Provost Commends UBEC On Curriculum

Prof Tijjani Ismail, the Provost of the FCT College of Education (COE), on Friday gave a pass mark to the Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) billed for implementation in September.
BEC is a nine-year programme scheduled for implementation  in  primary one and Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1, at the beginning of the new academic session in September.
Ismail, who made the remark in an interview with  our correspondent  in Abuja, said the new system of education would replace the 6-3-3-4 which had been in operation  for  some  years.
``The programme is a radical departure from the past, because it is a well researched package that is meant to revolutionized Nigeria's education system for the better.
``The incorporation of ICT education in the curriculum will no doubt accelerate the development of information technology in  the  country,'' Ismail said.
Ismail told National Mirror that the implementation of BEC would position the country for the attainment of Vision 2020.      
``The new curriculum was developed by the Nigeria Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) to correct anomalies in the education system,'' he said.
Ismail said the contents of the old curriculum were reviewed and incorporated into BEC adding that basic vocational, technical and entrepreneurial skills were also  infused  into  it.
``The essence is to produce children with the potentials of creating wealth and overcoming poverty,''  he said.
Ismail said new strategic subjects like Basic Technology and Civic Education were introduced to inculcate patriotism and technical skills  in  pupils.
He said the old curriculum which was overloaded had been reduced without compromising quality, to ensure easy assimilation by pupils.
Ismail coordinated the Master Trainers' Workshop for Niger and Nasarawa States and FCT  in  Minna, to prepare ground for the take-off  of  BEC.    
``The workshop has equipped the participants with basic knowledge on the new curriculum, and going by their responses, one can comfortably say that the implementation will  be  hitch-free,'' he said.