By Kelechukwu Iruoma

NIGERIA’s secondary school curriculum is overloaded with too many courses which need to be reviewed to enable schools produce excellent school leavers, says Mr. Festus Oni, a retired Lagos State secondary school principal.

Oni who stated this at his retirement ceremony at Army Cantonment Boys Secondary School, Ojo, noted that “some of the educational policies at the secondary school level need to be reviewed. The present curriculum of secondary education is overloaded. The requirement of writing eight or nine subjects in secondary school leaving exams, is burdensome..”

He said,“The idea of five credits at one or two sittings before you can progress to further studies has to be reviewed. The idea of sitting for UTME every year, irrespective of the mark you scored in previous years must be reviewed too.

From left: The retiree, Mr. Festus Oni; Mr. Niyi Adenuga, Principal, Ojoku Junior High School, Olodi, Apapa; Mr. Robert Akintan, Topo Senior Grammar School, Badagry; & Mr. Adepoju Frederick, Chairman, Parents-Teachers Forum, Army Cantonment Senior Secondary School, during the retirement ceremony of Mr. Oni in Lagos.

Field of endeavour

When you have English and maths and three other subjects, that should be able to make you a specialist in your field of endeavour. I am not against the number of credits but against the number of opportunities. If it takes you 10 years to achieve that level, you should be qualified for further career education or professionalism. Not until you make it once or twice.”

He said as far as a student is able to make five credits, irrespective of the period the person sits for it, he should be qualified for further studies in the university. Oni who had spent over 30 years in the teaching career, revealed that he felt elevated having been retired.

“I thank God for this day. I started as a casual teacher as far back as 1975 when I was just leaving the school. I later attended teachers college.”

Oni said that the present welfare package of teachers in Lagos is highly commendable, stating, however, that the state government must improve on it. He, however, urged teachers to obey the ethics of the profession, adding that perseverance and endurance are the key to becoming successful teachers.