SECONDARY EDUCATION POLICY AND CURRICULUM PROVISIONS IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING AND ENHANCEMENT STRATEGIES

Abstract

Secondary education is received subsequent to primary education, and prior to tertiary stage. Secondary education is indispensable for national development. Nigeria has comprehended its importance and, therefore, successive governments since independence in 1960 have prioritized secondary education and have advocated policies to improve its quality. The National Policy on Education (NPE) and other adjunct policy documents were established to guide secondary education in Nigeria. The National Policy on Education asserts that the success of any system of education can be realized only with proper planning, competent administration and adequate financing; in addition, the management and day-to-day administration should develop on the basis of the life and social ethnics of the community which they serve. Keeping in mind the importance of National Policy on Education for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this study provides an insight into its policy and curriculum provisions. At first, the concept of policy and policy analysis are defined. A brief glance of the secondary education policies in Nigeria from 2000 to 2016 follows. Subsequently, we present an overview of the curriculum provisions for the policy. Finally, certain consequences of the policy were noted as well as some strategies were suggested for better implementation of the policy.