To participate effectively in the increasingly complex societies that characterize today’s world, the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo has expressed the need to integrate 21st century curriculum schemes to enable Nigerian students to think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate with diverse peers and solve complex problems.
Adefisayo stated this at the weekend during an award ceremony for 110 Nigerian students from across 45 schools who came top in the June and November 2021 Cambridge examination series in Lagos.
She disclosed that the British Council office in the country and Federal Government are currently collaborating to improve Nigeria’s school curriculum, saying the effort is to inculcate the skills that could broaden the knowledge of students in Nigeria into the curriculum.
The commissioner noted that whatever students are learning should be integrated with skills such as creativity, problem-solving, innovative thinking, personal leadership, citizenship, teamwork, and digital literacy, among others.
Adefisayo who expressed excitement at the outstanding performances of the awardee students, revealed that Lagos state government had set out a scheme of works that integrated course skills across all subjects from nursery to senior secondary schools.
“We are doing our best to integrate all these skills into the curriculum because that is how a student will do well. You really cannot talk about academics alone anymore. Students must have depth and breadth across the whole gamut of education,” she stated.
Also speaking, Country Director, British Council Nigeria, Lucy Pearson, noted that Cambridge Assessment International Education supports young people in developing 21st-century skills.She revealed that all the top-performing students will receive certificates from Cambridge International in recognition of their achievements.Following their brilliant performance in the June and November Cambridge examination series, the beneficiaries secured 157 Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards.