[ad_1]
The story was removed from the Nigerian school curriculum in 2009 – supposedly because students avoided the subject, graduates had no job prospects, and teachers were scarce. But Nigerians were not happy with the decision and it has now been overturned. The government has ordered history to be taught as a stand-alone subject from the 2020/21 academic session. The Conversation Africa’s Wale Fatade asked history professor Ayodeji Olukoju about the value of studying the subject.
Why should young Nigerians study history in school?
Many scholars and commentators have justified the teaching of history, asserting its importance. We can define the subject as a balanced interpretation and reconstruction of the past, based on evidence, with an emphasis on causation, context and course of events. Ignorance of history creates a vacuum that disinformation or outright lies can exploit.
Until pioneering academic historians debunked it, the prevailing idea during the era of European imperialism in Africa was that Africa had no history worth studying beyond European activities. on the continent. But then, figures like Kenneth Dike, Saburi Biobaku, JF Ade Ajayi, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Bethwell Ogot and Adu Boahen convincingly demonstrated the reality and vitality of the African past long before the European intrusion. They justified and popularized the use of oral sources to reconstruct the African past.
A good knowledge of the past is the basis of nationalism or patriotism, the driving force in building a modern nation. History creates or reinforces national identity and self-definition. The United States, United Kingdom and Japan are prominent examples of teaching history as a central part of the curriculum. Knowledge of history motivated the patriotism shown by the citizens of these countries. History can give people a fair appreciation of the place of their nation among others.
It is best taught to impressionable young minds, who can be guided from an early age. Future citizens are the products of what they read and watch, and how they form opinions about others. Teaching history in elementary and secondary schools can explode myths and debunk stereotypes and prejudices.
When I was a student in the 1960s and 1970s we were brought up with a broad knowledge of the history of Nigeria and West Africa which opened minds and broadened our view of the world. We were more influenced by what we read and learned in history lessons than by fables and fairy tales about the past.
What are the likely impacts when history is removed from the curriculum?
Nigerian leaders and their supporters continue to repeat mistakes that could have been avoided by a good knowledge of history and application of lessons learned. Repeated mistakes often inflict irreparable damage and deepen divisions in society. For example, successive Nigerian governments since the First Republic have systematically demonized the opposition, persecuting opposition leaders and denying their strongholds a fair share of resources. They charge the political offices with people from favored areas.
President Goodluck Jonathan favored his strongholds in the South-South and South-East, while alienating the South-West, in particular. President Muhammadu Buhari did not learn from this mistake and made unbalanced appointments in favor of the North West and North East, while alienating the South East. The two presidents simply built resentments in the excluded areas and did little to develop the favored areas.
Another lesson is that of the excessive centralization of power and resources. This resulted from General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi’s unification decree of 1966, which transformed Nigeria into a unitary state masquerading as a federation. This hampered the development of regions and states, unlike the competitive regional development of the 1950s and 1960s. It also hampered efforts to combat insecurity.
How to make history more appealing to young Nigerians?
First of all, we develop texts that pass the content and pedagogy tests. The texts should present the story in an easily readable and accessible language. They should also explain concepts and avoid excessive use of dates. The books should divide the topic into manageable modules based on the age and learning ability of the target students. Cards, cartoons, movies, quizzes, etc. can animate the subject.
Plus, train teachers for every learning level. The emphasis is on students enjoying the subject regardless of their career choice. Teachers are the most critical human element in the teaching or study of history.
Parents should also teach their children about family history, as my grandparents did.
Nigerian society should purge itself of crass materialism, which fosters a desire for immediate gratification coupled with contempt for anything that appears to lack instant utility value. The fetishization of science and so-called “vocational courses” and the contempt for history as a subject, profession or topic of discussion should end.
The teaching of history should be compulsory from primary to higher education. The government’s contempt for history is responsible for the current state of affairs. Generations of young Nigerians have no basic knowledge of the development of their country. These uninformed people have been misled into believing false accounts of key events, such as the ethnicization of the formation of the regional government of Western Nigeria in 1952, or even the causes and unfolding of the civil war. Nigerian.
What career options are available for history graduates in Nigeria?
Teach history and related subjects at all levels; public administration; business advice and research (history of private organizations and public institutions). Help collect archival and ethnographic evidence on land and chiefdom and write newspaper articles. Archives, museum and cultural administration and service as public historians at local, state and federal levels.
Ayodeji Olukoju is not working, consulting, owning stock or receiving funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has not disclosed any relevant affiliation beyond his academic appointment.
By Ayodeji Olukoju, Emeritus Professor of History and Strategic Studies, University of Lagos
Source link
