The Federal Ministry of Education has announced the rollout of a new curriculum for basic education across schools in Nigeria, set to begin in January 2025. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, made the announcement during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, also revealing that the curriculum for senior secondary education will commence in September 2025.
Mamman stated that the updated curriculum aims to tackle the ongoing learning crises and improve employability by integrating skills acquisition programs designed to equip students with essential 21st-century skills. “In the past year, we have worked with stakeholders to create a skills framework that will incorporate training from the latter part of basic education to secondary education. Our objective is for students to finish with a minimum of two skills to ensure they can lead productive lives,” he explained.
The meeting focused on discussing the implementation modalities, including timelines, support, monitoring, and evaluation. Mamman indicated that the next three months would be dedicated to preparations, including developing a teacher’s guide for the new curriculum.
When asked about the differences between the new curriculum and the previous 6:3:3:4 educational system, which also aimed to include skills training, Mamman attributed the shift to the poor implementation of the latter. “The major reason for our approach has been the inability to effectively implement the 6:3:3:4 system from its inception,” he noted.
Garba Gandu, Director of Curriculum at the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), added that the new curriculum would provide essential skills and training necessary for global competitiveness. He mentioned that the curriculum is competency- and digital-based, aligning with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) methods.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the new curriculum introduces 15 new trade subjects for basic education, including basic digital literacy, vocational entrepreneurship skills like building and construction, plumbing, and tiling. Additional subjects encompass hospitality skills such as hair styling and make-up, alongside services like GSM repairs, satellite and CCTV installation, and garment making.
Credit: NAN (Text Excluding Headdline)
