Reps to make skills acquisition compulsory in basic education curriculum

The House of Representatives says it will make skills acquisition a compulsory subject in the Basic Education Curriculum.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Ganiyu Johnson (APC-Lagos) on the floor of the House on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that over the last two decades, innovation and creativity had become critical skills for achieving self -employment and national economic development.

He said that skills acquisition and creativity were only being taught in secondary schools and tertiary institutions in the country.

“According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the total number of people classified as unemployed increased from 17.6 million to 20.9 million between 2017 and 2018,” he said.

Johnson said this kept increasing due to the increase in Nigeria’s population, adding that the current curriculum only prepared students toward acquiring academic qualifications without skills for self-employment.

He said that skills acquisition had become critical for achieving success in any given economy and the current curriculum centred on academic qualifications.

The House urged the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to review the Basic Education Curriculum to make skills acquisition a compulsory subject.

The house also mandated the Committee on Basic Education and Services and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure compliance.

The committees is report back within four weeks for further legislative action.