This book grew out of a graduate work done by the author on curriculum development in the context of national development at the University of Sussex Falmar, Brighton. The central theme is on the role curricula (can) play(s) in the attainment of national goals of any country. The special case of history as a discipline, and Nigeria as a nation, is explored for the purposes of demonstrating the given examples. What has been done for or with history here can be done with other subject areas as a kind of evaluation of the input of the subject matter.

My aim is to convey the importance of structuring any subject matter in the school system to meet the demands of (both the) national development and educational needs of countries. I seek to show through history as a discipline that when school subjects are taught with appropriate materials and methods, they can profit theoretically, from a widening of the skills it provides; and that some problems of underdevelopment can be illuminated by appropriate understanding of concepts in any given discipline, as this occupies a central point, in both educational planning and implementation.

Quite lately, for instance, there has been a growing realisation that in many societies, education not only contributes to economic growth but also promotes national development or actually holds it back. In this regard, some of the principal defects of many educational systems have been their elitism, their failure to match the kinds of people they produce with the needs of the society in which they function, and most fundamentally their resistance to change. Such defects reflect the broader society in which educational systems function. The 6-3-3-4 system in Nigeria can be said to be a case in point both in its materials and methods in many subject areas. An introduction of a change in education is therefore not achieved by documented national and educational goals, nor does it involve a technical matter of introducing new course structures or papers. It rather entails choice not only among competing priorities but also in social values and models of development. Nigeria, for instance, lays emphasis on self-reliance and egalitarian principles amongst other values. These should, therefore, reflect in both methods and materials of schools. In the process of this book, an attempt will be made to relate the problems of such an educational system to the broader aims of development Chapter one deals briefly with the present state of history in schools and also discusses the general problem of curriculum development.

Chapter two discusses the role that education can play in national development and also examines the place of history in schools with Nigeria as a selected case for study.

Chapter three x-rays the meaning and importance of history as a subject area. Chapter four explores the role that curriculum development can play in effective history teaching in Nigerian schools.

Chapter five then looks at new approaches to history and school learning in an era when various theories of learning have been applied to both history as well as other subject areas. Suggestions which can help history teaching are put forward.

Chapter six is an exemplification of some teaching and learning strategies put forward in the evaluation procedures which are also outlined. Chapter seven, which concludes this book, is a summary of the role of curriculum development in national development.

This work is mostly directed to educators and educationists at various levels, but primarily to history teachers, research workers in curriculum studies and curriculum development. It will also be a source of valuable information to undergraduates, post graduates, diploma and graduate students of history methods. The book can also be used by policy planners in the Ministry of Education and can indeed serve as a means of studying the evolution of history curriculum in Nigerian schools. It is difficult to realize how many ideas and which of them one has taken from whom, but I am sure I owe most to my colleagues in the Rivers State of Nigeria and some history teachers at the Cardinal Newman School, Hove, England. I thank them for their many suggestions that have contributed in the making of this book. I am indebted to my graduate work supervisor, Professor Tony Becher, for patiently going through the manuscript and giving valuable advice from which I benefited immensely. My thanks are also due to Desmond Hogan, my course co-ordinator, my friends, Jumanne Wagao, Professor Lagage Bown, and my colleagues for their helpful suggestions. My thanks also go to my mother, Mrs Dorothy George, and my sister, Charity, for taking care of my children while I undertook a graduate programme abroad. They are, however, absolved from any responsibility for errors or omissions in this book, which are entirely mine.
Finally, I thank my friend, Mrs. Juliet Ohwonda and Miss Lustig for their constant support.

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Table Of Content
PREFACE 1
CHAPTER 1:
Background of History Education in Nigeria 5
CHAPTER 2:
Nigeria?s National Goals and the place of History in the School Curriculum 18
CHAPTER 3:
Meaning and Importance of History as a Subject Matter 54
CHAPTER 4:
The Role of Curriculum Development in Effective History Teaching in Schools 72
CHAPTER 5:
New Approaches to History and School Learning 91
CHAPTER 6:
Exemplification of Teaching/Learning Strategies and some Valuation Procedures in New History Methods 108
CHAPTER 7:
Conclusion. 132
References 135
Index 141