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Research Journal of Internatonal Studes - Issue 8 (November, 2008) 51

Innovations and Curriculum Development for

Basic Education in Nigeria: Policy Priorities and

Challenges of Practice and Implementation

M.A. Ajibola

Department of Primary Education studies

Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria

E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Nigerian educational system has gone through various developments and changes viz-a-vizcurriculum issues. The dynamic nature of the curriculum process informed the thesis of this

paper, which is innovations, curriculum development for basic education in Nigeria.

Analysis of the Nigerian education sector reveals the challenges of incoherence in policyformulation and implementation. The selection and organization of curriculum content,

curriculum implementation and evaluation, the development, distribution and use of

teaching materials, and the relevance of the curriculum to the needs of society are also

problems associated with the Nigerian educational system. Therefore, the need fortransformation in curriculum for all the educational levels becomes necessary. Sometimes

it appears as if solutions are on the way, at other times one feels that the education system

is back in the doldrums. One positive note is that both the government and the people areseeking better ways of doing things and achieving results that would benefit the majority of

the people. The paper reviews aspects of curriculum process such as policy, analysis,

objectives, content, evaluation methodology and implementation. The paper submitsrecommendation on further enhanced strategies that will help in the development of

education in line with modern trends in curriculum issues. It concludes that for any

meaningful advancement to be made in the education sector there must be conscious,

deliberate, purposeful, directional policy formulation of the implementation of thecurriculum.

Keywords: Curriculum, innovation, policy, challenges of implementation

1. IntroductionCurriculum issues, either in an explicit or an implicit manner, are inextricably linked to current

thinking and action on educational concerns and reforms around the world. Experiences of educationalreform almost all over the world have shown that curriculum is at the same time a policy and a

technical issue, a process and a product, involving a wide range of institutions and actors. Due to theambiguity of the term innovation, it is necessary to establish characteristics of how innovations are

defined for this paper. Mintrom (2000) uses the term innovative to refer to ideas or practices that

are new within the context of the school. More clearly stated, an innovation is an idea, practice, orobject that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption (Rogers, 1995). Another

definition of innovation involves newly introduced method, custom, device etc; change in the way of

doing things; renew, alter (Websters New World Dictionary, 2001) or doing things differently or

doing different things (Dunkin, 2000). Curriculum can be simply termed a brief written account of

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ones past history e.g. of education and many other aspects of life endeavour. Innovations reported

under this category are in the area of curriculum and programme development; new approaches to

teaching and learning, often combined with the introduction of new educational technologies; andquality assurance. Innovations therefore overlap with the relevance category. Innovations in curriculum

have also increasingly taken the form of introducing new programmes as indicated above.

The process of constructing the curriculum is unique to each national setting. It is a complexoutcome of the opinions and solutions that key stakeholders propose for societys requirements and

needs. There are no successful international models to copy. Many innovations with the curriculuminclude an emphasis on a particular field and the use of the core knowledge curriculum where basicfactual information is presented before any abstract concepts, leading to a focus on the mastery of

basics.

The problems related to curricula became noticeable soon after Nigerias independence fromcolonial rule in 1960. By the mid-1960s, educators and educational planners were rethinking Nigerias

education system and in particular, the curriculum being taught in the schools. The question is has

Nigeria educational policy been capable of providing the needed manpower development to stir the

nations socio-economic exigencies left by the colonial masters? The non-directional policy issue hasbeen the main bane of the educational system particular with reference to the curriculum structure. So

far, we have had three different systems borne out of incessant changes in policies. It has become a

tradition to abandon policy in mid-stream. The effect of this policy somersault cannot be over-stressed.Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) are bodies that have worked hard to translate

national and educational objectives into curricula and teaching objectives through the development of

curricula designed to help individuals attain cognition, acquire process skills and develop scientificattitudes which will enable them to think critically, manage and use available resources, to effectively

adapt to their environment, assume responsibilities and fulfil domestic, economic, social, and political

roles. STAN has continued to give a critical appraisal of the science education curriculum with a view

to identifying defects and devising original solutions. To this effect, STAN has devoted its efforts toscience curriculum innovation and renewal particularly at the primary and secondary education levels.

2. The Philosophy and Historical Perspective of Nigerian Educational SystemTaiwo (1986) was able to analyze in detail the post-war reconstruction and development that involved

rehabilitation of education in Nigeria after the civil war on 12th

January 1970 that marked thebeginning of a new decade, which was significant for quick recovery from the damage of war.

However, the then Federal Military Government was guided in its national planning by its national

objectives. The five national objectives are to establish Nigeria firmly as:i. A united, strong and self-reliant nationii. A great and dynamic economyiii. A just and egalitarian societyiv. A land of bright and full opportunities for all citizens, andv. A free and democratic societyThe above objectives are in tune with the philosophy for Nigerian education, which was

formulated at the 1969 National Conference on Curriculum Development. The recommendations

formed the basis for drawing up the National Policy on Education (NPE) of 1977. The curriculum is

aimed at permanent literacy and numeracy and effective communication. It covered the basic needs of

children including religious and moral instruction, mathematics, science and skills preparatory to tradeand craft education. The medium of instruction will be principally the mother tongue or the language

of the immediate community, and at a later stage, English. The government will make a special effort

to promote the education of girls and provide the facilities and supervision for ensuring quality in theeducation. Nigerias educational system since then has witnessed a number of changes. These changes

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can be classified into policy, objective, content, methods, material and changes in evaluation

techniques.

2.1. Policy changes

On this premise, right from attainment of independence, the need for change and innovation hadalways been prevalent in the educational systems of developing countries. The works of Fafunwa

(1967, 1974), confirm that changes and innovations were needed in Nigeria educational system afterattainment of independence. The type of education imported to Nigeria under British control reflected

the needs of the colonial government. Thus, we had the 7-5-4 which represents 7 years of primaryeducation, 5 years of secondary education and 4 years of tertiary education. While in some regions, it

was 6-5-4 across the three tiers respectively. This system was later replaced for the entire country in

1983 by the 6-3-3-4, that is, 6 years of primary education, 3years of Junior Secondary School (JSS), 3years of Senior Secondary School (SSS) and, 4 years of tertiary education. The difference is the

additional one year to the secondary education and its split to 2-tiers: junior and senior secondary. This

system sought to correct the structural imbalances in the colonial system of education. Many peopleregarded the NPE as both an innovation and as a reform in education (Adeniyi, 2001). It is a reform in

that it introduced a 6-3-3-4 school system incorporating a nine-year basic education programme as a

clear departure from the past.The Universal Primary Education Scheme which was launched in Nigeria in 1976 and now

Universal Basic Education (UBE) in 1999 calls for innovation in curriculum development, classroom

teaching techniques, and adequate supervision of instructional programs in the schools (Ayo and

Adebiyi, 2008). This scheme is monitored by the universal basic education commission (UBEC), andhas made it free and a right of every child. The law establishing UBEC stipulates a 9-year formal

schooling, adult literacy and non-formal education, skill acquisition programmes and the education of

special groups such as nomads and migrants, girlchild and women, Al-majiri, street children anddisabled group (Aderinoye, 2007). However, poor implementation of the reforms inherent in the 6-3-3-

4 system of education did not allow innovation and changes to have an appreciable impact on the

Nigerian society.

2.2. Changes in Content

Juan Manuel Moreno (2006) states that: Educational reform all over the world is increasinglycurriculum-based, as mounting pressures and demands for change tend to target and focus on both the

structures and the very content of school curricula. Arising from the revolution in objectives, some

radical changes were made in content. At primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, the contents ofsubjects studied were reviewed so that they would gear toward achieving the set objectives. The

provision for a core curriculum (or core subjects) and optional curriculum (or elective subjects) is also

a significant change. The aims of these changes are to guarantee an all-round education for learners,

and to bring some degree of diversity into curriculum development. The curriculum provisions areimmense and profound for school teaching and learning. At the primary level, ten subjects are to be

taken. Two of these ten subjects agriculture and home economicsare to be deferred to later yearsof primary school. At the junior secondary school, every student is required to take eleven subjects,nine of which shall be common to allcore subjects. A major innovation here is the requirement for

technical and vocational subjects tagged as pre-vocational subjects. In all, a student may take aminimum of eleven subjects and a maximum of thirteen subjects. The secondary school level presents

a far greater variety of subjectsthere are seven core subjects and thirty-four elective subjects. The

electives are put into three groups. Every student is expected to take all the seven core subjects, aminimum of one and a maximum of three from the list of elective subjects to be offered at the Senior

School Certificate Examination (SSCE). In addition, a range of new courses and programmes have

been introduced that are relevant to todays needs and problems, such as the issues of HIV/AIDS,

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moral philosophy and gender and given a core status in their relevant levels of education. In addition

many schools have undertaken widespread reform of the curriculum in line with the change in focus

to science and technology to ensure that it is sensitive to regional and international issues such asgender, disability and globalisation. It has also involved the infusion of indigenous knowledge and

technologies into the curriculum from such diverse fields as traditional arts and crafts, traditional

cosmetics, traditional food systems and medicine, knowledge of the environment, and Africancivilisation. Amongst the new programmes that have been introduced are youth and gender studies, and

nationalism. Curriculum restructuring has also involved the introduction of core modules on computerliteracy and communication skills, and the curriculum is designed to be learner centred, problem-basedand project-driven.

These changes require teachers to question their traditional subject practices and classroom

routines. New teaching technologies require teachers to reflect on the technical basis of their work,which are the pedagogical assumptions of their practices and, these changes challenge teachers

existing practices. For these reasons it became difficult for many schools to adopt this pedagogy, one

of whose virtues is that it is highly compatible with community orientation since in nearly all cases the

problem to be solved especially in public orientation and community values are located in thecommunity.

Furthermore, because of the need for schools and colleges to meet the requirements of certain

examining bodies, Nigerian educational institutions, particularly at the pre-tertiary level have to changetheir syllabuses from time to time even when the national subject curricula are constant for some years,

the school subject syllabuses are subject to change or modification by teachers, particularly where

subject teachers are changed frequently. This is particularly the case with rural schools where teachersfrequently ask for transfer to urban primary or secondary schools. In effect, rural schools are usually

filled with itinerant teachers: Youth-Corp members, fresh graduates on state service or other categories

of newly-employed teachers who have no other option. The tendency for these categories of teachers is

usually to modify the syllabus to embody their newly acquired knowledge.

2.3. Changes in Evaluation Strategies

With the introduction of the National Policy on Education adopted in 1981, and revised in 1995 and

2006, some special emphasis have been placed in the use of comprehensive and continuous assessment

in schools. Besides, objective multiple choice questions have also been given special attention at both

primary and secondary levels. Similarly, new attention is been given to practical experiences and testsin the form of teaching practice and industrial attachment during which learners are observed and

assessed.

These changes brought about changes in hitherto accustomed practices in learning or teaching,objectives, content and methods. However, in most cases these changes were hurriedly done and

problems associated with such changes surfaced when applied on a large scale. Lack of initiative,

innovation, skills, independent/constructive mind and creative ideals characterize todays system ofNigeria education. This is a system that encourages memorization in learning processes and theoretical

explanation to areas that need practical illustration. The system favours cognitive development above

other domains of education. It is pathetic that Nigerias school system is geared toward building pupils

with cultural orientation with deficiency in problem-solving approach that requires more than simplyrecall or performance of rudimentary skills (Bolaji, 2007).

3. Curriculum Innovation and National LanguagesWith the advent of the new National Policy on Education, a major restructuring was noticeable withregard to language curriculum development and implementation. Whereas during the colonial era the

emphasis was on learning the languages of the colonizers it is no longer so nowadays. The language

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curriculum currently in use takes into account four groups of languagesEnglish, foreign languages,

Nigerian languages as L1 and Nigerian languages as L2. Curricula and teaching materials have been

developed for each of these groups. Nigeria now has an explicit national language policy. But Nigeriahas made a number of explicit statements about the language issue in the policy (Emenanjo, 1992). The

implicit national language policy in Nigeria stipulates:

1. the use of Nigerian languages in formal and non-formal education;2. the study and use of the developed Nigerian languages as co-official languages with English;3. the study of all Nigerian languages as subjects and as media of instruction at certain levels of

formal education;4. the study of French and Classical Arabic as electives at all levels of formal education;

A major constraint has been the inadequate numbers of teachers to teach the four groups of

languages. Even where teachers are available, the methods adopted in teaching the language curricularely heavily on a traditional grammar approach. There is also a dearth of language instructional

materials. All these contribute to the low level of implementation leading up to poor results and a very

low level of communication skills.

4. Curriculum and Teaching Methods

Curriculum analysis shows that, on paper, the learning experiences that are provided the NigerianChild from basic through higher education are rich and varied and capable of meeting the immediate

future needs of the children. Primary, secondary and higher curricula are generally regarded as superior

to those of Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the curriculum of Nigerian schools are over ambitious,resulting in overload, and insufficiently attuned to the needs of the labour market, particularly in pre-

vocational and vocational/technical courses.

The data on learning achievement of pupils in primary and secondary schools have been a hugegulf between the intended curriculum and what the pupils actually learn. It important here to highlight

the failings in pedagogical methods, which in turn reflect the poor training received by most teachers.

Classroom transactions optimally have four dimensional character, involving interactions betweenteacher and pupil, pupil and pupil, teacher and material, and pupil and material. What predominates in

most Nigerian classrooms, from primary through to postgraduate level, is the unidirectional lecturemode, with minimal use of materials, questioning of teachers or pupil pupil interaction. At

operational stage of cognitive development where most primary and secondary school students belong,this mode of instruction, which amounts to rte learning, contraindicates meaningful learning. This can

be traced to poor quality preparation and resource inadequacy.

5. Content of the Curriculum and Reading SkillsChanges in the content of the curriculum had always been focused on that fact that every Nigerian

should be able to read and write with understanding, and to apply such skills acquired to his/her daily

life and to continue learning using the written word. However, there is a fall in reading ability in

Nigerians today and there is a big gap between the knowledge taken away from primary to secondaryschool. The assumption from the syllabus is completely eroded and once the foundation is weak, it

affects all other aspects. This has started having effect on the educational system and now a diversion

to social activities like watching television is leading to things not too elegant or productive.A survey of most public schools in Nigeria revealed that only 30% of the pupils had access to

textbooks; a factor that greatly limits the arousal of curiosity, the acquisition of knowledge and early

introduction of numbers and letters. Up till now, the Nigerian curriculum does not recognize that theteacher of reading has to be specially trained and since the teachers themselves are not up to the task,

they resort to old methods of teaching comprehension and vocabulary. There also no electronic gadgets

that aid reading and diction.

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6. Curriculum Innovations and National Manpower NeedsOne major aspect of Nigerian education that has been quite often criticized is the curriculum. The early

critics include members of the Phelps-Stokes and Advisory Commissions who submitted their separatereports in 1925. They observed that education in Africa generally had not been adapted to the needs

and aspirations of the people. It is quite difficult to advance with improving the processes and the

outcomes of educational quality without developing a comprehensive curriculum vision that justifies

why and what it is relevant and pertinent (basic and needed) to teach children and young people

according to an overall interpretation of societal expectations and demands. This interpretation isalways subject to debate and controversial, and is deeply grounded in historical, ideological andpolitical concerns and arguments. A good example is the passionate discussion about the objectives

and the content of national history lessons in secondary education, particularly in post-conflict societies

like Nigeria. For as late as the 1960s, education in African schools, particularly in Nigerian grammarschools, was still "too literary; not practical, not adapted to the needs of a developing agricultural

nation." It was observed, for instance, that the education Nigerians received was meant to serve

colonial purposes. This type of academic education only tends to produce proud, lazy people whodislike manual labour and prefer white-collar jobs (Ajayi, 1963). This assertion by Ajayi (1963) is

representative of the opinions of later critics on African education curricula generally. The flaws in this

aspect of African education have been traced to missionary influence.

The National Curriculum Conference of September 1969 was the first attempt by Nigerians toformulate a school curriculum that is relevant to the goals, needs and aspirations of Nigerians. Today,

all educational authorities in Nigeria are aware of the pressing need to relate our curricula, at all levels

of education, to our national man-power needs. Unfortunately, 46 years after independence, none of thestated goals has been fully achieved. These goals are centred on achieving some national objectives

through the instrumentality of education, such as: the development of a free and democratic society; a

just and egalitarian society; a great and dynamic economy; and a land of bright future and opportunitiesfor all (Soyombo, 2007). The new curriculum is content-driven and examination centred. Teachers

efforts are geared towards covering the content of the curriculum within approved time frame of the

school calendar. Both the teacher and the student work towards ensuring that the examination syllabiare covered.

Oduolowu (2001) observed that there are strands of evidence of lack of creativity in Nigerianchild. The issue is, will the Nigerian children be able to cope with the work-force of the twenty-first

century which require manipulative skills and a much great ability to solve problems on their own thanit has been in the past. No positive impact of whatsoever will be made with system that promotes

theoretical knowledge, places emphasis on paper certification rather than stressing the development of

innate abilities in a learner evolving through training or practice. In a nutshell, there exists anaberration in policy formulation and implementation. That is to say, that the need to revisit the policy

becomes necessary, hence the urgent need to save our educational system from the gully of

irrelevances and hopelessness. This demands a new surgical operation under this democraticdispensation. Thus, the need for curriculum transformation becomes imperative. Bolaji, Stephen

(2007).

7. Problem with Implementing New CurriculumThe problem is not only related to the redefinition of the traditional boundaries among disciplines inresponse to the changing epistemological nature of how knowledge is constructed, validated and finally

applied in daily life, but also about how the new knowledge organization really affects the processes of

teaching and learning in the classroom. For example, a social sciences syllabus would surely be a betterway of sharing with students more comprehensive frames of reference in order to understand the world

they live in than a traditional syllabus based on history and geography as separate and disconnected

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subjects. But it could also generate a lot of confusion and uncertainty if teachers and heads of

department oppose the new syllabus and do not even try to understand it (Bolaji, 2007).

There is also problem associated with overloading of the curriculum and curriculum contentbecause of the high number of subjects that must be taken by students for their certification.

Overcrowded classes and timetable became pronounced as a result rapid population change in Nigeria.

An average classroom in the primary or JSS contains 70 to 120 pupils at any given time. This putsadded stress on school personnel, resources and school scheduling, teacher workload, classroom

management and the maintenance of order and discipline. There is strain on teachers, learners andmaterial resources of the school. One of the biggest obstacles to enhancing technological literacy in theNigeria is the limited amount of high-quality instructional materials to cope with the curriculum.

Although some good materials have been developed, the developers do not have the sustained funding,

time, or expertise to disseminate their work to a broad audience. Some teachers, education researchers,and curriculum developers have created interesting and effective approaches to engaging students in

technology and design activities, but most of them are known only in the school or school system

where they originated. Paucity of textbooks and other learning aids is another problem. The problems

of book scarcity and the cost have hindered the successful implementation of many laudableeducational programmes and curriculum projects (Ivowi, 1998). To teach a new curriculum at all levels

of education, the teachers or instructors currently employed by the Government have to receive further

training in teaching the new body of knowledge. Most of the teachers are not qualified to teach thesubjects introduced in the new curriculum. In addition, new experts have to be trained locally or abroad

while some experts have to be recruited from abroad in such disciplines where no qualified Nigerians

are yet available. All these projects depend on the availability of funds and unfortunately, the picturetoday is that funds are not sufficiently available for the kinds of curriculum innovation activities

described above; therefore the National Policy on Education has not been fully implemented.

8. Recommendations and ConclusionCurriculum renovation that is realistic and child-centred, that is quick in rejuvenating and revitalizinghope and passion for acquisition of broad-based knowledge that is worthwhile in a learner should be

the focus of the structure. Methodology that will aid self discovery and problem-solving ability whichallows learners the opportunity for creativity should be entrenched in the curriculum. Quality and

relevance are the two features that curriculum development in Nigeria now needs. Equally, changesand innovations of a school system of our globalized environment must involve the emergence of

elastic curricula models and educational policies which emphasize interdisciplinary courses, open-

ended systems, inter-generational and inter-professional relationships, multi-culturalism andsustainability. The need for a paradigm shift from theoretical and paper certification to a practical

application of knowledge necessary for future employment and skills development for self employment

should be the cardinal objectives of Nigerian education. Curriculum developers should also adopt theinterdisciplinary approach to curriculum especially at the primary and junior secondary school levels.

Emphasis should be on the changing needs of the society through reliance on the understanding and

application of new technologies. Finally, to teach a new curriculum at all levels of education, theteachers or instructors currently employed by the Government have to receive further training in

teaching the new body of knowledge. In addition, new experts have to be trained locally or abroad

while some experts have to be recruited from abroad in such disciplines where no qualified Nigerians

are yet available.

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