Abigail Erhiagboje
Education experts have tasked the government to urgently review the curriculum for basic education in the country to meet 21st-century standards.
According to them, the Nigerian educational system at 63 falls short of 21st-century needs for skill acquisition, especially when it comes to the present curriculum being operated in primary and secondary schools.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThey pointed out that the curriculum system is obsolete compared to the current world-class standard that is vocational and technically based.
They believe that vital subjects like skill acquisition should not be exclusive to the tertiary level alone, but should also be introduced to the primary and secondary schools which form the pillar of basic education in the country.
They also asserted that subjects like Yoruba, and Christian Religious Knowledge should not be exclusive to only the Arts students.
Speaking with Prime Business Africa reporter, Mrs Ehizode, Headmistress of Matol Primary and Secondary School, Lagos called for a curriculum system that helps students to acquire vital practical skills to solve problems.
She said: “The Curriculum only focuses on the academic aspect. If you look at the world that we are now, we need beyond academics. We need to diversify because all that the children are being taught is geared towards looking for a white-collar job after school but how many white-collar jobs are even available in the labour market now?
‘We are in an age where people should be trained to stand on their own and do one or two things like feeding themselves and employing others as well.”
READ ALSO: World Teachers’ Day: Call For Reform In Nigeria’s Education System
“Skills acquisition is essential at this age, you know as the saying goes, ‘catch them young’. Many of them have a lot of potential in them but if those potentials are not tapped at a tender age, it becomes something else. The skills acquisition is very important for them at this age so that as they are growing, it becomes part of them and they are able to stand on their own.”
Mrs Yusuf Victoria, who recently retired as a government school teacher also harped on the need for a basic skills acquisition programme to be included in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools.
According to her, it was initially in the curriculum until it was taken out recently and reserved exclusively for the tertiary education level.
Furthermore, she complained about the exclusivity of some subjects like Yoruba, Igbo, and CRK among others, to only the Arts students as she feels they should be general subjects because they are vital subjects that can help boost morals, culture, and values in the lives of the students.
According to her, “Language subjects should not be restricted to only Arts students as they are very rich in our cultural heritages, which all students should compulsorily learn.
“A lot of students no longer have manners and respect for their elders and they lack the fear of God, that’s why they can do all sorts of criminal things for money these days.”
“Gone are the days when parables from the bible are used as illustrations during important ceremonies… The government should include CRK as a compulsory subject for every student in the senior secondary school.”
Mrs Ruth Osaretin, another retired teacher, however, posited that the educational curriculum should not be subjected to too much change as it could affect students’ learning process.
She also stressed the need for learning facilities to be improved to aid effective teaching of the curriculum.
According to her, “If a given educational curriculum is yielding fruit, it should not be changed too often to allow continuity, and then, teaching facilities need to be improved and updated alongside the curriculum.”
