The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council NERDC has clarified issues concerning the newly approved Revised Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) and Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC).
In a statement signed by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Professor Salisu Shehu, the agency reaffirmed that the revised curricula provide a clear framework and authentic subject listings for proper guidance, stressing that speculations and distortions should be disregarded.
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According to the NERDC, the curriculum reforms form part of the National Education Sector Renewal Initiatives (NESRI), which mandate periodic review of educational content to align with national needs, global best practices, and contemporary realities.
The Council emphasised that the new curricula are evidence-based, stakeholder-driven, and designed to strengthen competencies in areas such as basic robotics, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, life skills, citizenship education, and sports.
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It further highlighted that 21st-century transversal skills have been embedded across all subjects to promote employability, productivity, and national development.
The NERDC clarified that:
Religious studies remain elective at the senior secondary level, with students free to choose either Christian Religious Studies (CRS) or Islamic Studies (IS) based on their faith.
The Religion and National Values (RNV) curriculum, disarticulated a decade ago, no longer exists in the new framework.
The revised curriculum has streamlined subjects to reduce overload, create more learning time, and make the learning process performance- and learner-centred.
The Council also noted that the reforms aim to foster peaceful coexistence, religious tolerance, patriotism, and unity in diversity, with no derogatory or divisive elements in the design.
Implementation of the new curricula, it stated, has already commenced at the start of each three-year learning cycle — Primary 1, Primary 4, JSS 1, and SSS 1. The official subject listings and detailed guidelines are accessible on the NERDC website (www.nerdc.gov.ng
).
Furthermore, nationwide sensitisation campaigns, teacher capacity-building initiatives, and engagements with the Nigerian Publishers Association have been planned to ensure smooth implementation.
The statement, reiterated the Council’s call on Nigerians to rely only on verified information from official platforms.