CURRICULUM CONTROL IN NIGERIAN EDUCATION: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY?

Abstract

This paper examined who controls the curriculum. The paper argued that the question of who should control the curriculum is a complicated one because individuals have different opinions on that. The term curriculum was defined as an activity that is deliberately planned and organized while on the one hand, curriculum control was thought of as the power to control the curriculum. The paper also argued that although learners, teachers, parents, policymakers, and experts, are critical stakeholders in education, they should not be allowed to completely control the curriculum. Thus, the Federal Government should be solely saddled with the responsibility of controlling the curriculum to check excesses and ensure uniformity, coherence, standards and compliance.  This is because without the Federal Government controlling the curriculum, it will be difficult to implement the curriculum. The paper went further to highlight the need for experts to work in harmony with the critical stakeholders in education, particularly the teachers as is the case in the Netherlands and Great Britain. It was concluded that to achieve our educational goals as a country deliberate effort must be made towards giving teachers key roles in all aspects of the school curriculum and curriculum control is certainly one of such issues.