New curriculum that will teach skills such as hairstyling, make-up, sewing, plumbing, tiling and others to commence January 2025 – FG

The Federal Ministry of Education has announced that the new curriculum for basic education will start in January 2025, and the new curriculum for senior secondary education will begin in September 2025.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, revealed this information on Monday, October 14, in Abuja, during a stakeholders’ meeting focused on implementing the new curriculum. This curriculum aims to equip students with essential skills for life.

According to the minister, the introduction of these new skills will have a significant impact, as they are designed to equip 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 1993 academic standards laid the groundwork for the 6:3:3:4 ratio, clearly defining the learning trajectory for 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 updated curriculum now features 15 newly introduced trade subjects at the basic education level, including information technology, vocational entrepreneurship skills such as building and construction, plumbing, tiling, hair styling, makeup artistry, construction, GSM repairs, satellite and CCTV installation and maintenance, and garment making, among others.