President Bola Tinubu has ordered the reintroduction of History as a subject into the basic education curriculum.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed the directive by the President to restore the teaching of History in primary and secondary schools nationwide.
Speaking during Channels Television’s End-of-Year Special Review Show on Tuesday, Alausa stated, “President Tinubu has mandated the return of Nigerian History as a subject in basic education.”
The development followed the formal reintroduction of the subject after its removal 13 years ago during the administration of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
The subject was previously abolished in 2009 due to claims that students were avoiding it and that there was a lack of job opportunities for History graduates. Additionally, a shortage of qualified history teachers was cited as another factor.
However, in a move to correct the decision, former Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, launched the initiative to bring back the subject. Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Opiah, during the inauguration ceremony in Abuja at the time, Adamu expressed concerns about the negative impacts of History’s removal from the curriculum.
He said, “History used to be one of the foundational subjects taught in our classrooms, but for some inexplicable reasons, the stream of teaching and learning was abolished. 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.”
Adamu emphasised that the absence of History has led to a “fall in moral values, erosion of civic values, and a disconnect from the past.” He added that it contributed to the weakening of national cohesion, as many Nigerians lacked a clear understanding of the country’s evolution.
As part of the reintroduction plan, a total of 3,700 teachers were selected for training to enhance their capacity for teaching the subject. According to the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, the teachers were chosen from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on a pro rata basis, with each state providing 100 participants.
Bobboyi explained, “Following the directive by the minister for history to be restored as a subject in schools, the commission and Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) swung into action, which led to the flag-off of the initiative.”
The training was designed to equip teachers with the requisite skills and tools to effectively teach the subject, which has undergone modifications to ensure relevance and better engagement with students.
Adamu also noted that the focus on teacher training and retraining would enhance their capacity to deliver the subject with mastery. “Teachers will be provided with the requisite skills needed to teach the subject,” he had assured.
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