Parents, students welcome introduction of plumbing, hairdressing in curriculum

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As experts list possible challenges

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.

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This is coming after the outcry from different quarters that the existing curriculum is outdated and lacks what it takes for the present education system, which is moving towards a knowledge-based economy.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.

She also advised the federal government to ensure that a monitoring mechanism is employed to check the outcome of what the children will be learning.

For Chioma Madu, the idea is good if they will follow it religiously and not allow it to be just a talk and for the purpose of enriching the curriculum.

“Our kids are supposed to spend more time learning trade(s) or developing a talent than spending in classrooms learning things that will not benefit them. We learnt a lot of things, which we never apply in life today. So if the children learn different trade subjects they can use it to build a better life. After all, people with skills and trades are the ones pulling the economy of the country,” she said.

She said the government needs to make sure that laboratories and workshops to use in schools are up to date with the necessary equipment and also there are qualified trainers for them, in addition to dedicating enough time for the children to be able to learn.

A teacher, Sophia Emmanuel, said the idea of trade subjects has been going on in schools, especially private schools, but not up to 14 and it is usually done on selected days when the school arranges and the parents have to pay for it.

She said it will be good if the federal government will make provision for the needed facilities and employ dedicated people in the fields to teach students instead of bringing entrepreneurs outside the school system to train the students as it is being done now.

A child and family well-being advocate, Barrister Hannatu Enwemadu, said the federal government’s initiative is a commendable step towards equipping students with practical skills but that several factors must be addressed for successful implementation, particularly in public schools.

Enwemadu, who is the Executive Director of Mother’s Love Initiative, explained that inadequate infrastructure and resources pose a significant hurdle as public schools often lack the necessary workshops, equipment, and materials for hands-on training in these vocational areas.

She foresees a challenge of recruiting qualified and passionate teachers with expertise in those fields, adding that mindset shift in societal perceptions and parental expectations may need to shift to embrace vocational education as equally valuable as academic pursuits.

To overcome these challenges, Enwemadu advised the government to prioritise investment in infrastructure, teacher training, public awareness campaigns, collaboration with industry experts or professionals and related stakeholders.

“By addressing these concerns proactively, the government can ensure the successful implementation of this innovative curriculum and empower students with valuable skills for the 21st-century job market. Also, collaboration and partnership with the private sector, stakeholders play a huge role,” she said.

An educator, Dr Rasheedat Sadiq, also believed it is good to introduce trade subjects early on at basic education, saying, “I’m not sure how early it is but I guess that’s from primary 1. I think it’s good that we get the children doing things that they can see the results of and early on.”

Speaking on perceived challenges, she said: “I perceive the challenge we may have is that of trained individuals that will actually teach them. So how many trained teachers do we have that know how to barb hair or how to install POP? Because teaching is a methodology and you can’t just bring any POP installer from the roadside to come and start teaching children in school.”

“I see that we may also face problem of funding and getting resources, so that we don’t end up having alternative to practical and think that we are teaching trade subjects, if there’s no money to buy flour, sugar and what to teach baking, what are we teaching?” she added.

Dr Sadiq however advised the government to pare the subjects down so that it’s not such a wide range.

“If you want to go into baking, textile design or sewing something or whatever we want, it should just be few so that resources can be channeled towards those few and we can see the effect. And then with time, we can try to increase as the case may be, or we can decide to do it as sort of afterschool clubs. Well, I know that also poses its own challenges,” she said.

“Government needs to also be dedicated and not pay lip service. So we just need to make sure they do the research properly and before they kick off so that we do it properly, not something wishy-washy,” she added.

Meanwhile, at the last National Council on Education (NCE), the immediate past Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman said the country’s educational curriculum is all in danger of becoming obsolete as technology is disrupting every industry, including education and thus they added 15 trade subjects to the curriculum.

He said: “The Ministry is about rolling out a new curriculum for Basic Education and Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria, 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.”