Re-Introduce History In Schools

There is need to re-introduce history in the nation’s secondary schools’ curriculum because of the important role history plays in the life of a nation and its people. It is preposterous that the Federal Ministry of Education allowed a subject such as history to be yanked off the curriculum of some secondary schools without any consideration for the consequences it would have on our youths. Our experts in the education ministry are so myopic that none of them has raised an eyebrow about this issue.

As rightly pointed out recently by Prof. Tunde Babawale, the Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Art, history is a form of document which interprets what is significant to people as individuals, groups, communities, societies and nations. It also provides the guide to life and helps in the search for wisdom.

According to the University of Lagos don, “if our youths must be prepared for the challenges of the present and the future, we must make the study of history and culture compulsory at all levels of our educational system.”

If our students do not learn their country’s history and that of other countries of the world, how could they be equipped with the compass to navigate life’s complex paths?

The lack of the knowledge of history on the part of our youths could be responsible for their lack of wisdom and their recourse to engaging in all manner of anti-social activities, especially those bordering on violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killings, etc.

The re-introduction of history could go a long way in re-orientating the youths thereby taking them away from social vices that could ruin their future.

We also call for the re-introduction of civic education in primary schools as this important subject could also shape the young minds of pupils and imbue in them the spirit of patriotism.

If history and civic education are not taught in schools, the children would not know their identity. They would imbibe the wrong values and culture which could invariably undermine their upbringing in the long run. The Ministry of Education, as a matter of urgency, must make the study of history and civic education compulsory subjects in secondary and primary schools. Our young children must know their history to be able to appreciate the enormous sacrifices the founding fathers made to rescue the nation from the colonial masters and for them to have a guide to the future. For as they say, if you don’t know where you are coming from, you may not have a clear picture of where you are going.