UI former VC, DVC urge caution on proposed 12-4 education model

UI former VC, DVC urge caution on proposed 12-4 education model

Rotimi Agboluaje, Ibadan

A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, and the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Achievers’ University, Owo, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, have called for interrogations and circumspection in the proposed 12-4 educational model by the Federal Government.

It would be recalled that the federal government had proposed a new compulsory 12-year basic education programme that would replace the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Reacting to the proposal in Ibadan, Olayinka and Aremu said the policy needed to be interrogated, compared, and contrasted with the existing one.

The former VC said the proposal to move from the 6-3-3-4 to the 12-4 model has to be considered by the National Council of Education in order to ascertain its advantages over the current template.

Olayinka said, “Whichever policy is adopted at any point in time should put the upskilling of competencies of students at the front burner. The Information Technology (IT) capabilities of the students and their trainers have to be given top priority. Training in entrepreneurship should be mainstreamed into the curriculum so that the system is able to produce job providers and not job seekers.

“At the same time, the government should not engage in frequent policy somersaults, which would disrupt the educational aspirations of those students who are already in the system.”

On his part, Aremu reflected on the reversed 6-3-3-4 system of education, which was introduced in 1982 by the administration of Shehu Shagari.

The education administrator said the proposed 12-4 model is similar to the 6-5-2-4 model the country used to have prior to the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 model in 1982, “except for the non-inclusion of the Higher School Certificate, which is a stop-gap model still lacking in our educational system except for a few schools that offer Advanced Level education.”

He said the argument in the proposition that students would have an uninterrupted transition to university education sounds very strong and seamless.

According to the education professor, the argument in the proposition that students would have an uninterrupted transition to university education sounds very strong and seamless.

He said, “That again is similar to the 6-5-2-4 model. But then, some basic questions are begging for answers. Answers to these questions will again help stakeholders to interrogate the sustainability of the newly introduced 12-4 model, which has collapsed primary and secondary education and put it in contextual perspectives.

“One, has the government considered the curriculum in such a way that what pupils would be exposed to in the primary arm of the new model will make teaching and learning seamless in the secondary arm of the newly introduced model?

“Two, the fundamentals of the components of skills and vocational education, which are supposed to be an integral part of the model, need to be more articulated. I recall recently that the federal government rolled out basic skills and vocational training that students are supposed to take. What do we have on the ground in terms of infrastructure and training tools?

“Three, can the present state of infrastructures in our schools accommodate the fundamentals and education expected of the newly introduced model? And four, is there any provision for students who will be unable to continue with both academic and vocational rigours, and any provisions for such individuals?

“While I commend the Federal Government and the National Council on Education, more interrogations are still required if the newly introduced 12-4 model will be scientific and sustainable. Worldwide, the emphasis is on flexibility and emphasis on skills acquisition like critical thinking, problem-solving, and hands-on skills. This is what is called inclusive education.

“Education that will give our children both theoretical and practical knowledge that will make them total citizens ready for global leadership in whatever fields they choose to pursue.”