Some teachers and parents have criticised the Federal Government over the sudden introduction of the new national curriculum, saying they were not consulted in the process and warning that schools are ill-prepared for immediate implementation.
The stakeholders spoke on Sunday evening, during a virtual meeting titled “Understanding the New Curriculum,” organised by the Concerned Parents and Educators Network, where they expressed fears that the rushed rollout could compromise learning quality.
Child Protection and Education Advocate, Taiwo Akinlami, described the process as exclusionary, saying critical voices were sidelined.
“If you are rolling out a new curriculum, stakeholders such as private school associations, parents, teachers and even children who have the right to participate in education decisions must be part of the process.
Instead, what we saw was a sudden announcement, leaving even those in the school system learning about it at the same time as the general public,” he said.
Akinlami stressed that in Lagos alone, there are over 18,000 private schools and 1,700 public schools, yet most operators only became aware of the review when it was announced.
He warned that the decision appeared more political than educational.
He further noted that the infrastructure gap poses a major challenge to the new policy, especially for subjects like ICT and agriculture that require laboratories and facilities that many schools lack.
“Government schools already struggling with resources will not cope, while private schools will face rising costs without being allowed to adjust fees,” he said.
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