Nigeria’s infusion of skill acquisition into the curriculum of primary and junior secondary education is a reflection of President Bola Tinubu’s intention to build a new generation of skilled Nigerians.
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG), in a statement signed by its Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, maintained that it was part of a larger plan by the federal government to overhaul the educational system.
It said: ” We are enthused by the federal government’s decision to introduce as many as 15 skills into the curriculum for nine years of basic education (Primary 1 to JSS 3) for public and private schools in the country.
” And while we acknowledge that this is not exactly a new development in the educational system, the fact that President Tinubu is bringing something that has long been abandoned to life is something worth taking a close look at.
“Many older Nigerians know that the educational system once had a space for what was then known as handwork which prepared students for life out of school with skills that could be useful.
“But unfortunately, it was abandoned, and all efforts to replace it with entrepreneurship training at the later stage of education have not exactly been successful.
“So it is against this backdrop that we view this latest move to infuse skill acquisition into the curriculum of primary and junior secondary from the 2025 academic year as necessary at a time like this.
“The good thing is that unlike previous failed attempts, the Tinubu administration has selected 15 skills that are not only relevant to contemporary Nigeria but are also in line with global realities.
“A look through the list of identified skills that students could pick from show that it includes traditional ones like plumbing, tiling/floor works, bakery, hairstyling and garment making that are nonetheless still marketable in contemporary times, we also have GSM repairs, Satellite/TV Antenna Installation as well as CCTV, Intercom Installation and Maintenance
“Other relevant skills that Nigeria students would now be exposed to at basic education level also range from Solar Installation and Maintenance to basic digital literacy in IT and Robotics.
“We also consider the inclusion of practical Agriculture and Processing (including crop production, beekeeping, horticulture, sheep and goat farming, poultry, and rabbit farming) as one of the options in skill acquisition curriculum as very crucial to making Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.
TMSG added that the President Tinubu administration is placing a lot of attention on skill acquisition and development in education.
“We dare say that the skill acquisition initiative is not likely to end or be limited to basic education level as the Tinubu administration is also building 91 vocational schools in secondary schools across the country.
“In addition to this is the establishment of 24 skill and vocational hubs in polytechnics as well as entrepreneurship centres in the universities as part of efforts to prioritise skills, technology, vocational education for job creation.
“Let us also add that the federal government is also reviving 970 Tsangaya centres in order to ensure that technical skill acquisition is properly integrated into the Almajiri education system in Northern Nigeria. This, we believe, will help stem the tide of out-of-school children.
“We have no doubt that this skill initiative will go down in history as one of President Bola Tinubu’s achievements in view of his overall goal of overhauling the education sector, ” it added.