Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i

Damilola Oyedele

The Federal Government has said it would review the 6-3-3-4 education system to include a compulsory one year early education.

This is to properly incorporate early education, which is being campaigned for, into the education system.

The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and Chairman of the High Level Committee on Updating the National Policy on Education, Professor Godswill Obioma, said this in Abuja Wednesday at a stakeholders’ meeting on education review.

He canvassed for a holistic review of the National Policy on Education to conform to the demands brought by the transformation agenda.
The current policy, Obioma said, does not take into cognizance current realities and emerging challenges in the sector.

He added that the review would also take into consideration education in flood ravaged areas and other areas that have experienced disasters.

“We are operating a system whereby Mr. President has set for us agenda, which we hope will take us to vision 20:2020. The transformation agenda has as one of its strategic goals, human development and education is very critical to human development,” he added.
Considering the dynamism of Nigeria, it is necessary, Obioma said, that reforms be reflected in the national education policy especially to reflect goals such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education For All (EFA) beyond 2015.

“Various countries have set for themselves an agenda on what to do and as we approach 2015. The whole world is trying to redefine those goals. And so the policy also must be changed in tandem with those redefinitions,” he noted.