Senate urges government to re-introduce history in schools

The Senate on Tuesday, called on government at all levels to, as a matter of urgency re-introduce history as one of the core subjects that would be taught in schools.

Adopting a four-point motion sponsored by Senator Malam Ali Wakili (APC, Bauchi South), titled, “The Urgent Need For Value Orientation and Re-introduction of History as a Course of Study in the Nation’s Educational Sector,” the Senate called on the various arms of governments to initiate means of rejuvenating our fallen value system.

The Upper Chamber mandated its Committee on Education, to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), among others to immediately re-introduce history as a core subject in schools, and as a degree programme of its own.

Wakili expressed worry that the unfortunate Civil War and the prolonged military incursions into governance contributed to the gradual debasement of our value system, and deteriorated things further, stressing that indiscipline in private and public lives, endemic corruption, individualism, selfishness, materialism, religiosity without corresponding fear of God, have characterised our daily lives.

Seconding the motion, Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna-Central), decried that while history was not made available to students in schools anymore, Nigerian children had been exposed to the history of other parts of the world.

He said: “It is most unfortunate that many of the young people of today are not made to take our history very seriously in the sense that we (older ones) are supposed to carry them along. Nigeria has passed through a lot of phases, from the pre-independence struggle to the periods of the civil war, military dictatorship and a lot of civil strives. You cannot go to anywhere and have a document on Nigerian history in detail, apart from the books written by many of us.

“At the parliament, members of the National Assembly are also guilty of this. Today, the first House of Parliament of Nigeria at the Tafawa Balewa Square (Lagos) is in a very despicable state. That very important place should serve as a monument that marks our emergency from the colonial era.
“More youths nowadays know much more about what happens in Europe and the United States than they know of our country. The most important thing we should do at this time is to bring back that very important knowledge of history for our young ones”