Searching for effective implementation of UBE curriculum

Kunle Awosiyan, Lagos
Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu

The introduction of Universal Basic Education
programme is steadily putting Nigeria educational system in another stage of metamorphosis. With this and for the first time, the Primary School Leaving Certificate will soon become an invalid academic qualification while the Universal Basic Education certificate of a nine-year stretch programme will come to bear.

Interestingly, Nigeria is endowed with both natural and human resources and formulating a policy has never been a problem to the country but its implementation. Before now, the country had operated such systems like the Higher School Certificate, also known as the Advanced Level and the modern school systems. As a matter of fact, the Advanced Level was abolished with the introduction of 6-3-3-4 system.

The 6-3-3-4 is the idea of a renowned Educationist and the Former Education Minister, Professor Babatunde Fafunwa. The system is still in operation though with inadequate implementation. So when the Senior Officials of the Federal Government stormed Lagos State two weeks ago to present to the people of South West the Nine-year Basic Education curriculum, most stakeholders did not see the event as a serious affair. Despite that the gathering witnessed the presence of the Minister of State for Education, Hajiya Aishat Jibril Dukku, Chairmen of the various States Universal Basic Education Boards, the Deputy Governor of Lagos state, Princess Sarah Adebisi-Sosan who acted in another capacity as the state Commissioner for Education, the Executive Secretary, UBEC, Dr. Ahmed Modibbo and the Director-General, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, Professor Godswill Obioma, it lacked the glamour expected of at the turning point in the country educational sector.

Most stakeholders had seen the presentation as a routine but not really an antidote to revive the dying education sector. They had argued that the implementation of the curriculum mattered more than the presentation, calling on government to provide the necessary facility and fund to adequately put the curriculum to work. Some of the state chairmen had accused the Federal Government of putting very stringent condition on them before they could access their counter part fund, adding that the failure of the federal government to release money regularly might hamper the implementation of the programme.

Though in his usual eloquent voice, Obioma had presented and defended the curriculum he and members of his council had developed for about two years.
He stated that the council had developed a curriculum that could solve the current problem of the country by producing a complete student at the end of a nine-year programme.

He emphasized that the curriculum had been modified in line with the basic education direction by taking into cognizance the needs of the country and the pupils’ aspiration. That is why the council has reintroduced civic education and made French Language compulsory from basic four, he said. The curriculum, according to Obioma is designed to produce a student that can effectively contribute to the development of the country’s economy with the basic skills he or she has acquired within the nine-year programme.

But to these stakeholders, the curriculum development and presentation is not an achievement but its successful implementation. And to adequately do so, the minister had personally traveled from Abuja to present the curriculum and to seek the support of the state governments. While presenting the curriculum, Dukku urged both private and public sector to make the nation proud by ensuring that the curriculum is effectively implemented in their respective schools.

The minister called on both the private and public schools to emphasize more on the teaching of skill acquisition in the curriculum, saying that the global economic development is tilting more to skill acquisition rather than certificates.

Dukku expressed the Federal Government displeasure to the attitude of some state governments in their payment of UBE counterpart fund, calling them to change for the better in the interest of the pupils who needed the basic education now.

She explained that the curriculum would only have meaning if the states boards could collaborate with the UBEC to adequately fund the UBE programme.

On the part of the Federal Government, the minister said that a training manual that would ensure uniform approaches and minimum standards had been developed to train teachers on how to use the curriculum, adding that the manual would be distributed to teachers before the end of this month to commence training nationwide.

She also said that the federal government was working to ensure that necessary instructional materials for teaching and learning are provided soon.

She said, “We actually need to improve on the current level of provision of instructional materials. There is the need to make our schools learning and work friendly. That is one major way the morale of our professional teachers and personnel can be raised and sustained.”

In his words, the UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Mohammed described UBE as an initiative aimed at achieving full access to retention and completion of basic education cycle for all Nigerian children irrespective of their socio-economic conditions within the context of Federal Governments poverty eradication strategy.

He said, “The vision is that at the end of nine years of continuous education, every child should acquire appropriate and relevant skills and values and be employable in order to contribute his or her quota to national development.” He warned that the arrival of UBE curriculum should not be seen as the end of UBE implementation but should be seen as the beginning of a new era in the provision of quality basic education for the Nigerian child.

All hands need to henceforth be on deck to see the successful implementation of the new curricula. Reiterating the commitment of the commission to the success of UBE, Mohammed said that 45, 000 teachers with National Certificate in Education, under the Federal Teachers Scheme had been posted to teach in public primary and junior secondary schools across the country.

According to him, each state has about 1, 300 of such teachers with monthly allowances fully paid by the Federal Government. He also noted that the commission had organized refresher courses for the teachers. However in her response, the Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Mrs. Oluwagbemiga Benson, said that the board had constructed 29 blocks of three-classrooms with toilets across all the Local Government Education Areas in the state under UBEC intervention.

Under the same commission, Benson said that the board had also procured 11, 534 furniture for public school pupils. She also mentioned that the board had executed the rehabilitation of 54 blocks of six classrooms, procured 7, 350 pairs of furniture for pupils and 198 pairs of furniture for primary school teachers. Benson proceeded to mention the quantity of books the board had so far provided for the schools, which was 8, 459, 792 volumes in core subjects.

According to her, the board had also trained and retrained 6, 785 teachers through UBEC intervention in 2005; 7,199 teachers through SUBEB subvention in 2006; 1099 ECCDE teachers through Lagos state government fund in 2007 and 40 JSS teachers through SUBEB subvention in 2008. Corroborating the minister, the Deputy Governor, Adebisi-Sosan said that the curriculum if properly implemented would assist in the realization of the objectives of the National Economic Empowerment Strategy (NEEDS) and the Millennium Development Goals.

She called for support of all stakeholders, saying that the structure and profile of any policy and its ultimate success depended largely on the cooperation, commitment and dedication of the workforce and the human personnel that would translate the concept.

Taking education to greater height in Ekiti

Dapo Falade, Ado Ekiti

Engr. Segun Oni, Ekiti State governorAT a recent interactive session in his office, Governor Segun Oni of Ekiti State emphasised that the essence of his administration was not for self-glorification but to evolve a robust and fundamental change governance and ensure all-round development of the state and promote the socio-economic well-being of its people. Pursuant to his targeted goal, the governor had, in the last 10 months, put in place measures and policies, including the appointment of many 'wise men' to man the various ministries and parastatals in order to ensure the success of his administrative policies.

Among the chosen 'wise men' is Prince Dayo Adeyeye, a seasoned journalist, author, administrator and politician of repute. He was sworn in about two months ago as the Executive Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). Knowing the importance attached to the education sector as one of the pivots for the sustainable socio-economic development programme of the Oni administration, the Ekiti SUBEB boss swung into action soon after resuming office.

Addressing the print media recently on the mission, focus and challenges facing the Board in the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in the state, Adeyeye delved into the measures he had put in place to, as he put it, " contribute my quota towards retrieving the lost glory of education in the state", and to seek to making the state attain the number one position in the nation's education sector, particularly as it concerns the advancement of basic eduaction both in the primary and Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) across the state.

Among his programmes of action is the renovation of schools and provision of more classrooms; redesigning of school buildings; provision of furniture; provision of textbooks and instructional materials; improvement on teachers' welfare and recruitment, as well as encouragement of sporting activities in public primary schools in the state.

Going into the details, Adeyeye declared; "Gentlemen of the press, I will stress here that there would be massive renovation of dilapidated buildings in every primary and JSS schools across the state, while old structures would be completely pulled down. Apart from this, more clasrooms would be constructed where there are shortages. These we intend to pursue with vigour and seriousness to provide enough clasrooms for our pupils, and, at the same time, offices for our headteachers."Restating the commitment of Governor Oni to the education sector, the Ekiti SUBEB boss said that the state government had directed that all primary schools should have enough furniture by the end of October. Towards this end, according to him, the Board is making solid arrangement to ensure that adequate furniture is provided for pupils in line with Oni's directive and vision, just as he assured schools presently experiencing shortage of furniture that the problem would soon be over.

In the same vein, Adeyeye said that, as part of its responsibilities, the Board will intensify efforts in provision of textbooks on ore subjects of English Language, Mathematics and Sciences to pupils and JSS students, while provision of instructional materials wiil equally be given attention to further ensure adequate learning and teaching in schools.

"We will lay emphasis on adequate use of these materials through serious supervision and monitoring to achieve the purpose for which they were purchased," he added. On teachers' welfare, Adeyeye said; "Honestly, positive development in the area of teachers' welfare has been the central focus of this administration, and, indeed, the Board would also pay serious attention to the important aspect of basic education delivery system." he assured that teachers would continue to enjoy their promotion as at when due, while their salaries and allowances would continue to be paid on or before the 20th of every month. He also said that priority would be given to an enhanced training and re-training of teachers through capacity building to expose them to modern methods of teaching.

"I want to give you the cheering news that Mr. Governor has directed the Board to recruit 1,000 teachers in order to inject new blood into the system and reduce the current rate of unemployment in the state. This is another evidence of this government's commitment to alleviating poverty in the state," he enthused, adding that the Board had already concluded arrangement to effect the governor's directive on the teachers' recruitment exercise.

A sports enthusiast, Adeyeye also disclosed that he had already directed all the headteachers in the state public primary schools to appoint sports masters to oversee and organise sporting activities in the state. "The impulse of this decision is in line with the state government's plan to promote sports development from the grassroots as a way of discovering hidden talents that would represent this state in future, both in national and international spoting events, including football", he added stating that plans were in the offing to establish at least, one sports centre in each ward to facilitate sports development at the grassroots, the Ekiti SUBEB chairman thanked Oni's administration for appointing internationally acclaimed sports administrators, including Chief Adegboye Onigbinde (Football), Amelia Edet (Athletics) and Dr. Abbey (Lawn Tennis) to take charge of sports development in the state, adding that his Borad was already working with the hired hands towards nsuring a sound futuristic development of sporting activities in the state.

Expressing the optimism that all the plans mapped out by the Ekiti SUBEB under his chairmanship were attainable within the lifespan of the present administration in the state, he, however, was not unmindful of the fact that the planning was based on anticipated revenues, both from the UBEC, Abuja and counter-part funding from the state government, just as he solicited support of all stakeholders in the education sector in the state.