The Lack of History in the Nigerian Curriculum
One with no knowledge of their past knows not where their future is going. To deny oneself of this knowledge is to walk through life with no solid foundation; as it is from our past that we prepare ourselves for the future.
There has always been a close tie between history and self worth, how can you value yourself if you do not know about yourself. History is an important part of society and no one should be deprived this joy and the school system is the perfect place to ensure this happens.
As Nigerians we have had a tumultuous but very intriguing history, one we can learn from. We are a melting pot of various people, ethnicities, cultures and therefore have a very rich history. This is something that should not be hidden from any generation, regardless of who is telling the story, of creed, of difference, the story needs to be told.
That being said a knowledge of Nigerian history and culture is an asset to your students. History is multifaceted and increases one awareness of themselves, culturally, morally, and in terms of confidence. It builds a sense of pride in our nation, in who we are as a people and what we can achieve. It teaches us of mistakes in the past to ensure we do not repeat them, it moulds and defines us but not in a stiff/ unyielding way; history informs our decisions, it inspires generations, it creates a longing for knowledge, makes many think critically and open-mindedly, opens a space for discussion and gives a sense of patriotism. We can go into the world proud of our heritage, and the fact that we know about ourselves and where we come from.
More effort needs to be put into the spread of Nigerian knowledge, we are no longer a British Colony and should not be subjected to learning and inundating ourselves in their culture. It is understood that your school runs on the British curriculum as many of your students continue their studies there but this does not draw away from the fact that we focus more on another man’s culture than we do our own, and therefore we lose a sense of self, we have no national pride, we know nothing of our history and fall prey to divisive elements.
We put it to the Regent School, as key player in the development and moulding of the current generation to take action, and ensure our history as Nigerians lives to fight another day; by igniting a burning fire for knowledge of our history amongst your students. This can be done in various ways and we your alumni are willing, happy and available to share ideas and discuss what needs to be done to ensure our history is not erased. It is never too late and we can start now.
Per/ From the words of Marcus Garvey — “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture, is like a tree without roots.”
