Problems of Curriculum Planning in Nigeria

Curriculum planning has to do with gathering relevant information from many sources that will help design the details of the courses and subjects taught in school to a learner. The purpose of a curriculum is to enable learners to acquire the knowledge and skills that will ensure they are effective in society. Curriculum planning is a process that entails making strategic decisions and selecting what works best for the students. Most essentially, those planning have to observe and consider the needs of society, in order to adequately meet those needs. Curriculum planning involves designing and re-designing the programme to ensure all factors necessary to facilitate teaching are well covered. These include: What to teach and to whom, Qualifications for who teaches, Materials and resources to be used, Condition and place to teach, etc. This article is on the problems of Curriculum planning in Nigeria.

Problems of Curriculum Planning in Nigeria

Problems of Curriculum Planning in Nigeria

Read on below:

Non-involvement of teachers in curriculum planning

Teachers are the tools by which a curriculum plan is implemented. To a large extent, these ones determine the success of a curriculum because they execute the plan by teaching the students. Hence, it is only appropriate that the teacher is involved in the process of actually planning the curriculum using their teacher planner 2021. The involvement of the teachers could take the form of feedback from teachers who have used a particular curriculum. Teachers can also give advice on what a curriculum should entail based on their experiences with the students and what will motivate them to learn. Since the teacher is the one who interacts with the learners on a daily basis, he or she can recommend the most appropriate techniques, methods, and resources. One must also remember that even if a curriculum is well planned and not well implemented by the teachers, the curriculum will turn out to be irrelevant. Often times, those involved in planning neglect the input of the teachers which results in an ineffective curriculum plan.

Inadequate research about the learner

During the process of curriculum planning, it is crucial to put the needs and interests of the learners first so as to design a curriculum that is efficient and achieves the goal. A well-designed curriculum should cater to the needs of learners in various categories that is, gifted learners, slow learners, mentally retarded, etc. This means that a well-designed Nigerian school curriculum has to take the intellectual abilities and disabilities of the Nigerian students into consideration. In Nigeria, the disabilities and weaknesses of a child are often not regarded as something important and is neglected. You will find that the Nigerian curriculum does not cater for every child.

Unavailability of learning materials and facilities

The learning process of a child is aided by the use of learning materials and resources. In fact, it has been observed that no meaningful learning can take place without the use of learning aids. In Nigeria, the Ministry of Education faces the problem of not being able to make the necessary learning resources available to all educational institutions in Nigeria. There are too many cases of students, especially in rural areas, who are not able to afford the basic learning tools they need. This is a huge problem that hampers the process of curriculum planning and implementation.

The poor condition of the school environment

Most Nigerian schools are in a poor state as regards the infrastructures and conditions of the school environment. Some schools are situated in non-pleasant and noisy areas while some lack the basic amenities needed. All these factors affect the learning process of a child and the effective implementation of the curriculum.

Non- involvement of curriculum experts

There is a need to involve the services of curriculum experts when planning a curriculum. These ones handle the technical aspects of curriculum planning. Curriculum experts help to organize the curriculum based on their experience and skill set so that it is efficient and relevant to the learners. Often times, curriculum experts are often neglected in the decision-making process and planning of school curriculums.

Politicization of Education

Curriculum planning does not only involve educators and others along that career path. A curriculum can only be attainable with the cooperation of those in government. It is people in government who get to approve budgets, facilitate actions to make the curriculum come to actuality. In Nigeria, the bureaucratic processes involved in policy and law-making as well as the selfishness and ignorance of political leaders stand as a hindrance to effective educational planning. Often times, political leaders who do not know how the educational system works dictate the content of a curriculum. Some others refute any changes when it is introduced to the curriculum.

Lack of funding

The successful implementation of a curriculum plan depends on the financial resources and funding of the educational sector. For example, funds are needed so as to provide educational institutions with learning resources, instructional materials, payment of staff salaries, maintenance of school infrastructures, etc.

Culture and Ideology

The prevalent ideologies in a particular environment may influence the implementation of strategies in schools located in that area. Nigeria has people with diverse cultures and beliefs which may affect what is acceptable in that area.

Lack of supervision

Often times, appropriate supervision is not done to ensure the implementation of a curriculum. This is a setback to the effective actualization of the curriculum.

Lack of technological innovation

The world is becoming more technologically advanced and this is most evident in the educational sector. The educational sector however in Nigeria has not moved with the pace. The inability of the sector to embrace modern technology in teaching and learning as negatively affected curriculum planning in Nigeria. Most schools in Nigeria do not have modern facilities and so the students are not educated in world standards.

Policy Changes

Another major factor that poses a problem to effective curriculum planning in Nigeria is the frequent changes in educational policies. Nigeria has operated different educational policies and has affected the implementation of the curriculum planned in the country.

Review When Needed

Unfortunately, the Nigerian school curriculum is only reviewed when there is an urgent and obvious problem. The curriculum should be reviewed regularly.

 

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