By Ibrahim Babangida Lawal
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Prof. Salisu Shehu, has called for more regular and timely reviews of the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC) to align with fast-evolving global trends.
Speaking at the opening of a writing workshop for the curriculum review on Monday, July 7, 2025, in Keffi, Shehu warned that allowing ten-year gaps between revisions like the last one in 2011 was no longer sustainable.
“In the next two years, the curriculum could become obsolete. So, we may need to revisit it sooner than we did in the past,” he said.
The workshop, held at Skyage Hotel & Suites, reviews ten additional subjects, including Geography, Government, Arabic, Health and Physical Education, Visual Arts, and various technical subjects. It follows an earlier Content Selection and Standardization Workshop in March that covered seven core subjects such as Physics, Biology, and Economics.
Prof. Shehu also highlighted the Council’s recent milestone in revising the 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC), which has been approved by the National Council on Education (NCE) and will take effect from the 2025/2026 academic session, along with an implementation guide for teachers.
He urged participants to apply their expertise to ensure that the revised curriculum is relevant, learner-focused, and globally competitive.
Dr. Garba Dahiru Gandu, Director of the Curriculum Development Centre, commended the workshop’s facilitators for their dedication, noting they were carefully selected for this critical national assignment.
The workshop concludes Wednesday, July 9, with the revised SSEC expected to be ready for implementation by the 2026/2027 academic session.