By Charles Pemu 
The Federal Government has announced the completion of a comprehensive review of school curricula for basic, senior secondary, and technical education, designed to make Nigerian students “future-ready” in a rapidly evolving world.
The Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, and made available to journalists on Sunday. According to the statement, the announcement was made in Abuja by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa.
The review, carried out in collaboration with key stakeholders including the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), aims to reduce content overload, enhance learning outcomes, and prepare learners with practical skills relevant to global demands.
Prof. Ahmad stressed that the new framework goes beyond trimming subjects, focusing instead on deepening content and promoting critical thinking.
“Under the revised structure, pupils in Primary 1–3 will study a minimum of nine and a maximum of 10 subjects, while those in Primary 4–6 will take 10 to 12 subjects. Junior secondary students may offer 12 to 14 subjects, senior secondary students will take eight to nine, and technical schools will offer nine to 11 subjects,” she explained.
The Ministry noted that the changes are expected to create more learning time for students, foster skill acquisition, and reduce the burden of excessive coursework.
Implementation of the revised curriculum will be closely monitored to ensure a smooth transition across schools nationwide. While the Ministry did not provide a specific rollout date, it confirmed that the new structure would be phased in gradually with oversight from relevant agencies.
It will be recalled that Dr. Alausa earlier postponed the implementation of the new basic education curriculum to September 2025. This followed a previous announcement by the immediate past Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, who had initially slated the rollout for January 2025.
The revised curriculum will also make skill acquisition a compulsory requirement for pupils in basic schools, reflecting the government’s commitment to producing not just educated, but employable and innovative citizens.