An educationist, Mrs Ann Oparah, on Saturday said that the insinuation that British Education Curriculum was better than Nigeria version was untrue.
Oparah, a graduate of Guidance and Counselling from the University of Lagos, Akoka, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos said that real teaching experience had shown little difference between the curricula.
Oparah, the proprietor of the 21-year-old Brilliant Academy, Agege, Lagos, spoke with NAN on the sidelines of the school’s Career Day at the school premises on Friday.
She explained that the “importance of Career Day in Brilliant Academy, is for the students to have focus on the choice of their careers as some students do lose focus of their career of choice later due to interference from parents and peer pressure.”
She said that having been in the business of managing school, with experience as a proprietor for more than 25 years, students could only make a choice of career through their own conviction and abilities.
“As an educationist with wealth of experience in curriculum, there is no curriculum that is better than the other because I run both curriculums in my school.
“There is no superior curriculum between that of Nigeria and Britain, no one is better than the other and experience has proven that overtime.
“The Nigerian curriculum is well designed to meet the needs of indigenous study and it can also stand the test of time abroad. Those that were tutored with Nigeria’s curriculum also excel abroad.
“Those that have come under the Nigerian curriculum can also stand shoulder to shoulder with others who had been trained with other curriculums and the record speaks for itself,’’ she said.
Oparah said that the only edge that the British Curriculum could have was the global acceptability in certificate which any student with rudimentary knowledge can aspire to have.
“The only slight edge which the British curriculum can have over Nigeria’s is the acceptability of the examinations which enjoys global accreditation.
“Any Nigerian student who wants to aspire to write Cambridge examination can also do so with ease since the solid foundation has been laid.
“We need to appreciate what we have as indigenous because they remain the eye of the society; so, we can as well promote our very own to the admiration of others.
“In my school, we have both British and Nigeria curriculums with different teachers because some parents ask for it, but the two are as well important to the development of students,’’ she said.
NAN reports that there were various activities during the Career Day presentations which elucidate the different ingenuity of the students and their knowledge of careers they have chosen for themselves.
Students displayed their knowledge in careers such as Engineering, Law, Education, Arts and Craft, and Science-based professions. (NAN)
