FG Revamps Secondary Education: Introduces Vocational Courses

New Vocational Curriculum for Secondary Students

“The whole idea is that, by the time children finished, they should have a minimum of two skills...”

Nigeria Revamps Education: New Curriculum Introduces Vocational Skills (Plumbing, Tiling, Hairstyling) & 21st-Century Training, Launching Jan 2025 & Sept 2025

The Federal Ministry of Education has announced a major update to Nigeria's education system. Starting January 2025, a new curriculum for basic education will roll out across schools nationwide. This initiative aims to equip students with essential skills for life.

Highlights of the New Curriculum:

• Basic Education Curriculum: Launches January 2025
• Senior Secondary Education Curriculum: Launches September 2025
• 21st-Century Skills: Focus on skills acquisition for real-world applications

According to Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, this updated curriculum will have a multiplier effect, empowering students with the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century. This move demonstrates the Ministry's commitment to revitalizing Nigeria's education system.

The new curriculum expands to include technical and vocational skills, such as:

• Building services (plumbing, tiling, flooring)
• Creative industries (hairstyling)
• Sustainable energy solutions (solar installation)
• Interior finishing (POP work)

“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.

Professor Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, recently convened a meeting to finalize the new secondary school curriculum. The agenda included ironing out implementation modalities, refining specific aspects of the curriculum, and establishing a timeline for execution, support, monitoring, and evaluation.

Regarding the distinction between the novel curriculum and the preceding 6:3:3:4 system, which also integrated skills acquisition, the Minister emphasized that the primary issue with the former was its inability to translate policy into practice. Essentially, the previous system's failure to implement skills training effectively has led to the development of this new curriculum.

Objectives of the New Curriculum:

• Implementation Modalities: Streamlining the rollout process
• Curriculum Refining: Enhancing specific areas of the curriculum
• Timeline Establishment: Defining milestones for execution, support, monitoring, and evaluation
• Addressing Implementation Gaps: Overcoming the shortcomings of the 6:3:3:4 system

“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.