Basic education’s new curriculum that will include skills such as make up, sewing, plumbing and tiling to commence January 2025 – FG

The Federal Ministry of Education has announced that the new curriculum for basic education will commence across schools in January 2025 while the new curriculum for senior secondary education will also commence by Sept. 2025.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman disclosed this on Monday, October 14 in Abuja, at a stakeholders meeting on the implementation of the new curriculum with the new curriculum to include several skills to equip pupils for life.

According to the minister, the new skills acquisition to be introduced would have a multiplier effect by equipping students with 21st-century skills.

“In the last year, we have worked with stakeholders to develop a skills framework that will inject skills right from the latter part of basic education to secondary education.

“The whole idea is that, by the time children finished, they should have a minimum of two skills so that they can have a productive life,’’ he said.

The Minister said the meeting was conveyed to discuss the modality and as well tidy some aspects of the curriculum, while also giving a timeline for implementation, support, monitoring and evaluation.

When asked about the difference between the new scheme and the 6:3:3:4 system of education that also infused skills, he said the problem was the inability to implement the policy.

“The major justification for what we have done has been the inability to implement the 6:3:3:4 system from inception.

“The minimum academic standard of 1993 shows a reason for 6:3:3:4 and the Act outlined clearly the learning trajectory of schools in Nigeria.

“It was envisaged that by the time learners finished basic education, they would have acquired skills. Unfortunately, we departed from it,’’ he said.

The Director of Curriculum, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Dr Garba Gandu, said the new curriculum is competency and digital-based, as it is also aligned with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and (STEAM) methods.

The new curriculum includes 15 newly introduced trade subjects for basic education such as information technology, and vocational entrepreneurship skills such as building and construction, plumbing, tiling, hair styling, make-up, construction, GSM repairs, satellite and CCTV installation and maintenance and garment making, among others.