CHALLENGES FACING PRIMARY SCHOOL MUSIC EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS OF AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

Music education is a critical component of holistic basic education, encompassing the teaching and learning of music theory, history, performance, and related skills. This study investigated the challenges facing music education in primary schools located in rural areas of Awka, Anambra State, with the aim of identifying these challenges and proposing viable solutions. A mixed-method research approach (qualitative and quantitative survey methods) was adopted, with data collected through oral interviews and direct observation. A total of four schools (two public and two private primary schools) were surveyed, with head teachers, school directors, and Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA) teachers serving as participants. The findings revealed several key issues: music is largely non-existent in the curriculum of most rural primary schools. Where it is present, it is often substituted with general musical activities and subsumed under Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA), rather than being taught as a distinct subject. There is also a shortage of qualified music teachers, inadequate instructional materials and resources, a lack of community and administrative support, and low awareness of the benefits of music education among parents, schools, and the wider community. The study recommends the sensitisation of rural communities to the relevance of music education in the formative years of children; the training and recruitment of competent music teachers by higher institutions and the government; the prioritisation of music education in rural schools; and the recognition of music as a distinct subject in both primary and post-primary school curricula.