Dr Adejoke  Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has called for inclusion of all the goals in Nigerian curriculum to attain speedy development in the country.

Adefulire made the recommendation while addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the 2024 Abuja Transforming Education Summit on Thursday.

The summit was organised by the Development of Educational Action Network (DEAN) Initiative, an organisation interested in education development in the country.

The theme of the event was “The Relevance of Equipping Students with Problem-solving Skills in Achieving SDGs.”

Represented by Dr Ifeyiwa Namchikegbo, Head of Conditional Grant Scheme to States and the FCT, Adefulire said that summit was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

She said that the aim was to reposition and revamp the education sector to meet the 21st century demands.

According to her, the demands cannot be met without integrating SDGs into our school curriculum.

“So, today, we are calling for integration of SDGs because if Nigerian can achieve SDGs, it means we have solved all our problems, including climate change.

“With quality education, functional education, skilled education that can make children think critically, make them creative and solve problems that will achieve all the SDGs.

“When we achieve the SDGs, we have solved all the problem in Nigeria.

“So, we are emphasising the integration of the SDGs in the curriculum and we want it started from the basic to senior secondary schools.’’

The Executive Director of DEAN- Initiative, Mr Michael Simiye, said that it was important to always examine the state of education in the country and the world as a whole.

He said that education had been under utilised in terms of national development, planning of structure and designs.

“So, we are focused on supporting the government and stakeholders to really think education properly to deploy what it is capable of delivering in building the society we want.

“Education must start building people’s ability, people’s power, people’s innovations, curiosity beyond the ability to just read, write and express ourselves; we have a society to build that is not solely on our ability to read and write.

“We need problem solving skills, critical thinking, analytical thinking, and a much more that’s where the world is,” he said.

Also, the Secretary General, Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO, Dr Olagunju Lateef, said Nigeria could not afford not to develop a new curriculum.

Represented by the Deputy Secretary, Mr Kenedy Amadi, Lateef said that Nigeria presently had in place a curriculum that could not meet up with the demands of the 21st century.

“With all the experts we find here, and the presentations made, it will go a long way in making sure that this curriculum, which is a focus for today, is in line with the demands of the 21st century,” he said.

Miss Peace Alabi, a JSS 2 student at the Junior Secondary School Garki Area 11, said that it was sad to graduate at the top of the class and could not write a memo.

She said that core skills like problem solving and critical thinking were not just the icing on the cake, but the cake itself.

According to her, students should not only absorb information but have the ability to apply it in innovative ways; education needs urgent transformation.

Alabi said that it was time to take education beyond textbooks, saying there was need for action oriented education.

“65 per cent of primary school kids will eventually end up picking jobs that have not even been invented.

“It will actually be better if schools can teach students not just to pass exams but to navigate the real world; let us equip them with skills that turn potential into success,” she said.  (NAN)