10 years after, FG set to review senior secondary education curriculum

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has commenced preparation for the review of the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC).

Solacebase reports that the current Senior Secondary Education Curriculum was last reviewed in 2011, as against the five-year periodic review.

In preparation for the review of the new curriculum, the NERDC, therefore, organized National Stakeholders’ Dialogue for the review of the SSEC across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Speaking at the flag-off of the dialogue for North-West region, held in Kano state on Monday, the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Professor Ismail Junaidu said the aim of the dialogue is to bring together the thoughts of all Nigerians, including students on issues and expectations pertaining to the curriculum in terms of contents, delivery and learning experiences.

According to him, “the need to restructure, realign and revise the then curricula arose mainly because old Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools’ curricula were no longer meeting the goals of our education in terms of human capital development, job creation and poverty eradication.

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” there was also compelling need to meet the targets of the Internationally Agreed Goals(EFA and MDGs) as well as ensure the acquisition of competencies and skills for laying the foundation of vocational and entrepreneurship development in Nigeria,”

The Executive Secretary, represented by Dr Garba Gwandu, Director Curriculum Development Centre, NERDC also stated that the curriculum review is necessary because there was an urgent need to create opportunities for students and learners to acquire trade/entrepreneurship skills required for poverty eradication and job creation at the senior secondary school level.

He noted that at the senior secondary school level, there was the need for wealth generation as well as consolidate the foundation for ethical, moral, and civic values acquired at the basic education level.

The ES stated that the stakeholders’ dialogue, the first of its kind in the history of curriculum development in Nigeria, was specifically made to offer Nigerians the opportunity to participate in the curriculum development process in a bid to make it a people-oriented national document.

In a remark, the Kano State Commissioner of Education, Mohammed Sanusi Kiru, represented by Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Hajiya Lauratu Ado Diso,  noted that the essence of the curriculum is to reflect the norms and values of the immediate society.

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“Looking at the current curriculum operating in our schools, it obviously needs reviewing and revisiting to meet the current need of the state and the nation.

” And also, looking at how it is choked up with no space for the learners, for example, space for Physical Education (PE), library period and free periods, etc.

“Moreso, the Senior secondary curriculum is also bottled up with compulsory subjects, providing no choice of subjects for the students as it was before.

“However, the essence of today’s sitting is to look into the compatibility of the curriculum with the aim of finding a lasting solution for the challenges,” the Commissioner said.

Solacebase reports that the participants of the dialogue were drawn from the seven northwestern states of Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara.