Students’ Perception of Democratic Practices and Its Implication for Nigerian Educational System

摘要

Nigerian society has being on uninterrupted democratic rule since 1999.It is an admitted fact that there is an intimate relationship between democracy and education.The sinew of democracy depends upon the character and intelligence of its citizenry;and the level of democratic perceptiveness in the minds of the people is dependent on the type of democracy delivered to its citizenry.The aim of this paper,therefore,is to examine the perception of democratic practices obtainable in Nigeria by students of the senior secondary sector in the educational system in Bayelsa State of Nigeria.A descriptive survey design was adopted.A sample of 200 students responded to the self-developed and validated questionnaire.Data collected were analysed by using descriptive statistic(mean and percentage)and t-test statistical technique.The finding shows that students foster high perceptivity to the type of democracy practiced in Nigeria.This paper contends that the looming threat to democratic rule in Nigeria x-rays the educational system that is literally dysfunctional.It recommends the promotion of institutionalized democracy that will bring about an overhaul in the kind of education delivered to the younger generation.