Speakers at the Concerned Parents and Educators (CPE) webinar have tasked the Federal Government on the need for a pilot scheme for the new curriculum before full implementation in the education system.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government recently rollout a new curriculum set to begin in the 2025/2026 academic session which emphasizes digital literacy, entrepreneurship, programming and practical trade subjects to equip students for modern economy.
The webinar entitled: ‘Understanding and Implementing the New Curriculum held on Sunday had in attendance proprietors of schools, parents, educators, experts in the sector, among others.
Speaking at the forum, Mr. Taiwo Akinlami, an expert in Child Safeguarding and Protection said that while the introduction for a new curriculum is long overdue, there is the need for the transition to be in phases especially when the infrastructure to teach the new subjects is not readily available.
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He added that, in as much as the Saharan African curriculum according to the British Council research is two generations behind, and the introduction of a new one is a good development for the nation’s education system but implementation should however be treated with all seriousness.
Pointing out that implementation and transition is always the problem of new ideas in the Nigeria system, Akinlami stated that the way the Federal Ministry of Education rolled out the new curriculum few weeks to a new session shows there is no good transition plan in place and no doubt major stakeholders were not involved in the planning.
He urged those in charge of the sector to always make decisions or roll out plans in favour of the sector and the future of children who are to benefit from it not political decision which may fade away with time.
Akinlami however urged stakeholders especially private school owners to always work with government and importantly for government to respect their decisions on matters that concerns the sector.
Also speaking at the forum, Co-founder, The Learning Craft, Rhoda Odigboh in her remarks said the introduction of the new curriculum is well intended and very important at this point in the history of the education system of the nation but it should be opened to all stakeholders in the sector.
She explained that Nigeria often struggles with process when any idea and plan is being introduced and which will always affect the outcome.
Odigboh said that a closer look at the new curriculum shows fewer subjects and new potentials but implementation may be mar with infrastructure gap; lack of electricity in public schools; teacher shortages and lack of basic qualification on the part of educators.
Citing examples of countries like Finland, Singapore and many others who had tow this pact and succeed, Odigboh said they succeeded because they invested and for Nigeria to get good outcome from introduction of the new curriculum the government needs to invest.
She advocated for a trial period before scaling, going back to the drawing board before rollout, revamp the public school in preparation for implementation, preparation before implementation, teachers training, test the readiness, pilot across regions, assessment and the ability to share data transparently.
To the private schools, she advised them to audit and prioritize as they resume for the new session. “Go ahead with the unchanged subjects, start small, engage with government and hold them accountable because the process is the outcome.”
Also speaking at the forum, a retired FCT Director of Quality Assurance, Dr. Salisu Yahya urged stakeholders to get involve always. “We don’t need to wait for processes or plans for the sector to come from the government alone every one need to be part of it especially the private sector.
On implementation of the curriculum, he said it will not be right to roll it out now because there is still a lot of work to be done especially on teacher’s guide, teachers training, among others.
Concerned Parents and Educators (CPE) also known as Concerned Parents and Educators Network consist of parents, educators, and child development advocates who collaborated to promote education reform, improve the quality of education, and foster positive values for children in Nigeria and across Africa.
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