A Ph.D Paper/Dissertation/Thesis
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL
FOUNDATIONS,
EBONYI STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IKWO
Abstract
This paper was set to
establish that it is only education empowered by relevant curriculum that would
solve the problem of climate change in Nigeria. Curriculum development in
Nigeria was traced to the era of traditional education.
The present curriculum
was faulted for not containing knowledge about climate change and as such
cannot offer education needed to over come the trend which has recently become
a serious global problem. A curriculum on climate change was developed for the
basic education level while the paper recommended among others that government
should urgently set up expertise committee to develop curriculum on climate
change for the nation’s educational systems.
Introduction
The first system
of education in Nigeria was the traditional education otherwise referred to by
scholars as informal education. It was called informal education because it was
not rigidly contextualized with pre-planned, well developed curriculum and
curriculum materials. Even at that, the traditional education curriculum was
comprehensive, relevant and functional that it adequately met the needs of the
time. Offorma (1994) argued that its content reflected the climatic, physical
and biological environment of the locality as well as what was passed on the
succeeding generation by the predecessors. Traditional education curriculum
emphasized intimacy with social life both in material and spiritual sense. It
was adequately fashioned to take care of the child’s physical, mental and emotional
development. Ughamadu (1992) asserted that traditional education curriculum was
an all embracing one as it involved civic education, vocational, religion,
health and physical education and skill acquisition.
Subsequently, the
coming of the missionaries and establishment of western education led to
inception of denominationally based type of curriculum which was virtually poor
in content. This poor curricular content, poor quality of teachers and teaching
were the main reason for the 1882 education ordinance which among other things
aimed at standardizing the curriculum to ensure quality and relevance (Ezeuwa,
2005). Mkpa and Izuagba (2004) maintained that despite this effort, the
curriculum was still narrow and defective as it did not reflect the needs of
the society.
Similarly,
recommendation of Ashby Commission in 1959 which sought to determine the
manpower needs of the country for a particular period led to curriculum
reforms. Despite these reforms, the curriculum was still defective and
irrelevant to the experiential background of the learner. Subsequent
developments led to the development of post independence curriculum that
principally emphasized 6-3-3-4- system of education. The nature of the
curriculum was captured in the following statements,
The content of the school
curriculum remained the same, the duration was not altered and the curriculum
focused on socializing the students in a bookish academic type of education
which unconsciously exposed the learners to a hidden aesthetic preference in art
and literature and belief in superiority of British political institution (Uruh
1995:95)
The above opinion was collaborated in this observation:
No doubt the curriculum of
6-3-3-4 system of education is a master piece, but considering the fact that the
society is dynamic just like the people in it, many people today seem to feel
that the curriculum is defective as there are gaps between the expected and the
status quo, (Mkpa, et al, 2004 p.39).
There have arisen emergent societal
problems demanding curriculum attention such as HIV/AIDS pandemic, girl-child
education in the northern Nigeria, environmental education and above all
climate change which has become a national problem.
The issue of
climate change came up in the early 19th century when it was
suspected that natural changes in pale-climate had occurred just as at the same
time the natural green house effect was identified (Pembina Institute,2012). By
the 20th century, scientists had argued that human emissions of
greenhouse gases could change the climate. While the details of the
calculations were being disputed in 1950s and 1960s, the calculation of the
warming effect of carbon dioxide emissions became increasingly convincing
(Pembina Institute, 2012). According to Pembina Institute (2012), some
scientists pointed out those human activities in the form of atmospheric
aerosols such as pollution could have cooling effects as well. These scientific
opinions increasing favored the warming view point in the 70s. By 1980s
consensus was reached that human activity was in the process of warming the
climate, leading to the modern period of global warming science. That is the
basis of the phenomenal climate change which is today a serious educational
concern.
Concept of Curriculum and
Climate Change
Offorma (1994)
viewed curriculum as the organized knowledge presented to learners in a school
which covers every element in the learning environment such as the subject
matter to be learned, the students, the teachers and the physical environment.
But Toffler (1971) defined curriculum as the planned and guided learning
experiences and intended learning outcomes, formulated through the systematic
reconstruction of knowledge and experience under the auspices of the school for
the learner’s continuous and purposeful growth in personal social competence.
Mkpa et al (2004) saw curriculum as a body of knowledge that is sacrosanct, a
plan for actors, a race experience, a guide learning experience, a learning
structure and a reconstruction of knowledge and experience. Curriculum can
therefore be defined as a highly organized body of knowledge reconstructed to
guide both learning experience and intended learning outcome.
Climate change is
defined by World Meteorological Organization (2012) as a significant and lasting
change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over period of time.
Similarly, Cummings (2012) defined climate change as the average weather of the
statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant
quantities over a period ranging from months to thousands or millions of years.
These qualities are most often surface variables such as temperature,
precipitation, and wind (Cummings 2012).
Causes of Climate Change
United States of
America Environmental protection agency (2010) identified two major causes of
climate change as natural and human.
1.
Human Causes: People change the climate with actions
that create emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.
According to Selby (2001) 4 percent of CO2 emissions are caused by
individuals mostly from energy used in the home, driving and air travel.
Succinctly put, human activity is changing the amount of green house gases in
the atmosphere in three different ways. They include.
A Burning fossil fuels to create energy used
for many things including
·
Heating
homes and buildings
·
Growing,
transporting and cooking food
·
Traveling
such as by car, plane, bus and train
·
Treating
water to make it drinkable
·
Manufacturing
·
Generating
electricity
B Deforestation:- This is cutting down forests faster than
they are replaced. Rist (1997) argued that cutting down of trees and shrubs
without replacing them accounts for about 20 percent of human carbon emissions
more than the whole world transport sector produce.
C Growing world population:- The population of the world has
astronomically grown in recent times leading to more human activity. There is
therefore increase in demand of energy and consequently increased emissions.
2 Natural Causes
Tibury (2001)
enumerated natural causes of climate change as volcanic eruption, ocean
current, the earth’s orbital changes and solar variations.
(a)
Volcanic
eruption:- Volcanic eruption throws out a large volumes of sulphur dioxide (S02),
water vapour, dust and ash into the atmosphere causing atmospheric cooling.
(b)
Ocean
currents move vast amount of heat across the planet
(c)
Earth’s
orbital changes can lead to extremely warm or cold atmosphere
(d)
Solar
variations which are changes in the sun’s energy output.
Consequences of Climate
Change
Global
climate change has some notable negative effects on the environment. These,
according to WMO (2012) are likely to be significant and increase over time.
Nhamon (2005) enumerated some of the consequences of climate change to include;
1
Increased incidence of extreme high sea
level
2
More frequent hot days and nights, heat
waves, droughts and,
3 Increase in global areas affected by
drought. This has hampered
agricultural production in some places especially African countries where
between 75 and 250 million people are presently at the danger of dieing of
starvation. United Nations (2002) projected that most African countries by the
year 2020 would be exposed to increased climate change effects such as water
stress and 50 percent reduction yields from rain-fed agriculture.
4 Increase in intense tropical cyclone
activity.
5
Increase in diseases associated with
floods and droughts.
6
Heavy precipitation leading to flooding.
7 Desertification.
Humanity seems to
be at the verge of extinction if nothing reasonable is done to checkmate the
incidence of climate change. There may be no better way of fighting this issue
than through education. Most nations of the world appear to be doing something
resolute to combat the menace. Cummings (2012) wrote that the United States of
America would urgently design primary school curriculum on climate change. A
similar curriculum had been designed for its post primary and tertiary
education levels (Cummings, 2012).
Nigeria needs to
solve climate change related problems which are already prevalent. Uyigue
(2009) pointed out some climate change problems in Nigeria to include:
(a)
Flooding
especially in the Niger Delta Region.
(b)
Erosion:
uprooting settlements, loss of oil wells and loss of coastal vegetation such as
mangroves.
(c)
Rising
sea level
(d) Intrusion of sea-water into fresh water
sources and ecosystems destroying such stabilizing system as mangrove, and
affecting agriculture, fisheries and general livelihoods due to inundation
arising from the rise in sea level.
Nigeria will lose
about $9 billion as a result of the sea level rise while at least 80% of the
people of the Niger Delta will be displaced due to the low level of the region.
In Northern Nigeria, climate change will lead to increased aridity and
desertification while it will lead to flooding in the southern part of the
country (Uyigue, 2009)
These myriads of
climate change problems call for the restructuring of our education system
towards surmounting them. There should be a curriculum at all levels of
education in Nigeria to offer knowledge on climate change. This paper is
therefore set to suggest subject areas that should be integrated into basic
education curriculum as a panacea to climate change in Nigeria.
A 9-YEAR BASIC EDUCATION
CURRICULUM STRUCTURE COVERING SOME SUBJECTS RELEVANT TO CLIMATE CHANGE
|
Basic Education Curriculum
Levels
|
Subject
|
Objective
|
Scheme/Activity/Task
|
|
Low Basic Education Primary 1-3
|
Basic Science
and Technology
|
The subject
provides pupils with appropriate experiences in science and technology as it
relates to the environment
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. you and environment
2. Living and non-living things
3. You and technology
4. You and energy
|
|
|
Social Studies
|
Pupils will be
exposed to issues of topical and personal interest relating to their
environment
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. Nature of
the environment
2. How changes
occur in the environment
3.
weather observation
4. Types of
seasons
|
|
|
Agriculture
|
The subject
provides pupils with experiences about the means of production of the food
they eat
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. things we eat
2. Agriculture
and seasons of the year
3. Land and sea
food
|
|
|
Physical and
Health Education
|
Pupils will be
exposed to the relationship between sports healthy living and the environment
|
Area of Coverage:
1. Types of sporting activities
2. Appropriate weather conditions for sporting
activities
3. Weather seasons and the food we eat.
4. Safety in sports based on weather and play
ground
|
|
Middle Basic Education Primary 4-6
|
Basic Science
and Technology
|
The subject
provides pupils with appropriate experience in science and technology as it
relates to environment and climate change
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. The environment and changes that occur
2. Reversible and irreversible change
3. Keeping warm
4. How weather contributes to changes
5. Changes due to climate.
|
|
|
Social Studies
|
Pupils will be
exposed to issues and past necessary for their understanding changes that
occur in the society
|
Areas coverage:
1. Atmospheric
condition of my area in the past and now.
2. Similarities
and difference between then and now
3. The impact of
the changing climate patterns
|
|
|
Agriculture
|
Pupils are
Exposed to the relationship between the climate and food production
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. Weather
Observation- types of climate
2. The soil and
food production
3. Water
ways-sea, rivers and springs.
4. Drought and
irrigation
5. Flood and
agricultural practices
|
|
|
Physical and
Health education
|
Pupils explore
how climate change affects sporting activities and health living
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. How weather
condition affects sports
2. How climate
change affect sports facilities
3. Ideal food
for climate seasons
4. Climate
condition and food production
5. Diseases due
to changes in climate
|
|
Upper Basic Education Jss1-3
|
Basic Science
|
This subject
will help the children to focus their attention on finding the answer to
environmental questions
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. What is
climate change?
2. Causes of
climate change
3. Consequences
of climate change
4. Global
warming how to fix it.
5. Changes of
state or material e.g. on heating and cooking, dissolving reacting. Children
to classify them into reversible and irreversible changes
|
|
|
Social Studies
|
This will help
the children to develop ideas about weather conditions around the locality
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. Climate
around my country
2. Improving the
environment: children use the school buildings, grounds and immediate
locality to investigate environmental issues and improvements.
3. Relationship
between weather and tourism and other forms of human activity e.g.
occupations, settlement, transport, etc.
|
|
|
Basic
Technology
|
Children will
be exposed to appropriate experience in science and technology to enable them
live effectively within the global community
|
The following
topics should be activity based. Children should participate actively in
discussing and relating them to real life experience
1. What is
technology?
2. You and
technology
3. What is
energy?
4. You and
energy
|
|
|
Agriculture
|
Children will
be exposed to impact of climate change on agricultural practices
|
Area of
Coverage:
1. What is
erosion?
2. Causes of
erosion
3. Impacts of
erosion
4. Erosion and
climate change
5. Climate
change and soil organisms
6. Drought and
food production
7. Impact of
flood in Agricultural practices.
|
|
|
Physical and
Health Education
|
Children will
be exposed to the negative impact of pollution resulting from climate change.
|
1. Pollution
2. Water
pollution
3. Impact of
climate change on pollution lesson should be practically presented with the
learners fully participating
|
Conclusion
This paper traced
the origin of curriculum to the era of traditional education. The concepts of
curriculum and climate change were discussed. It was established that the problem
of climate change could only be adequately addressed through education
empowered by a relevant curriculum. The curriculum presently available to
Nigeria educational system was seen as lacking in the area of knowledge of and
how to tackle the problem of climate change. A curriculum on climate change
would fit this present period hence a Basic Education climate change curriculum
design
Recommendation
The paper recommended the following based on the issues raised
·
Government
should as a matter of urgency set up a committee whose membership are
curriculum experts to draw a befitting curriculum on climate change for all
levels of the nation’s education system.
·
Teachers
should be trained on how to handle climate change related lessons
·
Government
should ensure that instructional materials necessary for implementing climate
change curriculum are available
·
Nigeria
citizens should be given proper orientation on how to avoid activities inimical
to the environment.
References
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