NOA develops national values curriculum for students

By Deji Abdulwahab

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Garba Abari, says the agency has developed a curriculum that will inculcate core national values in students.

Abari, who was represented by the Director, Human Resources, Mr Kehinde Ogunkuade, said this on Wednesday at a stakeholders-meeting on the National Core Values for Secondary School Students in Abuja.

He said that the curriculum was developed in order to bridge the gap that has been created by the loss of such ethics among parents and adults who are supposed to pass it on to children.

Abari said that the values of integrity, social justice, patriotism, discipline, dignity of labour, religious tolerance and self-reliance are important for the growth of youths and national development.

“Unfortunately, in recent times, there has been a decline in the practice of these values in our society, and this has affected the attitudes and behaviour of our young people.

“Many of us as adults and parents have lost sight of the importance of these values and have become apathetic to their role as agents of positive change to our children.

“This is why the NOA has deemed it necessary to embark on a re-orientation programme for secondary school students in Nigeria,’’ he said.

According to him, our aim is to sensitise and educate them on the importance of these core values and to empower them to becoming worthy ambassadors of change in their communities.

“To achieve this goal, we have developed a comprehensive curriculum that we feel can be integrated into the secondary school curricular through the collaboration of relevant stakeholders.

“We will work closely with teachers and school administrators to ensure that the programme is properly implemented.”

In his remarks, the Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, urged the relevant stakeholders to communicate the National core values to their children, wards and students.

According to Ajiboye, this will go a long way in tackling ethic and religious sentiments and promoting National unity.

Also, President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Audu Amba, urged relevant stakeholders to ensure that students were given the right orientation and education to imbibe the core values of the country.

Amba, who was represented by the Director, Administration and Staff Training, NUT, Dr Clinton Ikpitibo, said that value re-orientation would promote and project the good image of the country.

Also, the Sape of Garki, a traditional ruler, Alhaji Usman Ndakopi, said parents and teachers as agents of positive change could only inculcate moral values in children when they changed their attitudes toward corruption and crimes.

(NAN)