Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered the reintroduction of Nigerian History as a subject in basic education, according to Minister of Education Tunji Alausa.
The minister disclosed this while taking questions during Channels Television’s End-of-Year Special Review Show on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
The minister insisted that “President Tinubu has mandated the return of Nigerian History as a subject in basic education.”
The new policy seeks to reverse a 2009 decision by former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s government, which removed History from the curriculum due to a perceived lack of job opportunities for history graduates and a shortage of history teachers.
President Tinubu has mandated the return of Nigerian History as a subject in primary, and secondary schools from next year, says the Minister of Education Tunji Alausa.#CTVTweets#2024InReview pic.twitter.com/rqKvucVkqc
— Channels Television (@channelstv) December 31, 2024
Earlier on Thursday December 26, 2024, the Minister inaugurated the reintroduction of history teaching and training for history teachers in Abuja. Alausa expressed concerns that removing History from the curriculum had led to a decline in national cohesion, with the country retreating into “primordial sentiments” due to a lack of understanding of Nigeria’s evolution.
The minister said, “History used to be one of the foundational subjects taught in our classroom, but for some inexplicable reasons, the stream of teaching and learning was abolished.
“As a result, History was subsequently expunged from the list of subject combinations our students could offer in external and internal examinations compared to the subjects 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 we 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.”
Mr. Alausa indicated that 3,700 history teachers had been shortlisted for training to enhance their teaching skills.
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, confirmed that 3,700 history teachers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory had been selected for training.
In collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the training will equip the new teachers with the necessary skills to teach the subject, especially in the newly modified subject content.
Comment, Like 👍, share this article, and Follow us on our social media handles.
WhatsApp Channel
Telegram Channel
