How UBEC is Prioritizing Bilingual Education In Nigeria
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has developed another approach to Bilingual Education through a proposed comprehensive review of the curriculum and redressing it to a “Smart” curriculum.
The development has led to the expansion of not only the scope but approach that will galvanize the new order capable of deploying a new curriculum for Bilingual Education across the country, to enhance Basic Education in the country.
The fallout will be the acquaintance of two basic knowledge and approaches to bilingual education which will become seamless.
Since bilingual education and development of the curriculum will leverage on double approach and experience on the part of basic education learners, the need to rejig the format through the inculcation of a “smart” education curriculum cannot be overemphasized.
With the new approach, the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC has rolled out a systematic format to train through workshops, talk shops, seminars, and symposiums to brainstorm on the new template by experts to chart a new way to perfect the development of the new “Smart” Bilingual Education curriculum.
The unique Bilingual Education schools scheduled to debut in nine focal states which encompass the six geopolitical zones will be concentrated on the improvement of 7M designated for ECCDE and 47M primary school level pupils.
The new “Smart” curriculum of Bilingual Education in line with Tsangaya and the National curriculum template was capable of driving effectiveness and efficiency in line with the global best practices.
Having achieved this, no doubt the new curriculum for Bilingual Education tagged “Smart ” will create access to improved quality Basic Education through the provision of SDGs.
With the proposed curriculum review “Smart ” in nature and Bilingual Education in format and practice, it is capable of enhancing the management capacity and school administration.
Having solidified and repositioned experts and professionals charged with inculcating the new program, with the provision of needed equipment, the reviewed curriculum “smart” Bilingual Education will resolve pending issues.
With the double advantage of learning two languages both the conventional and nonconventional ones, along with the provision of adequate infrastructure, which includes manpower and equipment support, the new “Smart “curriculum will address other salient issues.
UBEC on its part had mobilized adequate funding and support both from local and international support agencies, it is obvious that the initial 30 bilingual building schools spread across nine focal states as a pilot scheme, will gradually spread across the country.
With the nomenclature “Smart ” curriculum and bilingual education, its development will address and improve dual advantage that is bound to address Basic Education for learners in Nigeria.
ABUBAKAR YUSUF Writes on yus.abubakar@gmail.com.
