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Educational Research and Reviews Vol. 5 (6), pp. 298-302, June 2010Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/ERR2ISSN 1990-3839 2010 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Managing Nigerian secondary school reforms toenhance equity and globalization

V. F. Peretomode1* and P. O. Ikoya2

1Educational Administration and Higher Education, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.

2Department of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.

Accepted 19 April, 2010

The world is in a state of flux occasioned by profound natural forces, social, economic, and politicalchanges and rapid scientific and technological advancement. The nations of the world, of which Nigeria

is a part, are also becoming more interconnected and interdependent. To avoid possible future shocknations must respond quickly, preferably and proactively to these rapid changes. Regular curriculumrenewal, which must consider new competencies, standards and trends, regional and international, isincreasingly becoming a must in most educational systems of the world as a means of coping with thesechanges and challenges. Effective management is a sine-qua-non to the successful implementation andinstitutionalization of curriculum change in order to achieve the desired goals. This paper examinessystematically the important issue of managing curriculum reforms to enhance effectiveness andefficiency, equity and relevance in a globalize economy.

Key words: Interdependent, implementation, institutionalization, curriculum, systematically, advancement.

INTRODUCTION

The nations of the world, of which Nigeria is a part, arebecoming much closer, interconnected and experiencingprofound socio-economic and political changes today.Since immediate needs of man change with globalizationwith its attendant challenges and consequences, thecurriculum must also change with it in order to bringabout dynamic adaptation. Such curriculum renewalefforts must consider new knowledge, competencies,standards and trends, regional and international, whilestill meeting the immediate needs of life of a givenpeople.

Curriculum change or innovation is a complex and

multifaceted process. As Schaeffer (1990) rightly observ-ed, there is nothing easy about the process of change.No where is this more the case than in education, yet inno other fields are innovations and reforms moreneeded. Effective management is a sine-qua-non to thesuccessful implementation and institutionalization of cur-

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel:+23480547531102, +2348036761369.

riculum change. This paper therefore, discusses curriculum reforms and globalization, curriculum renewal andequity and how best leadership styles of schooadministrators can be harnessed to achieve desiredcurriculum reforms in the globalization age.

Curriculum reforms and globalization

Globalization has made the whole world to be looked aas a single community. The internet, satellite televisioncellular telephones and other advancements in tele-communications, air travels, containerized shipments

and online business transactions and so on have reallyhelped to make the world a global village and a faschanging place. Globalization is also gradually breakingdown educational barriers, although local or nationadifferences still remain.

If curriculum is a process of preparing children for aliving and life in their own societies and for competition inthe global economy of tomorrow (UNESCO-II CBA2002), then it is only logical that secondary school curri-culum, both formal and informal, contents and processesshould be dynamic enough to adapt to the new socio-


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economic, political, scientific and technological realities oftimes. The curriculum must begin then to reflect issues ofglobalization. In other words, globalization will have to beinfused into the curriculum and this should affect the -learning, teaching, processes of curriculum development,funding, and management of secondary education.

Although our secondary school curriculum appears tohave been overloaded as it now stands because of thenumber of subjects each student offer, there is the needto infuse global issues into the curriculum. This may implythe elimination of certain curriculum requirements,increasing the scope and depth of certain subjects andadoption of new programmes.

Fortunately, the National Policy on Education (NPE)recognizes the dynamic nature of the world we live in andthe need for the curriculum to also continually change toreflect this world dynamism. For instance, in section 5(22) (b), it stated that secondary education shall offerdiversified curriculum to cater for the differences intalents, opportunities and future roles. Similarly, theoverall philosophy of Nigeria includes promoting inter-African solidarity and world peace through understanding(NPE, 2004, Section 1 (2b)). One of the national goalswhich have been endorsed as necessary foundation forthe National Policy on Education is building of a land fullof bright opportunities for all citizens (NPE, 2004, Sec. 1(e)). The Nigerias philosophy of education believes in thefull integration of the individual into the community, andthat school programmes need to be relevant, practicaland comprehensive.

The above provisions in the NPE can be said to haveenvisioned elements of globalization. Some realities orissues of globalization that our secondary school

curriculum should reflect include, knowledge explosion;rapid scientific and technological development; healthissues and new diseases such as Bird Flu; HIV/AIDSprevention; ecological and global environmental degra-dation; spread of democratic values; world economicmeltdown; increasing conflicts and conflict resolutionskills and rapid advances in information and communi-cation technologies. Our curriculum must assist ourchildren to acquire current knowledge and skills in theseareas so that they can compete not only in their localsociety but also in the global market place which hasbecome everyones community today.

Globalization has implications for the learning teach-

ing process, assessment, and classroom management.The best practices in these areas should be adopted. Forexample, learning should be individualized, class sizesgreatly reduced, critical thinking, the inquiry method,problem-solving and student-centered approaches shouldbe adopted. Furthermore, team teaching and teamactivities should be emphasized. In this cyber-world, theinternet should be introduced into the classroom andelectronics should be used to support collaborativeteaching and learning.

The scope and depth of pre-vocational, non-prevocational, vocational, and core courses in both junior

Peretomode and Ikoya 299

and secondary schools will have to be enriched. For instancesex education, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/AcquiredImmune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) preventionbird flu and so on can be incorporated in non-vocationaelectives such as health education and made a requiredcourse for all students. A course titled global studies

should be incorporated in the curriculum and made acore course. The role of the teacher on the whole, wilhave to change from that of imparting knowledge tofacilitating learning - helping the learner learn how tolearn. The school time table may be affected and so alsothe school hours per day and the number of school daysin a year. More infrastructures in terms of quantity andquality will have to be provided for schools. All thesehave financial implications and demand political will andcommitment on the part of governments and the privatesector in adequately funding secondary education inNigeria.

Curriculum reforms and equity

The concept of equity, firstly, is not synonymous withequality of educational opportunity neither is it a negationof the principles of educational universalization ordemocratization. Equity in the management of curriculumreforms is hinged on the provision and management ofcurriculum resources and structures in accordance withthe peculiar needs of the learner in his environment. Theneeds of the learner are determined by the nature ofprogrammes of study, the level of education, thecommunity needs of the learner and of course thenational policy on education.

Several research studies (Bray, 2004; Hawkins, 2004)have shown that in regions and countries where the wilto provide quality education is present, adequateresources are equitably provided for effective curriculumdevelopment, implementation and management. Schoomaterials including books and writing materials areprovided in adequate quality and quantity. Children areconveyed to and from school in buses with hot lunchgiven to pupils during break.

In other countries, particularly the developing nationsfindings show (Ikoya, 2005) that the struggle to provideclassroom accommodation and books for pupils stilappear insurmountable.

To promote equity in the management of curriculumreforms in a pluralistic country such as Nigeria, certainfactors should be considered. These include:

1. Learners community needs.2. Ecological environment.3. Resource availability.4. Mental, physical and environmental challenges facinglearner.

In general, there is a widespread belief (Cho and Kwon2004; Witkin and Altschuld, 1995) that most learners


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300 Educ. Res. Rev.

return to their communities upon graduation to developtheir areas of origin. And as a result communities arebecoming more interested in how curriculum manage-ment can be beneficial to the communities hence in someregions, community members want to play more activeroles in the development of national school curriculum

policies. Such desires are even more relevant in aculturally diverse nation like Nigeria where economicaspirations and methods for achieving goals are verydiverse.

Curriculum reforms should be effectively managed tocater for and meet the needs of the herdsmen in thenorth as well as those of migrant fishermen of the riverineNiger Delta region. Thus, universalizing curriculummanagement reforms in a pluralistic society could resultin dissonance. This argument is better illustrated inFigure 2. This model clearly shows that the application ofa common curriculum reform management strategy todiverse ethnic communities of herdsmen, fishermen andindustry workers could lead to dissonance.

Another important factor to be considered in curriculumreform management is the resource available to learnerscommunities and this is closely linked to the ecologicalcondition of the environment. Equity demands that in anenvironment where access to education poses a seriousproblem, more funds should be expended there ratherthan other terrain with less ecological constrain. Forexample, funds for building a six unit classroom block in aswampy riverine community can not be equal to doing thesame on a rocky soil in Kwara State, Nigeria. Finally,equity recognizes that in the management of curriculumreform both the mentally and physically challengedlearners are catered for through the provision of

necessary infrastructure and learning and teachingmaterials to assist them develop their potentials to thebest they are capable of.

Successfully managing curriculum change

Any form of curriculum reform, change, or innovation orrenovation, whether piecemeal or holistic, can be excitingand equally complex. The environment for curriculumchange may be antagonistic, neutral or supportive.Successful curriculum reform is most likely when a schooladministrator adopts an appropriate form of leadership

style. Levine (1978), for instance, recommended that inan antagonistic environment, an authoritarian/directivestyle is most appropriate but such school administratormust be competent, political and personally charismaticwith strong government backing. The tactic forimplementing change is by imposition. In a neutralenvironment, Levine is of the view that successful changecan best be introduced by participative leadership styleand the building of a coalition of opinion leaders. In asupportive environment, a democratic leadership style isrecommended and consensus is the tactic forimplementing change.

The education research literature on curriculum innova-tion and change show that leadership is of paramountimportance in the implementation of change (Yuen et al.2004; Bennett, 1996; Kearsley and Lynch, 1992).

While these authors agree with Levine (1978) that theright leadership behavior is fundamental to successfu

curriculum change, this paper is of the view that trans-formational leadership is critical to the institutionalizationsuccessful management and implementation of curricu-lum reforms irrespective of the environment in theglobalization age. It argues that whether curriculuminnovation is a success or failure depends very much onthe effectiveness of the school administrators such asschool principals who implement the curriculum reforms.

In 2002, Yukl argued that a leader could do manythings to facilitate the successful implementation of curri-culum change. In the process of curriculum innovationYukl (2002) maintained that leadership of the principal aschool levels involves the provision and management ofdifferent factors associated with values, strategies andplanning. What type of leadership is this? Yuen et al(2004) believe that a visionary leader was associatedwith innovative practices supportive of curriculumchange. Such a leader is what these authors refer to astransformational leader.

A principal who is a transformational leader is onewhose leadership style inspires extraordinary perfor-mance among his staff. Ten key practices or behaviors ofa transformational principal that will make his impactstunning irrespective of the environment in which thecurriculum reform is being implemented are that he:

1. Creates and communicates a compelling and

acceptable shared vision of the future.2. Shows personal excitement, enthusiasm and optimismabout the vision.3. Encourages creative problem solving.4. Encourages rethinking about ideas or problems.5. Expresses confidence in peoples capabilities to meehigh performance expectations.6. Expresses encouragement and support.7. Listens attentively.8. Provides people with appropriate challenges.9. Shares information and resources.10. Gives constructive feedback (Howell, 2005; Shamir eal., 1993).

Transformational leadership can produce significancurriculum change and results because it understandsthe process of change. It is able to transform employeesto pursue desired goals in lieu of self interest (Kreitnea etal., 2002; Byron, 2001). Howells (2005) research findingsalso strongly show that transformational style of leadership brings big pay-offs in performance and innovation. Ithas a strong, positive impact on individual, team andschool performance. It takes people to higher levels andvery importantly, transformational leadership style can belearned (Figure 1).


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Peretomode and Ikoya 301

Managing CurriculumReforms

TransformationalLeadership Style

Outcomes

Adaptive Establishes a

Vision

Establishes highperformanceExpectations.

Displaysconfidence in selfand followers

Intellectualstimulation offollowers.

Personalcommitment to

leader andvision.

Self sacrificialbehavior.

Organizationalcommitment

Taskmeaningfulnessand satisfaction.

Increasedindividual, groupandorganisationalperformance.

Effects onfollowers andwork groups

Increasedintrinsic

motivation,achievementorientation andgoal pursuit.

Increasedidentification withleader and thecollective interestof schoolmembers.

Increasedcohesion amongmembers.

Increased self-

esteem, self-efficiency .

Increased rolemodeling.

Figure 1. Transformational leadership and managing curriculum reforms.Source: Adapted from (kreitner et al., 2002; Waldman and Yammarino, 1999; Shamir et al., 1993).

APPLICATION OF COMMONCURRICULUM MANAGEMENTSTRATEGY

HERDSMEN,CHILDREN

MigrantFISHERMENSCHILDREN

INDUSTRALISED/URBAN COMMUNITYCHILDREN

DISSONANCE

Figure 2. Curriculum reform management for equity.

In essence, therefore, the effective institutionalizationand successful management of curriculum reforms isdependent on strong leadership in school principals whoadopt transformational leadership style. Such school ad-ministrators are able to build and provide the necessarysupport mechanisms for change. These mechanisms

include meticulous planning, involvement of teachersstudents, and other core stakeholders in decision makingand building consensus on how to make the imple-mentation of the curriculum innovation work. It involvesestablishment of a climate of mutual trust and respect fopeople, staff capacity building through in service profess-


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302 Educ. Res. Rev.

sional development, provision of support to staff,establishment and use of school curriculum implemen-tation and monitoring committees, and the appointment ofa school curriculum change agent. It also entails judiciousand prudent utilization of available resources includingfinances and promotion of team work (Jones and

Anderson 2001; Graaff and Cowdroy, 2005; Fullan, 1989,1991, 1992; Brooker and MacDonald, 1999; Huang,2004). Jones (2002) considers the use of incentives asone important way by which school principals canpromote and sustain curriculum change.

CONCLUSION

Curriculum change is a complex process and success-fully managing the curriculum is even a more complexproblem. The management of curriculum reform shouldrecognize right from the onset that the innovation may begood bringing about progress and improvement in theeducation system and quality of its products, or may bebad because it may be disruptive and not achieve itsintended goals. The management should also anticipateand address some types of resistance to curriculumchange and implementation and recognize that depen-ding on the situation, slight modifications in the elementsof the overall change management strategy are neces-sary while the transformational leadership style remainsadopted.

Managing secondary school curriculum for equity inthis globalization age implies not only fair distribution ofquality educational facilities among rural and urbanschools, enrichment of the curriculum and involvement of

stakeholders in the curriculum re-engineering process butalso supportive mechanisms. These mechanisms canbest be provided by school administrators who havebecome transformational leaders and who use theirleadership style to inspire subordinates, colleagues,workgroups, superiors and other stakeholders in accom-plishing the renewal process and the desired outcome.

It is therefore recommended that all secondary schooladministrators should engage in staff developmentactivities in transformational leadership so that they canacquire the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes andother attributes of this leadership style.

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