WHY THE NIGERIAN TEACHER MUST CHANGE CONTENT, METHODS, STYLE AND FORM OF TEACHING

NIGERIA IS STILL PREPARING CHILDREN FOR A WORLD THAT NO LONGER EXISTS

A child entering Primary One today may enter the workforce around 2040 or beyond. Yet, in many Nigerian classrooms, we are still preparing children for an economy and society shaped by the realities of the 1980s and 1990s.

This is one of the greatest challenges facing our education system.

The world is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, automation, digital technology, biotechnology, renewable energy, robotics, global finance and the digital economy are transforming how people live and work.

If the Nigerian teacher does not urgently change the content, methods, style and form of teaching, we risk producing generations of young people who can pass examinations but struggle to solve problems, create opportunities, compete globally or adapt to a rapidly changing world.

Education must therefore move from simply transferring information to developing capabilities, character, creativity and competence.

1. THE CONTENT MUST CHANGE: FROM CERTIFICATES TO CAPABILITIES

For too long, our education system has placed excessive emphasis on memorising notes, reproducing information and obtaining certificates.

Certificates remain important, but a certificate alone is no longer enough.

The real question should be:

What can this young person actually do?

The content of education must evolve at every level.

Primary Education

Beyond reading, writing and mathematics, children should gradually be exposed to:

- Basic digital literacy

- Financial literacy

- Environmental awareness

- Gardening and food production

- Basic first aid and personal safety

- Communication and public speaking

- Creativity and arts

- Simple problem-solving

- Teamwork and leadership

- Basic entrepreneurship

Children should learn not only what things are, but also how things work and how they can create useful things themselves.

Junior Secondary Education

At this level, students should begin developing stronger practical and analytical abilities through:

- Coding and computational thinking

- Introduction to artificial intelligence

- Entrepreneurship

- Debate and public speaking

- Critical thinking

- Environmental sustainability

- Financial management

- Practical agriculture

- Digital media

- Basic technical and vocational skills

- Community problem-solving

Senior Secondary Education

We should also reconsider the rigid way in which we classify students into traditional Science, Arts and Commercial categories.

Those areas remain useful, but the economy of the future requires broader and more flexible career pathways.

Students could increasingly explore fields such as:

- Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science

- Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing

- Healthcare and Biotechnology

- Business, Entrepreneurship and Global Finance

- Modern Agriculture and Food Processing

- Renewable Energy and Environmental Technology

- Film, Animation and Digital Media

- Cybersecurity and Digital Services

- Law, Governance and Public Policy

- Education and Human Development

- Skilled Trades and Technical Services

Before leaving secondary school, every Nigerian student should ideally possess more than a WAEC or NECO certificate.

A young person should leave school with a recognised skill, practical project experience, communication ability, digital competence, exposure to the world of work and, where possible, a portfolio, business idea or apprenticeship experience.

2. THE METHODS MUST CHANGE: FROM MEMORY TO MAKING

The traditional classroom often rewards the student who can memorise information and reproduce it during an examination.

But the future workplace will ask a different question:

“What problem can you solve?”

This requires a fundamental change in teaching methods.

Project-Based Learning

Students should be given opportunities to build, design, research, experiment and create.

Instead of merely teaching students about agriculture, for example, a school could establish a small garden where students learn planting, soil management, budgeting, harvesting and marketing.

Instead of merely teaching environmental pollution, students could conduct a waste-management project within their school or community.

Problem-Solving

Teachers should connect classroom learning to real-life problems.

Students can be encouraged to investigate issues such as:

- Poor waste disposal

- Water shortages

- Food production

- Energy challenges

- Traffic management

- Environmental degradation

- Local business development

- Community health and sanitation

The classroom should become a place where children learn to identify problems and develop solutions.

Teamwork and Practical Exposure

The workplace is rarely about working alone.

Students should learn how to communicate, collaborate, negotiate, lead and resolve disagreements.

Schools should also develop partnerships with farms, businesses, industries, laboratories, technology companies, artisans and other relevant organisations so that students can gain age-appropriate exposure to the world of work.

Technology Integration

Technology should no longer be treated as an occasional addition to education.

Teachers should progressively integrate appropriate digital tools, educational applications, artificial intelligence, coding platforms, simulations, digital libraries and multimedia resources into learning.

However, technology should support good teaching, not replace the teacher.

The teacher remains essential as a mentor, role model, facilitator and human guide.

3. THE STYLE MUST CHANGE: FROM AUTHORITY TO EMPOWERMENT

The old model of “I talk, you listen” may produce obedience, but it does not necessarily produce creativity.

The modern teacher must become more than an instructor.

The teacher should also be a coach, mentor, facilitator, counsellor and guide.

Students should be encouraged to ask questions, challenge ideas respectfully, investigate evidence and express their opinions.

A child who asks, “Why?” should not automatically be regarded as troublesome.

Sometimes, that question is the beginning of innovation.

Teachers should therefore encourage:

- Questions rather than silence

- Debate rather than blind acceptance

- Critical thinking rather than memorisation

- Creativity rather than imitation

- Confidence rather than fear

- Collaboration rather than unhealthy competition

- Innovation rather than fear of failure

We must also recognise that today's children are growing up in a fast-moving digital world.

They therefore need education in emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability, responsible digital citizenship, communication and interpersonal relationships.

4. THE FORM MUST CHANGE: FROM EXAMINATION ALONE TO EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

Examinations have their place, but they should not become the only measure of intelligence, ability or potential.

A student may perform poorly in a written examination yet demonstrate exceptional ability in mechanics, agriculture, coding, entrepreneurship, carpentry, fashion, animation, music, sports or another practical field.

Our assessment system should therefore capture a wider range of abilities.

Assessment should increasingly include:

- Portfolios showing what students have created

- Practical examinations

- Research projects

- Presentations

- Team projects

- Problem-solving exercises

- Continuous assessment

- Vocational and technical demonstrations

- Community-based projects

- Work or apprenticeship exposure

This does not mean abandoning examinations.

Rather, it means creating a more balanced system in which examinations are one part of assessment, not the entire definition of intelligence.

A child gifted in animation should not be made to feel unintelligent simply because that child struggles with Further Mathematics.

Similarly, a child gifted in mathematics should have the opportunity to pursue that strength deeply.

Education should discover talent, develop talent and give talent a pathway to productivity.

5. THE TEACHER MUST ALSO CHANGE

We cannot demand a modern education system while leaving the teacher behind.

If teachers are expected to prepare children for 2040 and beyond, teachers themselves must receive continuous professional development.

The Nigerian teacher of the future must be a lifelong learner.

Teachers should continuously develop their knowledge of:

- Digital technology

- Artificial intelligence

- Modern teaching methods

- Child psychology

- Inclusive education

- Entrepreneurship

- Assessment techniques

- Classroom management

- Communication

- Research

- Career guidance

- Emerging industries

Government, school owners and education authorities must therefore invest seriously in teacher training, welfare, digital infrastructure, teaching resources and professional development.

A poorly equipped and poorly supported teacher cannot reasonably be expected to deliver a world-class education.

6. THE SCHOOL MUST CHANGE TOO

Changing the teacher alone will not solve the problem.

The entire school environment must evolve.

Schools should become places where students can learn, experiment, create, collaborate and discover their abilities.

Where resources permit, schools should provide:

- Functional laboratories

- ICT and digital learning facilities

- Libraries and digital libraries

- Agricultural demonstration areas

- Technical and vocational workshops

- Creative arts spaces

- Sports facilities

- Safe and inclusive learning environments

- Internet access

- Entrepreneurship and innovation clubs

Schools should also build stronger relationships with parents, communities, businesses and industries.

Education cannot be the responsibility of teachers alone.

7. PARENTS MUST CHANGE THEIR EXPECTATIONS

Parents also have an important role to play.

We must stop measuring a child's success only by examination scores, certificates or the likelihood of securing a government job.

Parents should ask:

What is my child good at?

What can my child create?

What skills is my child developing?

Can my child communicate, solve problems and work with others?

Can my child adapt to change?

A successful education should prepare a child not only to seek employment but also to create value, serve society and, where possible, create employment for others.

8. EDUCATION MUST PREPARE CHILDREN FOR BOTH LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMPETITION

Nigeria has enormous human and natural resources, but our young people are increasingly competing in a global economy.

A software developer in Abuja can compete for work with someone in India.

A designer in Lagos can serve clients in Europe.

A filmmaker in Kano can reach an international audience.

A farmer in Bauchi can use technology to access better markets.

This means Nigerian education must produce young people who understand their communities while possessing skills that can compete globally.

Our children must be locally grounded but globally competent.

CONCLUSION: TEACH FOR 2040 AND BEYOND — NOT 1980

Nigeria cannot become a prosperous nation with an education system designed primarily for the realities of the past.

The purpose of education should not be merely to produce millions of certificate holders waiting for government employment.

Education should produce problem-solvers, innovators, entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, responsible citizens, builders, researchers and future employers.

The child entering Primary One today will live and work in a very different Nigeria and a very different world.

That child will face opportunities and challenges that we cannot fully predict.

Therefore, our responsibility as teachers is not to prepare children only for the world we know.

We must prepare them for the world they will inherit.

The Nigerian teacher must change the content.

The Nigerian teacher must change the methods.

The Nigerian teacher must change the style.

The Nigerian teacher must change the form of assessment.

And above all, the Nigerian education system must change its understanding of what it means to be educated.

The future will not reward those who merely know how to remember.

It will increasingly reward those who can think, create, adapt, communicate, collaborate, solve problems and continue learning.

The transformation must begin in the classroom.

Let us teach for 2040 and beyond.

Let us prepare Nigerian children not merely to pass examinations, but to build the future.

Please share this with teachers, parents, school owners, education officials, policymakers and everyone who cares about the future of Nigerian children.

Ahmad M. Salihu 

Work with the Bauchi State Ministry of Education 

ahmad.msalihu22@gmail.com