Abuja: Stakeholders in the education sector have called for a holistic collaboration among curriculum development actors across Africa, to achieve a qualitative, relevant, and responsive education system. They made the call at the 5th African Curriculum Association Conference on Monday in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the theme of the conference is ‘Transforming Curriculum and Teacher Development in Africa for Inclusivity, Resilience, and Lifelong Learning through 21st Century Competences’. The stakeholders stressed the need for the African education system to be more attuned and relevant both domestically and globally.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Prof. Salisu Shehu, noted that the educational system is undergoing a period of unprecedented change. This change, according to Shehu, is driven by dynamic social, technological, and cultural shifts that necessitate an evolving approach in the curriculum development process. ‘A much more important issue is that education must be adapted to the mentality, aptitudes, occupations, and traditions of the various peoples,’ he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, emphasized the aptness of the conference theme. He stated that the conference would foster quality and invaluable discussions on curriculum innovation, best practices, and strategies that are skills-compliant. Alausa, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, highlighted that the curriculum is a fundamental foundation for quality education and achievement, and is crucial for the attainment of national goals and objectives.
Furthermore, Alausa expressed confidence that the conference would result in quality presentations, focused group discussions, and critical analyses that are evidence-based and result-oriented, leading to positive outcomes. He added that the conference would serve as an opportunity to showcase achievements in curriculum reforms, exchange views for comparability, and gain insights into other success stories around Africa and beyond for learning and upscaling.
On his part, the Secretary General of the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC), Sheikh Mussallam, underscored the need for the curriculum to shift from problem-solving to problem-posing. According to him, a curriculum focused on problem-solving is likely to face crises in the age of AI. ‘I propose that we move our education systems from problem-solving to problem-posing. We should impart to our youth the ability not to answer a question, but to articulate the right questions, to analyze their society, and problematize the issues,’ Mussallam said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference is organized by the African Curriculum Association in collaboration with other partners, including NERDC.