LAGOS – The Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) on Friday advised school administrators to faithfully implement the new Senior Secondary School (SSS) curriculum. Dr Moses Salau, the Director/Head in South-West Zonal Office of NERDC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that its implementation would address the growing rate of unemployment among youths. Salau said that the new curriculum was designed to train students in any trade to become entrepreneurs and self- employed. He said that the curriculum was not difficult or expensive to implement as claimed by some school administrators. “The curriculum will curb unwholesome behaviour, armed robbery, prostitution, kidnapping and drug addiction among the youths. “There is nothing difficult with the curriculum to implement; we have advised schools administrator to adopt the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to make it cost effective. “Partnership between the schools and private organisations will reduce the cost of setting up of workshops in all schools; schools should have structures on how the subjects will be taught. “We do not love innovation in Nigeria; we want to remain in the same position and expect changes, the only thing permanent is change”. Salau said that the students who could not further their education could start a trade and business on small scale with the training they had received at the secondary school level. “If the curriculum is faithfully implemented, it will solve growing unemployment rate; students will have a skill that will make them become self reliant, rather than roaming the streets and constituting nuisance “With the new curriculum, students will be trained in any of the 35 trade/entrepreneur subjects”. He listed these subjects to include garment making, plumbing and pipe fitting, furniture making, catering and craft practice, cosmetology, dyeing and bleaching, auto electrical work, auto mechanical work as well as painting and decorating. Other subjects are air conditioning refrigerator, photography, fisheries, GSM maintenance and book keeping. Speaking on the phasing out of the old curriculum, Salau said that the old curriculum would be phased out by September 2014/2015 session. He said that primary, junior and senior secondary schools would operate fully on the new curriculum by September. He said that the old senior secondary curriculum would be phased out systematically over a period of three years -September 2011 to June 2014. “The old curriculum is only operational in the primary school level; by September the new curriculum will become effective. “The first phase of implementation is ending in June when the senior secondary school students will write examination based on the new trade subjects. “Senior and junior secondary schools have started the new curriculum,“ he said. (NAN) |