LAGOS APPROVES HARMONIZED 2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR CALENDAR

LAGOS APPROVES HARMONIZED 2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR CALENDAR

ALAUSA ALERT Lagos State Government has approved a revised and harmonized schools’ calendar for the 2014/2015 Academic Session for all public and private schools in the state, the state Commissioner for education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye has disclosed. Oladunjoye who disclosed this today in Lagos urged all private schools’ operators of both primary and secondary schools in the state to adhere strictly to the new schools’ calendar and the subsequent one. She pointed however out that schools affiliated with embassies, missions and those who usually presents candidates for international examinations have been given a window of flexibility of one week before and after official resumption date. Said she, “private schools should adhere strictly with the 2014/2015 Academic Year Calendar and subsequent ones in the opening, resumption and mid-term dates. However, schools affiliated with Embassies, Missions as well as those presenting candidates for International examinations may be given a window of flexibility of one week before and after official resumption or closing dates but they must comply with the mid-term dates.” The Commissioner stressed that it is important and compulsory for all schools in the state to complete the 38 to 39 weeks of academic contact period with the student in order to adequately cover their schools’ curriculum as it is done in other parts of the world. “It is mandatory for all Schools to complete the 38 to 39 weeks of academic contact periods where the curriculum is well covered by schools as seen in other developed countries. Regular monitoring visits will be made to private schools while sanctions will be given to Schools that do not comply with the Academic Year Calendar,” she noted. According to the approved 2014/2015 Academic Year Calendar, students and pupils are expected to resume for the first term academic session on Monday, 15th September, 2014, have their mid-term break on Thursday, 30th and Friday, 31st November, 2014, end of term on Friday, December, 2014 while vacation will be between Monday, 15th December and Friday, 2nd January, 2015. Academic activities for the second term will commence on Monday, 5th January 2015 and ends on Friday, 3rd April, 2015. Mid-term break will be on Thursday, 19th February and Friday, 20th February , 2015, Mock examinations for SS III students will be held between Tuesday, 24th February and Friday, 6th March 2015, while end of term Unified Examinations will be held from Tuesday, 24th March through Friday, 3rd April, 2015. The approved 2014/2015 Academic Year Calendar indicates that academic activities for the 3rd term will begin on Monday, April, 2015 and end on Friday, 17th July, 2015 with Junior School Certificate (JSCE) Examination taking place from Tuesday, 16th June through Monday, 29th June, 2015, mid-term break holding on Thursday, 4th and Friday, 5th June 2015, End of` Session Unified Examination will however take place between, Tuesday, 7th and Friday, 17th July 2015 while the resumption date for the 2015/2016 academic session is Monday, September 15th, 2015. Signed Jide Lawal PRO, Ministry of Education

9-year Basic Curriculum for Nigerian schools

NERDC VISION Building and Sustaining a Culture of Strategic Educational Research and Development that will inform the Formulation and Effective Implementation of Policies in Education as well as in other related Sectors of the Economy NERDC MISSION Creating the Enabling Environment in which Educational Research and Development Activities will thrive and in the Process not only Encourage Collaboration with International Development Partners but also Foster Public-Private Partnerships in our bid to render Educational Research and Development efforts Sustainable and NEEDS-driven. Website: www.nerdcnigeria.org e-mail: nerdcabuja@yahoo.com nerdcinfo ahoo.com       FOREWORD This booklet presents the approved structure of the 9-year Basic Education Curriculum as well as the core and elective subjects. The high points of the new curriculum include the- introduction of Basic Technology and ICT, emphasis on creative thinking, entrepreneurial skills, positive social and cultural values as well as making French Language one of the core subjects. An overview of how the curriculum should be implemented is also provided. In 2004 Nigeria adopted the home-grown National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) as a response to global reforms in the social and economic context. The core elements of NEEDS are value re-orientation, poverty eradication, job generation, wealth creation and using education to empower the people. In December 2005 the National Council on Education (NCE) directed NERDC to develop a school curriculum for the implementation of the effective UBE programme. NERDC has developed a high quality 9-year Basic Education Curriculum that will not only facilitate the attainment of the core elements of NEEDS but also the goals of EFA and MDG. The Federal Government introduced the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in 1999 to ensure unfettered access and equity to education for the total development of the individual. Thus the poor, the socially marginalized and vulnerable groups can effectively develop their full capacities and potentials. Through the UBE programme the international goals of Education for All (EFA) as well as the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) will be achieved. Professor Godswill Obioma, fman, mea, feon, fstan, fnae Executive Secretary NERDC, Abuja May, 2008 BASIC EDUCATION CORE COMPULSORY ELECTIVE SUBJECTS CURRICULUM LEVELS SUBJECTS LOWER BASIC 1. English Studies 1. Agriculture EDUCATION 2. One Major Nigeria 2. Home Economics CURRICULUM Language (Hausa, 3. Arabic Language Igbo or Yoruba) (PRIMARY 1-3) 3. Mathematics 4. Basic Science and Technology Note: 5. Social Studies Must offer 1 elective, 6. Civic Education but not more than 2. 7. Cultural & Creative Arts (CCA) 8. Christian Religious Studies Islamic Studies 9. Physical & Health Education (PHE) 10. Computer Studies/ICT   BASIC EDUCATION CORE COMPULSORY ELECTIVE SUBJECTS CURRICULUM LEVEL SUBJECTS •. MIDDLE BASIC 1. English Studies 1. Agriculture EDUCATION 2. One Major Nigeria 2. Home Economics CURRICULUM Language (Hausa, 3. Arabic Language Igbo or Yoruba) (PRIMARY 4-6) 3. Mathematics 4. Basic Science 5. Social Studies 6. Civic Education Note: 7. Cultural & Creative Must offer 1 elective, Arts (CCA) but not more than 2. 8. Christian Religious Studies/Islamic Studies 9. Physical & Health Education (PHE) 10. French Language 11. Computer Studies/ICT BASIC EDUCATION CORE COMPULSORY ELECTIVE SUBJECTS CURRICULUM LEVEL SUBJECTS - UPPER BASIC 1. English Studies 1. Agriculture EDUCATION 2. One Major Nigeria 2. Home Economics CURRICULUM Language (Hausa, 3. Arabic Language Igbo or Yoruba) 4. Business Studies (JSS1-3) 3. Mathematics 4. Basic Science 5. Social Studies 6. Civic Education Note: 7. Cultural & Creative Must offer 1 elective, Arts (CCA) but not more than 3. 8. Christian Religion Studies/Islamic Religion Studies 9. Physical & Health Education (PHE) 10. French Language 11. Basic Technology 12. Computer Studies/ICT 2.0 WHAT ARE THE BASIC FEATURES OF 9- YEAR BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM? Core subjects are English Studies, Mathematics, Basic Science and Technology, Social Studies, Civic Education, Cultural and Creative Arts, Computer Studies, Health and Physical Education, Language, Religious Studies (Christian/Islamic) and French. Elective subjects are Arabic, Agriculture, Business Studies and Home Economics. French is introduced from primary 4 as a core subject. The inclusion of the study of Technology in the   primary school curriculum component. The infusion of creative and critical thinking, entrepreneurial skills and relevant elements of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) into the relevant contents of curriculum. The systematic connection between Primary and Junior Secondary School contents.   4.0 THE PHILOSOPHY Every learner who has gone through 9 years of basic education should have acquired appropriate levels of literacy, numeracy, manipulative, communicative and life-skills; as well as the ethical, moral, and civic values needed for laying a solid foundation for life-long learning; as a basis for scientific and reflective thinking. 5.0 CONCLUSION Education is globally recognized as an instrument for social and economic reconstruction. The 9-year Basic Education Curriculum is thus a vehicle for achieving this goal 3.0     THE NEW CURRICULUM STRUCTURE The 9-year Ba ic Education Curriculum is divided into the following components: Lower Basic Education Curriculum for primaries 1-3 Middle Basic Education Curriculum for Primaries 4-6 Upper Basic Education Curriculum for Junior Secondary 1-3 The subjects and contents flow systematically from Primary 1 to JSS3; thus they form building blocks for the learning of future contents.

Lagos Shuts 3 Illegal Private Schools  

Published on February 5, 2014 by
Kazeem Ugbodaga    
The Lagos State Government has shut three private schools for operating illegally and contravening the guidelines on the establishment and operation of private schools in the state.
State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye disclosed this on Wednesday at Alausa, Ikeja, in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye

The affected schools are Honesty Private School located at 4/6, Akintayo Akinbola Street, Surulere; Heibenah Montessori Schools at 78, Agbebi Street, Ijeshatedo in Surulere and Elyon Ambassador Private School at 3, Mabayoje Street, Oshodi.
According to the Commissioner, the affected schools were also operating in residential/converted structures wherein some shops were attached to the building in question without provision for special rooms and other required facilities.
She noted that besides the fact the schools shared a fence with another registered private school, it was also discovered that they did not provide required records upon demand from officials of state Ministry of Education where those who provided some records were not properly updated.
Oladunjoye pointed out that the building of one of the schools, Honesty Private School, was sinking, with visible large cracks on the walls while a container was also used as a classroom for Primary III pupils, a situation that not only endangered the lives of students at the school but could apparently impact negatively on them during harsh weather.
She recalled that prior to the closure of the three schools, the state government had served the management of the schools notices wherein they were advised to relocate to suitable purpose-built structures for their schools and report back compliance to the state Ministry of Education.
The Commissioner advised private school operators to always abide by the rules and regulations guiding the establishment and operation of schools in the state, adding that is only necessary for the standard of education to be raised to international standards.