Oyo State JSS III Examination

ART is a subject that prepares an individual for a valuable living within culture.  Also, it is passing on skills from one age group to the next to ensure the permanent existence of knowledge and skills. Art is divided into visual and non-visual.

In consonance with the National Policy on Education,  these following objectives are considered to be important for the study of creative arts in junior secondary schools: creative arts develops  the child’s knowledge and appreciation of cultural heritage in relation to other cultures by promoting the acquisition of skills, which imbibes in every child, social interaction, fosters vocational skills and ability to maintain tools and equipment and finally promotes intellectual development of the child through knowledge and acquisition of modern technologies.

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The aforementioned goals can be achieved when there is curriculum, experienced instructor to impart the stated goals while the ministry evaluates the effectiveness of the curriculum and performances of both teachers and students.   This was totally impossible on the Cultural and Creative Arts question administered by the Oyo State Ministry of Education on the concluded Junior Secondary III Examination.  Why, it is because some questions were obsolete and were not based on the new curriculum given by NERDC, specifically where is Museum and others is the new curriculum.

In essence, there is not enough instructors to handle the discipline in schools.  The Ministry of Education can employ Visual and Creative Arts teachers to fill the vacant post while qualified non-teaching personnel in the post-secondary school service can be converted to teaching personnel based on their certificate, since they were trained on the job.   They would be useful for teaching and providing question bank, because they would be implementing the curriculum.

In conclusion, late 1970s,  I personally  witnessed and enjoyed Fine arts being alternated for Mathematics on the Secondary School Promotion Exercise at Ogbomoso Grammar School and other summative examination.  In the same vein, some Nigerian Universities are silent credit in Mathematics for prospect Arts students.   Students that fail Cultural and Creative Arts in the Junior Secondary School III Examination would not be allowed to study visual arts in Senior Secondary School.  Therefore, Oyo State Ministry of Education should do something as a matter of urgency before the commencement of marking of the concluded Junior Secondary School Examination.

• Odebumi Adebunmi (Ph.D.)

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