Salient Points to Note why Interpreting and Implementing the New UBE and Post UBE Curriculum

Salient Points to Note why

Interpreting and Implementing the New UBE and Post UBE Curriculum

By

Fowowe, Simeon S.

H.O.D, ECCE, AOCOED &

Chairman, Association for Childhood Education Practitioners

Preamble:

Every child should have the opportunity to grow up in a setting that values children, that provides conditions for a safe and secured environment, and that respects diversity. Because children are both the present and the future of every nation, they therefore need functional curricula that make them compete favourably with their peers globally in scientific and technological innovations.

Today, more than ever before, students at all levels, need extensive and contemporary knowledge of the global curriculum, happenings and skills and dispositions to engage with people from many cultures and countries. They will need these to be responsible global citizens and effective participants in the global market place of the 21st century.

Sad enough, only few teachers today are well prepared to educate students for this new global context contained in the new UBE and Post UBE Curricula.

·         Observations and Salient Points to note in the new curriculum:

·         (i)        Nigerian Language must be taught  in all schools(Yoruba in the South West, Igbo in the East and Hausa in the North).

·         (ii)       Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA) should be taught by three (3) different teacher i.e. Fine Art, Literature and Music.

·         (iii)      Basic Science & Technology  (BST) should be taught by at least four

teachers with different background (i.e. Basic Science, Basic Technology, PHE, and Information Technology).

·         (iv)      Religion and National Value (RNV) should be taught by five teachers with different background (i.e. CRS, ISS, Social Studies, Civic Education and Security Education).

·         The Implementation of the curriculum in question, is only for the current primary one and two, while by September 2016, it will be implemented in primary three (3).

·         Time-table-two different time table should be mounted (i.e. primary one and two and primary 3 – 6). In 2017, Pry 4 will key in until 2020 when it would have been completely implemented in all classes of primary schools .

·         Report Card – for now, two different report cards should be provided for the pupils, i.e. (Primary one and two, with a new report card reflecting the new subjects (i.e. RNV, CCA, BST), and the old one currently being used in Primary 3-6 should be retained until the old curriculum phases out in 2020.

·         Lesson note – teachers should consult the e-curriculum provided by (infores Brain friend) that will be displayed later before writing their lesson note.

·         Setting of questions – They should consult same e-curriculum (infores Brain friend) for setting of objective questions and teachers involved should brainstorm before doing it.

·         Textbooks – New textbooks for the new subjects have been published for primary one and two and JSS 1 & 2, i.e. Melrose Books, Noble Div. Limited.

·         Teachers’ Textbooks – school should print textbooks from the e-curriculum (infores Brain friend)or get copies of teachers’ guides from reputable publishers i.e. Melrose Books, Noble Div. Limited.

·         Rotation of teachers – by the new curriculum, teachers may be drafted from the upper classes to teach one or two periods at the lower level (i.e. Pry 1-2). The affected subjects that involve such are: (i)  RNV – religion & National Value

(ii)       BST- Basic Science & Technology

(iii)      CCA- Cultural & Creative Arts

·         Promotion of specialization of subjects – The current curriculum promotes subject specialization like Literature-in-English in CCA, Music teachers to teach music aspect of CCA, Fine Art teacher to teach Art and Custom aspect of CCA, PHE teacher should teach the PHE aspect of BST, Computer studies teacher should be made to teach the IT aspect of BST, The social studies or civic teacher could be made to teach the Security aspect of RNV, CRS teacher should be made to teach the CRS aspect of RNV, ISS is the elective subject to CRS therefore, whenever CRS is going on in the class, ISS must equally go on, if it is offered in the school anyway.

·         French, becomes a compulsory subject from Pry. 4 with the new curriculum.

·         Business studies is not offered at primary school until JS 1.

·         Pre-vocational studies which comprises 3 subjects/themes (i.e. Home-Economics, Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship) should not be offered at the primary 1, 2 and 3 again until primary 4 as prescribed by the new curriculum.

·         Rhymes/Songs/Games should be used by teachers to introduce new subject and other pedagogical activities.

·         Year 2020 is the year, the 1st Common Entrance will be conducted on the new UBE Curriculum, Year 2016, is the year, the first BECE will be conducted for JSS.

·         Teaching at this level should be participatory and child-centered. Innovative teaching techniques should be employed while teaching the new curriculum.

·         The teacher-pupil ratio is 1teacher to 35pupils.

·         The CA (Continuous Assessment) is 40% while 60% is the examination.

·         Setting of questions – for the new subjects, like BST, RNV and CCA, the teachers involved should jointly set the questions or do it on individual bases (i.e. question on Drama, another teacher sets on Music and the 3rd teacher sets on Fine Art, this will make up the 60% of the examination.

·         The same practice should be done while setting questions on RNV, BST, etc.

·         English studies is the preferred term for primary and junior secondary level while English Language is for senior secondary.

·         Senior Secondary Education- This section should double as Career Development Unit.

·         Students- are expected to choose their careers from SS 1 to pursue up to university.

·         Students graduating from JSS- should be batched or directed into senior classes based on their BECE’s results, aptitude and vocational interest.

·         School Counsellor- should help in this regard where there is no school counselor, please employ one, even if it is on part time basis.

·         Senior secondary education – since 2011, school/colleges should prefer to use School or Faculty instead of Department, to refer to where students are batched or take their subjects (i.e. field of Mathematics and Science, Field of Technology, Field of Arts and Humanities and Field of Business Studies).

·         The cross-cutting subjects for all the students, in respective of their field of studies are – English Language, General Mathematics, Civic Education, Computer studies/ICT, and trade.

·         Report Card for senior secondary should be done separately for the 4 field of studies (i.e. Science and Mathematics, Technology, Arts & Humanities and Business Studies).

·         Subjects for each field of studies are listed below:

v    Science and Mathematics

1.         Biology

2.         Chemistry

3.         Physics

4.         Further Mathematics

5.         Health Education

6.         Agriculture

7.         Physical Education                (7 subjects)

v    Technology

1.         Technical Drawing

2.         General Metal Work

3.         Basic Electricity

4.         Electronics

5.         Auto Mechanics

6.         Building Construction

7.         Woodwork

8.         Home Management

9.         Food and Nutrition  

10.       Clothing & Textiles               (10 subjects)

v    Art & Humanities:

1          Christian Religious Studies

2.         Islamic Studies

3.         Visual Art

4.         Music

5.         History^-

6.         Geography

7.         Government

8.         Economics

9.         Literature-in-English

10.       French

11.       Arabic

12.       Nigerian Language                (12 subjects)

v    Business Studies:    

1.         Stores Management

2.         Accounting

3.         Commerce

4.         Office Practice

5.         Insurance                               (5 subjects)

·         Entrepreneurial Skills- students form SS 1 should be made to choose a trade or vocation that he/she will pursue till secondary school graduation.

·         Schools are employed to choose at least five out of the 35 trades/skills available for their students. They may not be able to sponsor ALL the trades.

·         The best way to teach the trades/skills is to employ the “artisan” to handle the practical aspect of the curriculum, while the “educated teacher”, handles the theory. That is the only way the set objectives can be achieved.

·         Employ the service of the artisan to come at least twice in a week to teach the students. Even, if the artisan cannot speak “English”, let there be an interpreter to do justice to the “transliteration”. The purpose is to “understand” the basic skills, for example, how to repair GSM, take good pictures, process data, do catering services etc. It is not how to speak the “elitist English” that the aspect of the curriculum wants to teach.

·         Students taught under this prescription- “Artisan + trained teacher” will create jobs and wealth after ‘passing out’, from secondary school.

·         The 35 trades/skills are listed below:

1.             Auto Body Repair and Spray Painting

2.            Auto Electrical Work

3.            Auto Mechanical Work

4.            Auto Parts Merchandising

5.            Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

6.            Welding and Fabrication Engineering Craft Practice

7.            Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work

8.            Radio, TV and Electronic Servicing

9.            Block Laying, Brick Laying and Concrete Work

10.          Painting and Decorating

11.          Plumbing and Pipe fitting

12.          Machine Woodworking

13.          Carpentry and Joinery

14.          Furniture Making

15.          Upholstery

16.          Catering Craft Practice

17.          Garment Making

18.          Clothing and Textile trade

19.          Dyeing and Bleaching

20.         Printing Craft Practice

21.          Cosmetology

22.         Photography

23.         Mining

24.         Tourism

25.         Leather Goods Manufacturing and Repair

26.         Stenography

27.         Data Processing

28.         Store Keeping.

29.         Book Keeping

30.         GSM Maintenance and Repairs

31.          Animal Husbandry

32.         Fishery

33.         Marketing

34.         Salesmanship            

35.         Keyboarding

·         JAMB should continue to admit students based on the new structure as from 2016 academic session.

·         Publishers should begin to “roll out” books in this regard.

·         School owners, Administrators, teachers and teacher training institutions should key into this development and fashion their operations after this development.

·         Teacher institutions’ regulatory bodies like, NCCE, NUC, NTI and Ministry of Education, NGOs, Education Partners, should as a matter of urgency, key into this development.

·         Each student should select and offer a minimum of 9 subjects across board at senior secondary school.

·         Conclusion

The new curriculum for Universal Basic Education (UBE) and post UBE has come to stay in Nigeria. It has been designed to promote re-orientation, critical thinking, value orientation, entrepreneurial skills, wealth creation, amongst others. It was also launched to correct the defects in the former one that is being used currently in Nigerian primary 3 to 6 and J.S 3 classes. The implication of this is that, the new set of primary 1 and 2 and J.S 1 and 2 pupils has begun to use the new UBE curriculum since October 2014, while the old curriculum will gradually phase out with the preceding sets. This way, it will be completely phased out from primary school by year 2020 and by year 2016 from junior secondary schools.

Therefore, School Heads, Administrators, Teachers and especially school Counsellors have onerous task in the implementation process and should be encouraged to key into the new trend.

Public examination bodies like WAEC and NECO should take note, revise their examination syllabi.

Schools by implication, should select at least ten subjects from the 34 trades for their students, depending on the resources and the resource persons available where students will be guided to select at least one…

Placement from J.S 3 to S.S I should be based on interest, Aptitude, to take the subjects and academic performance and Vocational interest.

New subjects like Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA), Pre-vocational Education (PVS) and Religious and National Value (RNV) should be taught by different experts from different background that make up the content of the subjects; because that is the only way the set goals can be achieved.

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