The recently introduced
senior secondary school curriculum is now in use, Head of Curriculum Development, Education Resource Centre (ERC), Mrs Eno Akpabio, has said.
Akpabio stated this in an interview with journalists  in Abuja at the 18th annual book fair organised by the centre.
The National Educational Research Development Council (NERDC) in 2012 introduced 34 vocational trades/entrepreneurship subjects that include bead making, poultry, carpentry, photography and pottery.
“Every child in the senior secondary are expected to take up one entrepreneurship subject. That is one handwork to ensure that any student waiting for admission into university can make up his or her mind to do something that will fetch income,” she said.
Akpabio said the NEDRC had in the meantime started nationwide teaching of a new subject (reading) in junior school and basic education (nursery and primary schools) to promote reading culture.
“The pupils will be taught reading as a subject in our schools. That is why NERDC has developed the new curriculum to spur them to read one way or the other.’’
She said the centre had gone into partnership with NGOs to teach children, particularly those in FCT schools entrepreneurship skills.
On the fair, Akpabio said it was organised by the centre to make text books which are based on the new subjects available to students and the public at publishers’ prices.
She said the fair was also to ensure that students and parents do not fall into the hands of people that sell pirated text books.
“Another reason for the fair is to assist the public to purchase their books and all their learning materials on one stand,’’ she said.
Akpabio said the centre organised the annual fair a week of resumption date to provide an opportunity for everybody to take part in the fair.
She warned the book sellers and publishers against circulating pirated books in the FCT.
“We have our own officers that always go around ensuring that no pirated books are on display on the stands and if any is discovered, that publisher or book seller will be blacklisted,” she said.