President Bola Tinubu has ordered the reintroduction of Nigerian History as a subject in basic education, according to Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa. This move reverses the 2009 decision by former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s government to remove history from the curriculum, citing low demand and a shortage of history teachers.
The Nigerian government had announced the reintroduction of history as a subject in basic education, 13 years after its abolition. Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, inaugurated the reintroduction of teaching history and training history teachers at the basic education level in Abuja. Adamu expressed concerns that the removal of history from the curriculum had led to a lack of knowledge about Nigeria’s evolution, threatening national cohesion. To address this, 3,700 history teachers have been shortlisted for training to enhance their teaching skills.The reintroduction of history aims to give Nigerian students a sense of self-identity and understanding of their nation’s past. This move is expected to promote national cohesion and a better understanding of Nigeria’s history.
“As a result, history was subsequently expunged from the list of subject combinations our students could offer in both external and internal examinations compared to the subjects that were made compulsory at basic and secondary levels in Nigeria.
“This single act no doubt relegated and eroded the knowledge and information that learners could otherwise have been exposed to. It was a monumental mistake and have already started seeing its negative consequences. “The loss created by the absence of this subject has led to a fall in moral values, erosion of civic values, and disconnect from the past.
“More worrisome was the neglect of the teaching of this subject at basic and post basic levels of education which invariably eroded the knowledge of the evolution of Nigeria as a country.”
The re-introduction of history as a subject in Nigerian schools is underway, with a focus on training and retraining teachers to enhance their capacity development. This effort aims to equip teachers with the necessary skills to effectively teach the subject, ultimately leading to mastery.
According to Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), 3,700 history teachers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been selected for training. The selection was made on a pro-rata basis, with 100 teachers chosen from each state and the FCT. This training will enable teachers to effectively teach the modified subject content. The re-introduction of history as a subject is a response to the minister’s directive, and the UBEC and Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) have collaborated to make it happen.
Source : https://saharareporters.com/
