In order to hasten Nigeria’s socioeconomic development, the federal government is dedicated to repositioning and revitalising the whole education sector, according to Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN.
He claimed that since taking office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made some significant announcements that have shown his commitment to bringing about constructive reforms in the industry.
The National Universities Community, NUC, organised the Colloquium of Stakeholders on the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards, CCMAS, on Wednesday in Abuja. In his opening address, Prof. Mamman promised that the government would continue to work towards keeping the country’s educational system both globally and nationally competitive.
He pointed out that the best way to accomplish this is for academics to use what he called “proven and tested pedagogical methods in the delivery of this curriculum.”
The minister gave academics the duty of pursuing new directions, utilising technology, and incorporating creativity into their instruction in order to meet the changing needs of today’s quick but impatient learners.
“As has been demonstrated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in some of his major pronouncements since assuming leadership of our great country, this administration is unwaveringly committed to the continuous repositioning and revitalisation of the entire education sector for an accelerated socio-economic development of our dear country, Nigeria,” he said, speaking through his representative and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr David Adejo.
“I want to reassure you that the Federal Government of Nigeria will keep working to maintain the relevance and competitiveness of our educational system on a national and international scale.
“This can be accomplished most effectively when we use tried-and-true pedagogical methods to offer this curriculum. Additionally, I urge you, my fellow academics, to explore new opportunities, employ technology, and infuse creativity into your instruction in order to meet the changing requirements of today’s quick but impatient learners.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was “committed to providing and sustaining a Renewed Hope for the country,” he said, adding that the title of the occasion, “The State of the CCMAS, Sensitization and Implementation,” was quite suitable.
“There is no better time or place than now to develop a strategy that will direct universities and other tertiary institutions in their mandate to supply the country with appropriate manpower using a curriculum and applying minimum standards that would ensure we teach our students in such a way that they would be highly skilled and employable to contribute to national development efforts,” he said.
He continued, “I am aware that over the past four years, significant efforts have been made to create the CCMAS in conjunction with a wide range of stakeholders both inside and beyond the academic community. This colloquium follows those efforts. On December 5, 2022, none other than the recently-departed Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo GCON SAN, officially unveiled the revised curriculum.
I want to commend the emphasis that only 70% of the total curriculum is captured in the CCMAS while 30% of the curriculum has been ceded to university senate to incorporate the uniqueness of their various universities. I have been involved in applying the various Minimum Academic Standards, from the days of MAS, B-MAS, and now CCMAS.
This idea “allows for a good bit of flexibility that matches not just the regional differences among the institutions, but most significantly gives all universities with possibilities to establish a niche for themselves in areas of comparative advantage.
“This advantage ensures that learning outcomes and the skills as well as soft skills to be acquired, regardless of the core discipline, would be readily applicable to the environment of the university, the country in particular, and the global community in general,” according to the university senate’s website.
The minister praised all the universities that had completed their work on the 30% component and submitted it for evaluation, and he pleaded with those that had not to try their best to do so as soon as the new academic session began.
“I also want to express my profound gratitude to each and every one of you for attending this colloquium and for feeling compelled to do so. In fact, your attendance at this event demonstrates your shared dedication to improving education generally and preserving the usefulness of the course offerings in Nigerian universities. This is due to the fact that curricula, as dynamic as they may be, serve as the cornerstone of our educational system and mould the intellectual and personal development of successive generations of university graduates.
“I once again commend and appreciate all those who participated in and are now engaged in the CCMAS for your diligent preparation and evaluation of the curriculum for all programmes in the Nigerian University System. Special commendation goes to the National Universities Commission, for continuously championing the re-engineering and revitalisation of the Nigerian University System (NUS), for optimal service delivery in the last 6 decades.
We must hold this colloquium in order to prepare for the start of academic activity in September 2023. The degree to which the work we have done over the years has brought value to scholarship will depend on how committed we are to implementing the CCMAS, he continued.
Professor Mamman invited attendees to engage in open and productive discussion while keeping in mind the rigour that had brought the nation “to this stage.”
We will leave this meeting certain that what we have done reflects the aspirations of our society and the potential of our students because of your thoughts, experiences, and viewpoints, he remarked.
The minister’s performance of the task was his first formal task outside of his office.