Elsie UdohHave you heard about the new curriculum for basic education 2025 already? This should be exciting news for you as a parent because this means that you don’t have to spend twice.
Here’s what we mean: You see, oftentimes, many parents try to be forward-thinking for their children since they know that the provisions of the previous curriculum were not enough to prepare their children to fend for themselves upon graduation, so they pay for them to learn hands-on skills after school hours or during holidays, while some wait until after graduation.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelBut with the new development, you get to kill two birds with one stone and have peace of mind knowing that your child will be more ready for the economy after school. Well, that depends on the extent to which the curriculum is implemented, but at least there’s something to be hopeful about now.
But what will this development mean for your children, and how can you get them ready before the implementation takes effect in 2025? Prime Business Africa has all of your curiosities answered here, along with practical steps to help you prepare your children for the new curriculum in 2025.
What the New Curriculum Means for Your Children
Every parent wants the best for their children, and we know you do too, so we want to help you understand what the new curriculum will mean for your children. The new curriculum for basic education 2025 has 15 skill courses that focus on equipping pupils with practical skills, encouraging critical thinking, and helping them navigate digital tools.
Here’s what we think this recent development will mean for your children:
- It will aid the adoption of relevant entrepreneurial skills that will keep them abreast with the demands of the modern world and make them self-reliant.
- It will also help them to adopt a problem-solving and creative mindset that will make them job-ready.
- The new curriculum will open them to a more balanced and positive use of technology in key aspects of their lives.
- It will build your children’s emotional and intellectual intelligence.
- It will also aid their people skills, making them more social.
Understanding these impacts of the new curriculum on your children will help you to effect necessary changes and take practical steps now to help them adjust to the curriculum and continue to excel in their education as well as their future. Here’s how you can prepare your children for the shift.
5 Ways To Prepare Your Children For the New Curriculum
Are you ready for the shift in curriculum? Well, like it or not, it’s happening in a few months from now, and that’s all the time you need to get your children ready for the new curriculum in 2025. To make the process easy for you, we have provided five practical ways that you can prepare your children for the new skill-focused curriculum ahead of time:
Understand the Curriculum
Learning becomes easier for your children when they see that it’s what you know and believe in, so the first kind of learning you’ll be doing here is getting to understand the curriculum. Research the skills and learn how to teach your children the application of them rather than theory since most of their subjects will soon be practical-based. Thankfully, there are resources like YouTube to help out, so you do not need to get formal training to be adept with the skills.
Other practical suggestions to help you understand the curriculum are to:
- Discuss with your children’s school about their implementation plans and how you can help your child from home during PTA meetings.
- Stay updated on any new developments or resources provided by your children’s school or the Ministry of Education.
- Find out where your child’s strengths and interests lie so you can tally your assistance to it.
Start Hands-On Learning and Practicals Now
The earlier your child starts adopting the new curriculum, the better. So after finding out their interests, start practicals with them. You can enrol them in a vocational institute during the first term break for them to get practical experiences, or have them take online skill courses; and if you happen to own a business related to any of the skills in the new curriculum, then now will be a good time to get them involved in it, if they aren’t already.
Also Read: Why Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Curriculum Should Focus More On STEM, Entrepreneurship
Incorporate Technology Into Their Life
Many children do not struggle to use technology, as they own mobile phones and laptops at an early age due to the digitised system. But whether your child owns a mobile phone or not, help them to channel the use of their devices for educational purposes like doing research. If they struggle with using computers, then you can also take advantage of the break to get them enrolled in ICT training centres so they can become more familiar with it.
Remember to monitor and set a usage limit so that they do not become addicted to their screens and begin to dwindle in their social life.
Note: The internet can be a den for fake news and misinformation, so keep your children protected by teaching them how to safely search for information online and differentiate between reliable and unreliable sources.
Help Your Child Develop Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare your children ahead by helping them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. You can do this by teaching them to think through different solutions when they are faced with problems at home rather than immediately providing the answers directly.
How to do this:
- Ask Open-Ended Questions: When discussing school subjects or daily events, ask your child questions like “What do you think will happen if…?” or “Why do you believe this is important?”
- After completing a task, have your child reflect on what they did well and what they could improve on next time.
- Play games like chess and puzzles to build your children’s thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Create a Structured Learning Environment at Home
Children need a conducive learning space that supports their education, so be ready to provide a structured learning environment at home to assist with classroom learning.
Here’s how you can do so:
- Create a quiet study area for your child to work on assignments and school projects.
- Set times for study, breaks, and other extracurricular activities to create a comfortable and balanced learning atmosphere.
- Depending on your child’s skill interest, get the necessary material for your child to start learning how to use them.
- Regularly check in with your child’s progress, help with assignments, and discuss what they’ve learnt in school.
Additional Tips for Parents
Of course, every new development comes with its own unique challenges, and the curriculum is not an exception, but it gets easier when you prepare both yourself and your children for it in advance.
In addition to the five ways you can prepare your children for the new curriculum for basic education 2025 provided in this article, here are some other additional tips to keep in mind:
- Have frequent communications with your child’s teachers to stay updated on their progress and understand how you can support their learning at home.
- The transition to a new curriculum can be challenging, so pay attention to your child’s mental health by offering encouragement and helping them adjust to the change seamlessly.
- Support your child’s interests and invest your time and resources to help them achieve them.
Key Takeaways
And with these few points of ours, your child can easily transition to the new curriculum for basic education 2025. Here’s a quick recap of some points we provided to make that possible:
- Understand and stay informed of new updates about the curriculum.
- Get to know your child’s interests and offer practical assistance tailored to them.
- Help your child to stay abreast with the right use of technology.
- Provide a supportive learning environment at home.
- Encourage a healthy balance between academics, practical skills, and extracurricular activities.
- Create tasks that will build your child’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
By preparing now, you’ll ensure that your child is well-equipped to adapt and thrive under the new curriculum for basic education 2025, and you can be sure that your efforts will aid in the raising of a well-rounded and capable child who will be ready for the future.
Elsie Udoh is an SEO content writer who specialises in writing engaging stories that resonates with diverse audiences. She studied mass communication at the Lagos State University.
