Availability And Utilization Of Instructional Materials For Teaching Biology In Senior Secondary Schools In Aba Education Zone, Abia State

ABSTRACT

Nigeria as a signatory to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), and Education For All (EFA) initiative, adopted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) as a reform measure in 2004 (Chukwu, n.d.). This prompted among others, the adoption of a new curriculum for the implementation of the 9-year Basic and Senior Secondary Education programmes; and restructuring of the existing subject profile for lower basic, upper basic and Senior Secondary Schools. With the demand of this initiative, the content of the existing curricula could neither meet the need of the school leavers in terms of academic standards, civic, ethical and moral responsibilities, entrepreneurship, nor make them fit for global competitiveness.  In line with this development, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Obioma (2012), on the achievement of the council, noted that the restructuring of the Senior Secondary Curriculum resulted in the development of 42 subjects and 34 vocational trades/entrepreneurship curricula for Senior Secondary Education (Eze, 2011).