Educational Research and Reviews Vol. 5 (6), pp.

298-302, June 2010

Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/ERR2
ISSN 1990-3839 © 2010 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Managing Nigerian secondary school reforms to

enhance equity and globalization
V. F. Peretomode1* and P. O. Ikoya2
1
Educational Administration and Higher Education, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.
2
Department 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 political
changes 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 shock”’
nations must respond quickly, preferably and proactively to these rapid changes. Regular curriculum
renewal, which must consider new competencies, standards and trends, regional and international, is
increasingly becoming a must in most educational systems of the world as a means of coping with these
changes and challenges. Effective management is a sine-qua-non to the successful implementation and
institutionalization of curriculum change in order to achieve the desired goals. This paper examines
systematically the important issue of managing curriculum reforms to enhance effectiveness and
efficiency, 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, are
becoming much closer, interconnected and experiencing
profound socio-economic and political changes today.
Since immediate needs of man change with globalization
with its attendant challenges and consequences, the
curriculum must also change with it in order to bring
about dynamic adaptation. Such curriculum renewal
efforts must consider new knowledge, competencies,
standards and trends, regional and international, while
still meeting the immediate needs of life of a given
people.
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 in
no other fields are innovations and reforms more
needed.” Effective management is a sine-qua-non to the
successful implementation and institutionalization of cur-
*Corresponding author. E-mail: vperetomodel@yahoo.com. Tel:
+23480547531102, +234
8036761369.
riculum change. This paper therefore, discusses curricu-
lum reforms and globalization, curriculum renewal and
equity and how best leadership styles of school
administrators can be harnessed to achieve desired
curriculum reforms in the globalization age.
Curriculum reforms and globalization
Globalization has made the whole world to be looked at
as a single community. The internet, satellite television,
cellular telephones and other advancements in tele-
communications, air travels, containerized shipments,
and online business transactions and so on have really
helped to make the world a global village and a fast
changing place. Globalization is also gradually breaking
down educational barriers, although local or national
differences still remain.
If curriculum is a process of preparing children for a
living and life in their own societies and for competition in
the global economy of tomorrow (UNESCO-II CBA,
2002), then it is only logical that secondary school curri-
culum, both formal and informal, contents and processes
should be dynamic enough to adapt to the new socio-

economic, political, scientific and technological realities of
times. The curriculum must begin then to reflect issues of
globalization. In other words, globalization will have to be
infused 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 to
have been overloaded as it now stands because of the
number of subjects each student offer, there is the need
to infuse global issues into the curriculum. This may imply
the elimination of certain curriculum requirements,
increasing the scope and depth of certain subjects and
adoption of new programmes.
Fortunately, the National Policy on Education (NPE)
recognizes the dynamic nature of the world we live in and
the need for the curriculum to also continually change to
reflect this world dynamism. For instance, in section 5
(22) (b), it stated that secondary education shall “offer
diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in
talents, opportunities and future roles”. Similarly, the
overall philosophy of Nigeria includes “promoting inter-
African solidarity and world peace through understanding
(NPE, 2004, Section 1 (2b)). One of the national goals
which have been endorsed as necessary foundation for
the National Policy on Education is building of “a land full
of bright opportunities for all citizens (NPE, 2004, Sec. 1
(e)). The Nigeria’s philosophy of education believes in the
“full integration of the individual into the community”, and
that “school programmes need to be relevant, practical
and comprehensive”.
The above provisions in the NPE can be said to have
envisioned elements of globalization. Some realities or
issues of globalization that our secondary school
curriculum should reflect include, knowledge explosion;
rapid scientific and technological development; health
issues and new diseases such as Bird Flu; HIV/AIDS
prevention; ecological and global environmental degra-
dation; spread of democratic values; world economic
meltdown; increasing conflicts and conflict resolution
skills and rapid advances in information and communi-
cation technologies. Our curriculum must assist our
children to acquire current knowledge and skills in these
areas so that they can compete not only in their local
society but also in the global market place which has
become everyone’s community today.
Globalization has implications for the learning – teach-
ing process, assessment, and classroom management.
The best practices in these areas should be adopted. For
example, learning should be individualized, class sizes
greatly reduced, critical thinking, the inquiry method,
problem-solving and student-centered approaches should
be adopted. Furthermore, team teaching and team
activities should be emphasized. In this cyber-world, the
internet should be introduced into the classroom and
electronics should be used to support collaborative
teaching 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 instance,
sex education, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention,
bird flu and so on can be incorporated in non-vocational
electives such as health education and made a required
course for all students. A course titled “global studies”
should be incorporated in the curriculum and made a
core course. The role of the teacher on the whole, will
have to change from that of imparting knowledge to
facilitating learning - helping the learner “learn how to
learn”. The school time table may be affected and so also
the school hours per day and the number of school days
in a year. More infrastructures in terms of quantity and
quality will have to be provided for schools. All these
have financial implications and demand political will and
commitment on the part of governments and the private
sector in adequately funding secondary education in
Nigeria.
Curriculum reforms and equity
The concept of equity, firstly, is not synonymous with
equality of educational opportunity neither is it a negation
of the principles of educational universalization or
democratization. Equity in the management of curriculum
reforms is hinged on the provision and management of
curriculum resources and structures in accordance with
the peculiar needs of the learner in his environment. The
needs of the learner are determined by the nature of
programmes of study, the level of education, the
community needs of the learner and of course the
national policy on education.
Several research studies (Bray, 2004; Hawkins, 2004)
have shown that in regions and countries where the will
to provide quality education is present, adequate
resources are equitably provided for effective curriculum
development, implementation and management. School
materials including books and writing materials are
provided in adequate quality and quantity. Children are
conveyed to and from school in buses with hot lunch
given to pupils during break.
In other countries, particularly the developing nations,
findings show (Ikoya, 2005) that the struggle to provide
classroom accommodation and books for pupils still
appear insurmountable.
To promote equity in the management of curriculum
reforms in a pluralistic country such as Nigeria, certain
factors should be considered. These include:
1. Learners community needs.
2. Ecological environment.
3. Resource availability.
4. Mental, physical and environmental challenges facing
learner.
In general, there is a widespread belief (Cho and Kwon,
2004; Witkin and Altschuld, 1995) that most learners
300 Educ. Res. Rev.
return to their communities upon graduation to develop
their areas of origin. And as a result communities are
becoming more interested in how curriculum manage-
ment can be beneficial to the communities hence in some
regions, community members want to play more active
roles in the development of national school curriculum
policies. Such desires are even more relevant in a
culturally diverse nation like Nigeria where economic
aspirations and methods for achieving goals are very
diverse.
Curriculum reforms should be effectively managed to
cater for and meet the needs of the herdsmen in the
north as well as those of migrant fishermen of the riverine
Niger Delta region. Thus, universalizing curriculum
management reforms in a pluralistic society could result
in dissonance. This argument is better illustrated in
Figure 2. This model clearly shows that the application of
a common curriculum reform management strategy to
diverse ethnic communities of herdsmen, fishermen and
industry workers could lead to dissonance.
Another important factor to be considered in curriculum
reform management is the resource available to learners’
communities and this is closely linked to the ecological
condition of the environment. Equity demands that in an
environment where access to education poses a serious
problem, more funds should be expended there rather
than other terrain with less ecological constrain. For
example, funds for building a six unit classroom block in a
swampy riverine community can not be equal to doing the
same on a rocky soil in Kwara State, Nigeria. Finally,
equity recognizes that in the management of curriculum
reform both the mentally and physically challenged
learners are catered for through the provision of
necessary infrastructure and learning and teaching
materials to assist them develop their potentials to the
best they are capable of.
Successfully managing curriculum change
Any form of curriculum reform, change, or innovation or
renovation, whether piecemeal or holistic, can be exciting
and equally complex. The environment for curriculum
change may be antagonistic, neutral or supportive.
Successful curriculum reform is most likely when a school
administrator adopts an appropriate form of leadership
style. Levine (1978), for instance, recommended that in
an antagonistic environment, an authoritarian/directive
style is most appropriate but such school administrator
must be competent, political and personally charismatic
with strong government backing. The tactic for
implementing change is by imposition. In a neutral
environment, Levine is of the view that successful change
can best be introduced by participative leadership style
and the building of a coalition of opinion leaders. In a
supportive environment, a democratic leadership style is
recommended and consensus is the tactic for
implementing change.
The education research literature on curriculum innova-
tion and change show that leadership is of paramount
importance in the implementation of change (Yuen et al.,
2004; Bennett, 1996; Kearsley and Lynch, 1992).
While these authors agree with Levine (1978) that the
right leadership behavior is fundamental to successful
curriculum change, this paper is of the view that trans-
formational leadership is critical to the institutionalization,
successful management and implementation of curricu-
lum reforms irrespective of the environment in the
globalization age. It argues that whether curriculum
innovation is a success or failure depends very much on
the effectiveness of the school administrators such as
school principals who implement the curriculum reforms.
In 2002, Yukl argued that a leader could do many
things to facilitate the successful implementation of curri-
culum change. In the process of curriculum innovation,
Yukl (2002) maintained that leadership of the principal at
school levels involves the provision and management of
different factors associated with values, strategies and
planning. What type of leadership is this? Yuen et al.
(2004) believe that a visionary leader was associated
with innovative practices supportive of curriculum
change. Such a leader is what these authors refer to as
transformational leader.
A principal who is a transformational leader is one
whose leadership style inspires extraordinary perfor-
mance among his staff. Ten key practices or behaviors of
a transformational principal that will make his impact
stunning irrespective of the environment in which the
curriculum 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 optimism
about the vision.
3. Encourages creative problem solving.
4. Encourages rethinking about ideas or problems.
5. Expresses confidence in people’s capabilities to meet
high 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 et
al., 1993).
Transformational leadership can produce significant
curriculum change and results because it understands
the process of change. It is able to transform employees
to pursue desired goals in lieu of self interest (Kreitnea et
al., 2002; Byron, 2001). Howells (2005) research findings
also strongly show that transformational style of leader-
ship brings big pay-offs in performance and innovation. It
has a strong, positive impact on individual, team and
school performance. It takes people to higher levels and
very importantly, transformational leadership style can be
learned (Figure 1).
 Peretomode and Ikoya 301

Transformational Effects on
Managing Curriculum Outcomes
Leadership Style followers and
Reforms
work groups
• Personal
• Establishes a • Increased
Adaptive commitment to
Vision intrinsic
leader and
• Establishes high motivation,
vision.
performance achievement
orientation and • Self – sacrificial
Expectations.
goal pursuit. behavior.
• Displays
• Organizational
confidence in self • Increased
commitment
and followers identification with
• Task
• Intellectual leader and the
meaningfulness
stimulation of collective interest
and satisfaction.
followers. of school
• Increased
members.
individual, group
• Increased
and
cohesion among
organisational
members.
performance.
• Increased self-
esteem, self-
efficiency .
• Increased role
modeling.

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 COMMON
CURRICULUM MANAGEMENT
STRATEGY

HERDSMEN, Migrant INDUSTRALISED

CHILDREN FISHERMEN’S /URBAN COMMUNITY
CHILDREN CHILDREN

DISSONANCE

Figure 2. Curriculum reform management for equity.

In essence, therefore, the effective institutionalization
and successful management of curriculum reforms is
dependent on strong leadership in school principals who
adopt transformational leadership style. Such school ad-
ministrators are able to build and provide the necessary
support mechanisms for change. These mechanisms
include meticulous planning, involvement of teachers,
students, and other core stakeholders in decision making
and building consensus on how to make the imple-
mentation of the curriculum innovation work. It involves
establishment of a climate of mutual trust and respect for
people, staff capacity building through in service profess-
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 of
a school curriculum change agent. It also entails judicious
and prudent utilization of available resources including
finances 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 as
one important way by which school principals can
promote and sustain curriculum change.
CONCLUSION
Curriculum change is a complex process and success-
fully managing the curriculum is even a more complex
problem. The management of curriculum reform should
recognize right from the onset that the innovation may be
good bringing about “progress and improvement’ in the
education system and quality of its products, or may be
bad because it may be disruptive and not achieve its
intended goals. The management should also anticipate
and address some types of resistance to curriculum
change and implementation and recognize that depen-
ding on the situation, slight modifications in the elements
of the overall change management strategy are neces-
sary while the transformational leadership style remains
adopted.
Managing secondary school curriculum for equity in
this globalization age implies not only fair distribution of
quality educational facilities among rural and urban
schools, enrichment of the curriculum and involvement of
stakeholders in the curriculum re-engineering process but
also supportive mechanisms. These mechanisms can
best be provided by school administrators who have
become transformational leaders and who use their
leadership 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 school
administrators should engage in staff development
activities in transformational leadership so that they can
acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes and
other attributes of this leadership style.
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