Federal Government Introduces New Trades in Education
15 New Trades Added to Nigeria’s Basic Education Curriculum
Nigeria Revamps Basic Education with New Vocational Skills
BY SHEKWOPEYELO
The Federal Government has introduced 15 new trades into Nigeria’s Basic Education curriculum. This change aims to enhance the skills and employability of graduates from primary and junior secondary schools. The new curriculum will launch in January 2025.
Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, announced the updates during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Monday. He noted that the National Council on Education (NCE) approved the curriculum last Thursday.
Mamman also provided updates on the development of a new Senior Secondary Education Curriculum. This curriculum will be ready for implementation in September 2025. He convened the stakeholders’ meeting to finalize logistics for implementing and monitoring the new Basic Education curriculum.
To facilitate this process, the government will spend the next three months refining arrangements. This effort will ensure that both private and public schools implement the curriculum effectively starting in January. This includes training teachers, developing guides, and improving infrastructure.
The new curriculum aims to equip Nigerian children with essential 21st-century skills. This change will help them become self-reliant and contribute to national development. Additionally, Mamman emphasized that the outdated curriculum, in use since 2012, fails to prepare graduates for global competitiveness.
The new subjects include Basic Digital Literacy, covering IT and Robotics. The Minister highlighted various vocational and entrepreneurship studies, including:
- Building and Construction: Plumbing, tiling, and floor works, as well as POP installation.
- Hospitality and Leisure: Event Decoration and Management, and Bakery and Confectioneries.
- Services: GSM repairs, satellite or TV antenna installation, CCTV installation and maintenance, and Solar Installation and Maintenance.
- Garment Making and Agriculture and Processing: Crop production, beekeeping, horticulture, sheep and goat farming, poultry, and rabbit farming.
Students will explore all the occupational subjects. Ultimately, they will choose one or two entrepreneurship trades to focus on before graduation. The curriculum integrates knowledge, skills, and values. This approach ensures that students gain practical skills that connect them to the economy and lead to productive lives.
