The federal government has been giving snippet of what to expect in the newly anticipated curriculum for basic and secondary education.
The curriculum has been under review over a year now and yet to be unveiled after it was subjected to further review at the National Council on Education.
This is coming after the outcry from different quarters that the existing curriculum is outdated and lacks what it takes for the present education system, which is moving towards a knowledge-based economy.
This led to government building emphasis on skills acquisition for all levels of education to build self-reliance and thus the introduction of trade subjects into the curriculum.
The federal government announced that new trade subjects will be on the reviewed Basic Education curriculum to boost students’ practical skills and employability.
They include plumbing, makeup, hairstyling, plumbing; tiling and floor works; POP installation, event decoration and management, bakery and confectioneries, GSM repairs and satellite/TV antenna installation.
Others are CCTV and intercom installation and maintenance; solar installation and maintenance; garment making; agriculture and processing (including crop production, beekeeping, horticulture, and livestock farming like poultry and rabbit rearing), and Basic Digital Literacy (including IT and robotics).
A terse statement from the National Orientation Agency (NOA) said the new subjects will take effect from January 2025 for primary and junior secondary students across the country.
Daily Trust’s check showed that the new curriculum is yet to be implemented but parents and students are excited and see the introduction of the trade subjects as a good initiative, but expressed concern on possible challenges in cascading it to learners.
A government school student, Opeyemi Kolawale, said it is a good one and expressed her enthusiasm to learn make-up if given the opportunity.
She said she would like to learn make-up and other kinds of beauty training so she can have her own business when she finishes school.
She said they have little time to learn skills in school as sometimes they are just taught how to do some craft by people who come from outside but they hardly have enough time to practise.
Another student, Kate Ochigbo, said it is good if they will be given enough time to learn the trades well.
She said: “Sometimes teachers do not spend enough time to teach but give notes and when examination approaches they will rush through and students don’t get to learn all they are supposed to learn.”
She said some skills acquisition trainings in school are usually done by outsiders and if they become subjects of learning in school and have dedicated teachers then they can learn better.
A parent, Adiya John, said having such trade subjects in the curriculum is long overdue and a welcome development.
She said pupils were supposed to learn different trades and skills while in school to help them in life just as it is done in places like China and Europe.
She however expressed fear in implementing the idea, saying, it is one thing to have them in the curriculum and another thing for the children to get good learning outcomes within the duration of time required or for schools to even have the trained teachers to implement them.
“Another of my worries is that private schools will use it to feast on parents again but the major thing is for the federal government to ensure that the children get to learn all that they are supposed to learn,” she said.
Credit: Daulytrust
