Issues
Relevance Of Basic Education Curriculum In Community Development
The Basic Education Programme is designed to provide opportunities for children to acquire education which will help them to function effectively in the society. No wonder, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN, 2014:14) lays emphasis on a sound basis for scientific and reflective thinking as well as providing the child with basic tools for further educational advancement, including preparation for trades and crafts of the locality. In Nigeria, Basic Education is managed by the State Ministry of Education, State Basic Education Board and the Local Government Education Authority, with the Federal Ministry of Education providing policy guidance while the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission provides leadership through broad policy guidelines and provision of regulatory framework.
The Universal Basic Education policy, seeks to make basic education universal, free and compulsory, by the introduction of the first years of schooling, six years of primary and three years of junior secondary education. The basic education curriculum reflects on the appropriateness and inter-relatedness of the curricular contents, especially the entrepreneurial skills which were added into the relevant contents of the curriculum. According to Onyene (2016), the UBE is another educational policy implemented by the Federal Government of Nigeria with a view to improving the nation’s economy, so that the economy can compete favourable with the economies of other nations of the world. The relevance of basic education curriculum in community development is based on the fact that, education gives direction on how people can identify their needs, gain knowledge and skills to develop themselves and the society at large.
It is believed that, through education people can have access to better life, higher standard of living as well as individual and community progress. One prominent feature of the basic education curriculum is that it show-cases how skills and knowledge are acquired to enhance the living standard of the people. Furthermore, through basic education curricular contents the young ones in the communities are subjected to learning experiences, that lay emphasis on skill acquisition which are internalized, so that it becomes their way of life. This paper x-rays the basic education curriculum with reference to various reforms that have taken place so far. The role of basic education curriculum in community development and community partnership in the implementations of basic education were highlighted.
Concept of Curriculum
The term curriculum refers to all the activities or learning experiences in or outside the school to which the learner is exposed to, during the course of his schooling. The curriculum is the pivot through which the educational system inculcates in the learner, the knowledge, skills and attitudes prescribed by the society. Ugwu and Ibiam (2011) defines curriculum as the totality of the environment in which education takes place, that is the learner, the teacher, the content, the method, the physical and psychological environment. According to Robinson in Ezugwu (2011), curriculum generally includes all subjects and activities over which the school has control or for which it has responsibility.
Concept of Community Development
A community is a group of people living together within a defined geographical area and sharing a common destiny. Development on the other hand is the process whereby deliberate efforts are made to bring about desirable changes in the wellbeing of people living in a community. It involves those things that lead to enhanced access to food, clothing, housing, education and good health. When put together community development encompasses all intervention measures taken to empower people to be more productive thereby contributing to the flow of goods and services. Oguru (2008) asserts that community development entails economic growth and the citizens contributing to such a growth, provision of public infrastructure, and higher standard of living among others. The level of community development is dependent on the level of education of the people. Hence, education is the centre piece of community development.
Basic Education Curriculum
The main agency coordinating the implementation of basic education is the Universal Basic Education commission (UBEC) at the national level and the State Basic Education Commission (SUBEC) at the State level. Basic Education according to the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004:14) is the education given to children aged six (6) to eleven plus (11+) years. The objectives of basic education as stated in the National Policy on Education are of follows:
*An uninterrupted access to a nine-year formal education by providing free, compulsory basic education for every child of school age (6 – 15 years).
*A drastic reduction in incidences of school dropout and enhancement of relevance, quality and efficiency in the sub-system.
*The acquisition of literacy, numeracy, life skills and appropriate values for life-long education and useful living.
*The removal of distortions and inconsistencies in the delivery of basic education by reinforcing the implementation of the 6-3-3-4 system of education as provided in the National Policy on Education.
*And the enhancement of community participation in decision making process in schools with a view to engendering community interest as eventual ownership of basic education institutions.
A broad subject curriculum was designed to achieve the above objectives which include: English Studies, Mathematics, Basic Science, Basic Technology, Physical and Health Education, Religious Studies, Social Studies, Music, Creative Arts, Business Studies, Civic Education, Agricultural Science, Computer Education, French and Arabic. The Curriculum for the Junior Secondary Education covers the first three years of Secondary Education and is both pre-vocational and academic, consisting of basic subjects that are expected to prepare learners for Senior Secondary and empower them with some pre-vocational skill.
The Role of Basic Education Curriculum in Community Development
Community Development is viewed as a multi-dimensional process which involves major changes or transformation of a society, from traditional ways of thinking, to modern ways (Stiglitz in Ogedegbe, 2008). All over the world, countries that have attained advanced stage in various aspects of development started with curriculum reform. The Basic Education Curriculum has the potential to turn the fortunes of the citizens of this country around. Ajala (2008) posit that, the Basic Education Curriculum can prepare students for a changing and elusive job market, geared towards making useful contributions to the greater economic and security needs of our nation. The contents in the curriculum are expected to keep the students positively active, by turning every field of learning into practical activities. Oforma (2005) is of the view that, the curriculum was for wealth creation which is entrepreneurial curriculum skills development. The available content in the curriculum specifically has relevant professional life skills for the world of work and business enterprises. Mbachu (2011) asserts that, there is a radical paradigm shift from narrow specialization to a more broad based knowledge which ensures the capacity to engage with society on developmental needs using indigenous knowledge system.
Recognizing that, communities need support in a variety of interrelated areas, community development efforts should be built around a strong core of wealth creation strategies (Fawehinmi, 2008). The strategies such as enterprise development, access to capital and infrastructural development are anchored on the curriculum contents. No community can develop without the presence of physical facilities that help to make life more meaningful for the people as well as foster positive changes in people’s attitudes and perception.
According to Fawehinmi (2008:156), the Basic Education Curriculum could be channeled towards solving the needs of the community through the:
*examination of some aspects of the attitude or culture of the people that need re-orientation;
*inculcating value orientation and perceptions of the people, with regard to what they consider as their primary needs;
*developing geographical and other environmental conditions of the community;
*fostering personal security and political stability of the community ;
*identifying and improving the infrastructural needs of the community.
The Basic Education Curriculum provides for open apprenticeship schemes and middle level manpower programme, through which young people will acquire skills to develop themselves and their communities. The development of an individual translates to the development of the community hence, the acquisition of skills and knowledge by students will foster rapid transformation of the community.
Community Partnership in the Implementation of Basic Education
Basic Education is a veritable instrument for laying a solid foundation for community development. Asiyai (2008) infers that for effective management of UBE programme, communities should partner or collaborate with Federal, State and Local Governments in planning, designing, initiating and executing of specific projects. Under such partnership communities can invest by donating resources and capacity building such as buildings, scholarships, books, computers, internet facilities, sponsoring competitions and award of prizes to best performing teachers (Egboka, 2007). Community partnership is important in implementing basic education programme because a greater ideal of education reform, revolves around the collective input of all parties concerned.
Ejionueme (2007) pointed out, that a visible community participation is seen in many schools, where communities have built schools provided some facilities and instructional materials. Apart from the provision of infrastructures, the community can as well liaise with non-governmental organisations and oil companies operating in the area to assist the school carry out the repairs of school building or building new ones.
Conclusion
The Basic Education Curriculum, if vigorously implemented will prepare the students for a better life as well as community progress. The Basic Education Curriculum has all, it takes to transform any community, in as much as the students internalize the basic learning experiences. Hence, the development of an individual translates to the development of the community.
Recommendations
To ensure that, Basic Education enhances community development, the following recommendations were made:
• Stakeholders in the communities should be involved in Basic Education Curriculum review process.
• A more vigorous approach should be tailored towards knowledge economy where students could develop skills and knowledge to foster economic growth and development.
• Communities where schools are situated should form education committees to partner with school authorities to develop indigenous projects for the school.
• Communities should always assist schools to carry out their statutory duties aimed at achieving the educational objectives.
Dr. (Mrs) Helen Nzenyele, former Head Teacher, Community Primary School, Egbelu Ogbogoro.
Helen Nzenyele
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
