Education stakeholders advocate responsive curriculum in Africa
By Jacinta Nwachukwu
Stakeholders in the education sector have called for a holistic collaboration among curriculum development actors across Africa, to achieve qualitative, relevant and responsive education system.
They made the call at the 5th African Curriculum Association Conference on Monday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the theme of the conference is “Transforming Curriculum and Teacher Development in Africa for Inclusivity, Resilience, and Lifelong Learning through 21st Century Competences”.
They said there was need for Africans’ education system to be more attuned and relevant both domestically and globally.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Prof. Salisu Shehu noted that educational system is undergoing a period of unprecedented change.
This change, according to Shehu, is driven by dynamic social, technological, and cultural shifts that have made it mandatory for an evolving approach in curriculum development process.
“A much more important issue is that education must be adapted to the mentality, aptitudes, occupations and traditions of the various peoples,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the theme of the conference was apt.
He said the conference would engender quality and invaluable discussions of curriculum innovation, best practices, and strategies that are skills-compliant.
Alausa, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said that curriculum is an essential foundation for quality education and achievement.
“It is an effective challenge for the attainment of national goals and objectives.
“I am confident that this conference will engender quality presentations, focused group discussions and critical analysis that are evidence-based, result-oriented, leading to positive outcomes.
“The issues, views, and facts to be ventilated at this conference, I am confident, will reflect on the rapid, global, and domestic changes which affect education and curriculum development.
“I consider it a conference and an opportunity to showcase our achievement on the curriculum reforms, exchange views for comparability, and get insight into other success stories around Africa and beyond for us to learn and upscale,” he added.
On his part, the Secretary General, Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC), Sheikh Mussallam underscored the need for the curriculum to shift from problem solving to problem posing.
According to him, curriculum that is focused on problem solving is bound to enter into crisis in the age of AI.
“I propose that we move our education systems from problem solving to problem posing.
“We should impart to our youth, the ability, not to answer a question, but to articulate the right questions, to analyse their society and problematise the issues,” Mussallam said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference is organised by the African Curriculum Association in collaboration with other partners including NERDC. (NAN)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi
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