Transforming Schools

Today, in a rapidly globalizing world and with a bridging of the information gap our schools need radical changes to deliver functional education. The advancement of globalization in the 21^st century also means global problems would become domestic at a faster rate. Gary Marx (2011) propounded sixteen trends that would impact on education and the society as:

• For the first time in history, the old will outnumber the young.

• Majorities will become minorities, creating ongoing challenges for social cohesion.

• Social and intellectual capital will become economic drivers, intensifying competition for well educated people.

• Standards and high stakes tests will fuel a demand for personalization in an education system increasingly committed to lifelong human development.

• The Millennial Generation will insist on solutions to accumulated problems and injustices, while an emerging Generation E will call for equilibrium.

• Continuous improvement and collaboration will replace quick fixes and defence of the status quo.

• Technology will increase the speed of communication and the pace of advancement or decline.

• Release of human ingenuity will become a primary responsibility of education and society.

• Pressure will grow for society to prepare people for jobs and careers that may not currently exist.

• Competition will increase to attract and keep qualified educators.

• Scientific discoveries and societal realities will force widespread ethical choices.

• Common opportunities and threats will intensify a worldwide demand for planetary security.

• Understanding will grow that sustained poverty is expensive, debilitating, and unsettling.

• Polarization and narrowness will bend toward reasoned discussion, evidence, and consideration of varying points of view.

• As nations vie for understanding and respect in an interdependent world, international learning, including diplomatic skills, will become basic.

• Greater numbers of people will seek personal meaning in their lives in response to an intense, high tech, always on, fast-moving society.

From the above it pertinent that teaching and learning systems in Nigerian schools have to advance to meet up with 21st century challenges. According to Galbreath (2000), quality education can be viewed as specific standard of education attainable against the backdrop of the existing international standard. Such education must be functional. Educationists describe functional education as that which emphasizes technological growth, self employment, self reliance, positive nation building, job performance, competency, life skills and lifelong education (Akomolafe, 2004). Educational administrators and teachers have to acquire new sets of leadership skills and ability to be able to drive this change. This position means that school administration and classroom instruction are no longer rigidly hierarchical, stable or static but one that is fluid, fast changing and less formally structured. Akomolafe (2004) suggests that in this knowledge driven world, business is a war of ideas where the power to innovate and promote new products is the new basis of leadership.Transforming 

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