The federal government said with the new curriculum set to roll out for Basic and Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria, every student must graduate with at least two skills.
The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman who stated this said the new curriculum is designed to incorporate knowledge, skills, and values at Basic and Senior Secondary Education levels.
He stated this at the 68th National Council on Education (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Thursday, with the theme, “Innovation, Digital Technology Entrepreneurship: Tools for Educational and National Development in the 21st Century. “
He said the new curriculum is designed to incorporate knowledge, skills, and values, especially with a special focus on skills, so that students, when they graduate, will have skills that they can connect with the economy and have a productive life.
He explained that today, they share a common challenge that the country’s educational curriculum is all in danger of becoming obsolete as technology is disrupting every industry, including education.
“A well-designed and effective curriculum determines a sustainable development, quality, and the relevance of education. This is the main reason why this administration places priority on the institutionalization of curriculum development in the overall context of education,” he said.
The ministry, according to him, is implementing the Education Transformation Agenda of Mr. President designed to comprehensively overhaul the education sector to ensure quality learning, skill development, access, and equity.
Prof Mamman reaffirmed that the government has the primary responsibility of protecting and ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels for all learners.
“The government, therefore, is committed to observing all relevant international protocols, conventions, and treaties for the protection of our learners, teachers, learning institutions, and facilities from attack and any other instrument on education, which the country has domesticated. “
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu said any nation that is desirous of growth must in essence embrace the new culture of creative ideas, entrepreneurship, and the use of digital technology.
He said: “To meet the challenges posed by new technological development, we must ensure that the educational system is structured and made more relevant to the needs and aspirations of the society.”
Sununu noted that new and relevant ideas must be injected into the system to enhance national development, adding that education at all levels needs renewal in order to meet up with the present globalization.
Also, the Chairman Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Muntari Mohammed said digital literacy must be a fundamental component of the curriculum, adding that their leadership remains focused on ensuring stability in the education sector.