The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced reforms to the national education curriculum with the introduction of 15 skill acquisition courses for primary and secondary schools.
This new policy, which will begin in academic year 2025, will allow students to choose and specialize in one of these skills, gaining both theoretical and practical knowledge over a nine-year period of education, from Primary 1 to JSS Year 3.
According to a statement released by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) through its official X account: “Students choose a specific skill from 15 and gain both theoretical and practical knowledge before progressing to other classes.”
NBTE added: “Students will be able to choose one skill from Primary 1 to JSS 3 from 2025.”
The 15 skills that will be introduced into the curriculum are:
- Event decoration and management
- Satellite/TV antenna installation
- CCTV, intercom installation and maintenance
- Solar installation and maintenance
- Agriculture and processing (including crop production, beekeeping, horticulture, sheep and goat farming, poultry and rabbit farming)
- Basic digital literacy (IT and robotics)
teacher training
NBTE emphasized the critical role of teacher preparation in successfully implementing these policy changes.
According to the board, one of the key priorities is to ensure that educators are not only trained but also regularly retrained to ensure they remain current with the changing demands of the various technology areas being introduced.
“Teachers will be trained, retrained and employed in both public and private schools across the country.” they said
This extensive teacher development program will be implemented across both public and private schools across the country.
NBTE noted that having well-prepared instructors is essential to imparting the practical and theoretical knowledge students will require throughout their nine-year skills acquisition journey.
Why does this happen
The introduction of skill acquisition into the school curriculum is in line with Nigeria’s efforts to focus on fostering entrepreneurship and self-reliance among young people, especially in light of the country’s growing unemployment problem.
According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased to 5.3% in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from 5.0% in the third quarter of 2023.
- As a result of the survey, the unemployment rate for men was found to be 4.3%, and the unemployment rate for women was significantly higher at 6.2%. Urban areas were particularly affected, with unemployment reaching 6.0%, while rural areas reached 4.3%.
- The data also highlighted trends in youth unemployment, which remains a pressing issue despite a slight decline from 8.6% in the previous quarter to 8.4%.
- Analyzing the unemployment rate by education level, the unemployment rate for people with graduate school or higher education is low at 2.0%, while the unemployment rate for people with high school education is much higher at 9.0%.
- Additionally, the unemployment rate for people with secondary education was 6.9%, and for people with primary education, it was 4.0%.
- These statistics highlight the urgent need for education reform to provide young Nigerians with practical skills relevant to the job market.
The move aims to address high unemployment and reduce reliance on white-collar jobs by providing students with the practical skills needed in today’s economy.
