Nigerian School Curriculum Outdated — NITDA

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has disclosed that the school curriculum in Nigeria is outdated and needs an urgent and comprehensive review.

NITDA made this known through its Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, during a meeting with the management team of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) led by its Executive Secretary, Professor Janaidu Ismail, at NITDA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, a statement by NITDA said Sunday.

The urgent need to work together to review the existing school curriculum and develop a comprehensive one that incorporates digital skills at all educational levels was emphasised by Abdullahi.

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He said this is in line with President Bola  Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to create millions of jobs by leveraging digital technologies and achieving a digital literacy rate of 70% by 2027.

He stated that digital technology has an important role to play in the design of the curriculum, content and processes due to evolution of technology.

“This disruptive technology has substituted the way of doing things worldwide of which Nigeria as a country is not to be left behind.

“We must lead in developing a competency-based, outcome-focused curriculum that addresses the demands of the 21st century. This will enable us to produce a skilled workforce capable of meeting the needs of the Nigerian market and attracting investment from other countries. Integrating digital skills into the curriculum is crucial for national development and economic growth,” the NITDA DG said.

In his earlier remarks, the Executive Secretary (ES) of NERDC, Prof. Ismail Janiadu, stated that the institution is charged with the primary responsibility of curriculum development for the country at all levels and this cannot be done without the infusion of digital literacy as a critical area for the development of any country.

The ES noted that the visit was to scale up the existing relationship, partnership and engagement and to explore potential areas that both organisations will have a tie towards national development.