By DAYO ADESULU
Barely three years into the implementation of the 9 – Year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) in all the nation’s primary and junior secondary schools, education stakeholders have unanimously agreed on a new shape for the curriculum.

The forum for the formulation of a new structure for the curriculum took place in Abuja last week at the instance of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) where educationists, commissioners of education and chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards across the country, as well as representatives of State Ministries of Education, key parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Education and Private School owners brainstormed for two days.

At the end of deliberations, the number of subjects being offered at the basic education level was reduced after some of the subjects were compressed.

Professor Godswill Obioma, Executive Secretary of NERDC, who is also the chairman of the High Level Policy Committee meeting and the National Stakeholders Forum for the review of the curriculum, explained the rationale for the exercise.

“Recent feedback on the implementation of BEC suggests curricula overload in terms of subject offerings at the primary and JSS levels.

Presidential summit

This issue was reiterated at the Presidential Summit on the state of education in Nigeria which held in October 2010. Consequently, delegates at the summit called for immediate action to compress the curricula offerings at all levels of basic education. It was, therefore, recommended at the summit that the number of subjects offered at this level should be reduced to between six and 13, in line with international best practices”.

Since September 2008 when the implementation of BEC began in primary and junior secondary schools nationwide, learners have been contending with 20 subjects listed in the curriculum, which have been found too laborious for them.

A look at the structure of the curriculum underscores its being overloaded. For instance, pupils in primary 1 – 3 are expected to offer ten compulsory subjects, including English studies, mathematics, one Nigerian language, basic science and technology, physical and health education, religious studies (Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Studies), social studies, civic education, cultural and creative arts and computer studies/ ICT. In addition, they are expected to offer at least one elective subject from three options of agriculture, home economics and Arabic Language.

The new structure of the curriculum significantly offers these pupils a great relief. They are to offer only seven subjects now, including English studies, mathematics, one Nigerian language, basic science and technology, pre-vocational studies, religions and values education and cultural and creative arts. There is, in addition, Arabic Language which is optional.

The review panel succeeded in reducing the number of subjects to only seven after bringing Computer Studies/ICT and physical and health education under Basic Science and Technology while religious studies, civic education and social studies were also compressed as themes under Religions and Values education. Security Education has been added as one of the themes under the subject.

Agriculture, home economics and entrepreneurship have also been compressed as themes under Pre-vocational Studies.

Second official language

The subjects listed for pupils in primary 4 – 6 are the same with the ones for primary 1 – 3. The only difference is that from primary 4, pupils are to offer French Language because it’s Nigeria’s second official language and that a working knowledge of the language will make the nation’s children globally competitive.

The subject listings for JSS 1 – 3 are the same but Business Studies which was an optional subject has now been made compulsory for all junior secondary school students.

Obioma explained the reason for the elevation of Business Studies. According to him, the essence of the BEC curriculum is to offer pupils and students a well rounded education in terms of knowledge, skills, techniques and values needed to produce self-reliant individuals who can compete favourably anywhere in the world.

This is the reason why the impartation of entrepreneurship education is being emphasized in the new curriculum, he said, adding that Business Studies is therefore desirable for every child in order to have some idea of business enterprise.

In teaching the pupils these subjects, it was agreed at the forum that emphasis should be on the understanding of basic concepts and their explanations while teaching and learning must be creative, innovative and practical. The NERDC boss disclosed that the streamlining of the BEC curricula is done without reducing the contents, explaining that Kenya has seven subjects; Tanzania, eight subjects; United States, six subjects; Malaysia and Indonesia, nine subjects each.

The implementation of the new BEC structure will commence, according to him, in September 2012.

The Minister of State for Education, Barrister Nyesom Wike, who delivered a keynote address at the event, commended the efforts of Prof Obioma and his management team “for the timely response to the national call for the review of the 9 – Year BEC to reduce the number of subjects being offered at all levels of the basic education schools”.

Reiterating the prompt response of NERDC to the call for the review of the curriculum, the Minister said two major challenges that have confronted the nation’s education over the years, in terms of quality attainment and sustainability, are lack of regular review and updating of existing curricula to meet changing societal needs and inadequate funding for regular curriculum development and review.

Wike, who was represented by his Special Assistant (Technical), Dr. Olu Ayewoh, said that government will pursue specific policy measures to reinvigorate the education sector towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, adding that the country’s ability to realize its vision of becoming one of the 20 largest economies in the world by the year 2020 is largely dependent on its capacity to transform its population into highly skilled and competent citizens capable of competing globally.

He therefore sees the education sector as pivotal to the actualization of current national and international policy thrusts, goals and set targets.