Operators of the nine-year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC), have been urged to ensure implementation of the curriculum to build a solid educational system in the country.

Prof. Godswill Obioma, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), made the call on Thursday in Enugu.

He said in a message to the Focus Group Discussion (FGD), for assessment of the curriculum in the South-East Zone, that the curriculum would allow for gradual phasing out of the old curriculum.

Obioma, represented by a consultant to the council, Chief Austin Edeze, said that full implementation of the curriculum would also give room for monitoring and feedback.

He said the essence of the group discussion was to ascertain the extent and challenges of implementing the curriculum with a view to attaining its objectives and philosophy.

The executive secretary said the FGD would focus on availability of the curriculum, sensitisation on the content and structure, its relevance and preparedness of teachers.

“Let me remind you that ensuring effective implementation of the new curriculum and quality in education delivery is the responsibility of all stakeholders,’’ Obioma said.

He, however, urged participants including state operatives, Federal Inspectorate Services, State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) to provide solutions to the identified challenges in effective implementation of BEC.

In his remarks, the Enugu State Commissioner for Education, Dr Festus Uzor, said the state had since commenced a review of books used in public primary and junior secondary schools in line with the new curriculum.

Uzor, who was represented by the Director of Educational Resource Centre, Mrs Faustina Umeh, said that teachers in the state had been mandated to discard the old and obsolete books for the current text books.