Stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to review Nigeria’s basic education curriculum and strengthen the country’s quality assurance system to ensure schools deliver globally competitive education.
The appeal was made during the 10th anniversary and graduation ceremony of Epitome Schools, Lagos, themed “A Decade of Impact: Transforming Destinies and Raising Future Leaders.”
The Proprietress of the school, Mrs Bunmi Salami, said Nigeria’s basic education curriculum had remained largely unchanged for decades and required urgent reform to align with international standards and the demands of 21st-century learning.
She said the nation’s scheme of work should be benchmarked against global best practices to equip pupils with the skills needed to compete with their peers worldwide.
“The curriculum needs to be restructured. The curricula we have been using for decades need to improve. Our scheme of work should be compared with what is obtainable across the world so we can see how they operate,” Salami said.
She also urged education authorities to strengthen quality assurance by conducting thorough inspections before granting schools accreditation or operational approval.
According to her, government agencies should assess learning environments, teaching standards and instructional methods to ensure schools meet approved benchmarks.
“Before a school can be accredited or given approval, there should be proper inspections. The government needs to improve the curriculum we are using so that we, too, in this part of the world, can meet global standards,” she added.
Salami further advocated greater exposure of nursery and primary school pupils to practical, activity-based learning, saying it would better prepare children for future academic and career opportunities.
Highlighting her school’s adoption of coding, robotics and interactive digital boards, she said curriculum reform should be supported by effective implementation and monitoring across both public and private schools.
Also speaking, the School Consultant and Teacher Trainer at Havila Educonsult, Mrs Philippa Okonji, said meaningful reforms in basic education would require increased government investment and stronger oversight of the sector.
She stressed that education should not be left solely to private operators, urging authorities to prioritise funding and support for schools and teachers responsible for developing the nation’s future workforce.
Okonji warned that inadequate investment in basic education could hinder Nigeria’s long-term development, noting that today’s pupils would become tomorrow’s leaders.
The stakeholders commended parents and teachers for supporting the school over the past decade and encouraged the graduating pupils to remain disciplined and focused as they progress to secondary education.
