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#Post#: 159--------------------------------------------------
Policy somersault as FG dumps 9-3-4 for 1-6-3-3-4
By: Ebenezer Date: August 10, 2013, 10:02 am
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The Federal Government has approved a neweducational structure
to include a one-year Early Childhood Education for
five-year-old Nigerians, SAMUEL AWOYINFA reports
The nation¡¯s education policy of 9-3-4 may soon be replaced by
another one, as the Federal Government has almost concluded
plans to change the existing policy to a 1-6-3-3-4 education
structure. The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqquayat Rufa¡¯i,
while announcing the imminent change, said the proposed
structure would be a re-modification of the 9-3-4 system of
education which came into being in 2009 only when the old
6-3-3-4 was dropped.
This new system, already proposed to the National Assembly, it
was learnt, is being planned to include the exposure of
five-year-old learners to one-year of Early Childhood Education
before they proceed to the six-yearbasic education.
According to Rufa¡¯i, it is sequel to the recommendations of the
Presidential Task Team on Education, which President Goodluck
Jonathan had already approved.
According to the minister, 1-6- 3-3-4 signifiesthat the first
year of education will be for a child of five years.
The six-year component will be for primary education, while the
other three, three and four years would be for junior and senior
secondary schools, and tertiary education respectively.
Before this proposal, the nation¡¯s educationalsystem had gone
through many modifications. In the late 70s and 80s, it was the
6-5-4 system that was in place. This system represented six
years in the primary school, five years in the secondary school
andfour years in the tertiary institution.
Again, a shift in policy later came up, and it gave birth to
Higher School Certificate, popularly known as HSC, which gave
another two-year stop gap of learning to pupils after secondary
school, before they proceeded to the university.
Later, several shifts in policy thrusts on education had
emerged. Nigeria has had 6-3-3-4, and 9-3-4 systems of
education.
The 6-3-3-4 indicated six years in the primaryschool, three
years each in junior and senior secondary schools respectively;
and four years in the higher institution.
The 6-3-3-4 was modified in 2009, which ledto the present 9-3-4
system of education. This was done with the view to including
thecomponents of basic, technical and vocational inputs into the
curriculum, as pupils were expected to complete the first nine
years before proceeding on a career path in the next three years
of secondary education.
These modifications, as far as government is concerned, are all
aimed at giving Nigerian pupils and students qualitative and
pragmatic education. But whether that has been achieved or not
is a story for another day.
Stakeholders are, however, divided over the proposed system of
education. While some are in support of the policy, others are
opposed to it. Those in support note that it isgood as it is
already being practised by private school owners; while those
opposed to it argue that there is nothing wrong with the
existing system. They say it will result to another policy
somersault, which they claim had been the bane of education
developmentin the country.
The Proprietress, Mindbuilders Schools, Lagos, Mrs. Bola Falore,
says she is worried bythe inconsistency in policy formulation in
the educational sector. She notes that the government has yet to
tell the populace whatwas wrong with the 6-3-3-4 or the 9-3-4
before proposing another one.
She says, ¡°I believe they introduced the nursery system into
primary education for five-year-old children. In advanced
countries, children start learning from between ages three and
four, and by the time they spend two years in school, they move
formally to the primary school.
¡°Is this what they are trying to copy? My worry is: for how
long would they practise this policy if it eventually sails
through?¡±
The Principal, King¡¯s College, Lagos, Mr. Dele Olapeju, says it
is a right step in the right direction, stressing that the
system started from a private initiative, in which children from
ages four and five were enrolled informally in school until they
were mature toproceed to primary school at age six.
He says, ¡°It started from the private operators of education in
what the Yoruba called Jeleosinmi (which literally means let
thehousehold have some peace), in which children were enrolled
from age five into the school informally. From there, they start
acquiring education, and when they clocked age six, they moved
to the primary school formally.
¡°I think now the Federal Government wants to make it universal,
which means it will be a policy for both private and public
schools.¡±
A Lagos-based teacher, Mr. Omoniyi David, agrees with Olapeju,
arguing that it is improper to have children of between four and
five years already in the primary school, which, he notes, is
now prevalent in some private schools.
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