REFORMING THE NIGERIAN SCHOOL CURRICULUM FOR CONTEMPORARY NEEDS AND ASSESSMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: IMPLICATIONS FOR BASIC, JUNIOR SECONDARY AND SENIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION

Abstract

The school curriculum is a fundamental instrument for achieving the objectives of education and preparing learners to respond effectively to the social, economic, technological and environmental demands of society. In Nigeria, rapid technological development, changing labour-market requirements, unemployment, insecurity, climate change, entrepreneurship demands and the growing importance of digital literacy have created the need to continually review the content and structure of school education. The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) an d other stakeholders, has therefore undertaken a comprehensive review of the curricula for basic and senior secondary education. The reform is intended to reduce subject overload, promote deeper learning, strengthen competency development and make education more relevant to contemporary national and global realities (Federal Ministry of Education [FME], 2025). The revised curriculum also introduces or strengthens areas such as digital technologies, citizenship and heritage, practical skills and trade education. At the senior secondary level, students are expected to combine core subjects with appropriate areas of specialisation and a trade subject (NERDC, 2025). This paper examines the need for curriculum reform in Nigerian basic, junior secondary and senior secondary schools and its implementation challenges. It argues that curriculum reform is necessary to address curriculum overload, technological change, employability and entrepreneurship, national identity and citizenship, emerging environmental challenges, and the mismatch between school learning and contemporary societal needs. The paper identified; inadequate teacher preparation and capacity building, ICT infrastructure and digital divide, instructional materials and learning facilities, funding and unequal distribution of educational resources, weak monitoring, supervision and evaluation of curriculum implementation, resistance to curriculum change, large class sizes and high students-teachers  ratio, examination-oriented education and assessment challenges as challenges facing implementation of the new curriculum in the Nigerian schools. The paper concludes that curriculum reform can improve the relevance and quality of Nigerian education if it is supported by adequate teacher training, instructional materials, infrastructure, funding, effective assessment and continuous monitoring.