision of quality education at the grassroots level remains a paramount solution to these problems. Equally, the establishment of standard school libraries will in no small measure help in the provision of required educational services and materials that could promote reading skills, inculcate norms and values of societies and support the school curriculum to achieve the desired objectives at the basic and post-basic level. In the same vein, school libraries will also enhance staff/teachers‟ productivity. In view of this, using documentary sources, the paper examines the roles of school libraries in basic and post-basic education in Nigeria. It revealed that without standard school libraries and qualified school librarians, the aforementioned roles of the school library could not be achieved, and the objectives of basic and post-basic education could not be realized. The paper also points out some of the challenges facing school libraries in Nigeria, including lack of standard school library building, lack of qualified librarians, inadequate ICT facilities, lack of library development policy, etc. It, therefore, recommended that competentstaff, effective and well-trained librarians are the key to attain sustainable basic and post-basic education in Nigeria.