Teachers Union Chairman commends reintroduction of history into school curriculum
The Chairman of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, Stephen Knabayi, has commended Nigerian government move to reintroduce History as subject in the education system.
Penpushing recalled that History, as a subject was first removed from Nigeria’s basic education curriculum in 2008, supposedly because students were avoiding it with the claim that there were few jobs for history graduates. It was later merged as part of social studies.
The previous previous efforts to reintroduce history into the curriculum failed, while it is recalled that in 2018, former Minister of Education, Prof Adamu Adamu, gave a similar directive, pointing out that the National Council on Education had approved the reintroduction of history as a standalone subject at the 61st ministerial session in September, 2016.
Penpushing further reports that Adamu, at the time directed the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to carry out the disarticulation of history from social studies curriculum.
The then Minister stated that the new history curriculum was designed to expose students to a body of knowledge that would enable them appreciate history as an instrument of national integration and nation building in the 21st century and beyond.
Penpushing also reports that four years later in 2022, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) trained 3,700 teachers as part of the move to reintroduce the subject, however, in a latest development Nigerian government has assured its return
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made this known while featuring as a guest on a television interview, emphasizing that history, a vital part of nation building has been missing in the Nigerian education system for a long time, noting that the subject will now be taught in schools from 2025.
“We now have people up to 30-year-old totally disconnected from our history. It doesn’t happen in any part of the world. From 2025 our students in primary and secondary schools will have that as part of their studies”, he said.
Penpushing reports that Chairman of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, in response attributed the earlier failure of reintroducing it to lack of planning and consultation, however, expressed satisfaction on the new pronouncement adding that it is a great development
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