Experts Raise Alarm Over Delay in Curriculum Review

Nigeria’s failure to update its senior secondary school curriculum since 2011 raises serious concerns among education experts, who warn that the country risks falling behind in global competitiveness if urgent reforms are not implemented.

Speaking on the issue, Professor Salisu Shehu, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), emphasised the need for more frequent curriculum reviews to keep pace with the rapid global changes. He noted that some curriculum components can become outdated within two or three years, making the current 13-year gap unsustainable. “In the next two years, the curriculum could become obsolete. We must revisit it more frequently than we have in the past,” he said.

Efforts to review the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC) officially began in March 2025 with a content selection and standardisation workshop for seven key subjects, including Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, and Religious Studies. An additional session covered ten more subjects, including Geography, Government, Health Education, and Basic Electronics.

Prof. Shehu also highlighted recent progress in curriculum development, including the revision of the 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC), which has been approved by the National Council on Education (NCE). The revised BEC and a newly developed Teachers’ Guide will be introduced in schools starting from the 2025/2026 academic session.

The NERDC boss explained that curriculum reform in Nigeria follows a multi-stage process involving expert workshops, national validation by stakeholders, and final endorsement by the NCE. Only after this approval can a new curriculum be adopted nationwide. Dr. Garba Dahiru Gandu, Director of the Curriculum Development Centre, praised the dedication and qualifications of the educators involved in the review process, describing the exercise as a crucial national task.

The NERDC confirmed via its official Facebook page that a writing workshop has recently been concluded in Keffi, Nasarawa State, and the final version of the SSEC is expected to be ready for approval and implementation by the 2026/2027 academic session.