Challenges of Curriculum Implementation in Secondary School Science Education in Kogi State

This study examined the challenges associated with implementing the Science Education curriculum in secondary schools in Kogi State, Nigeria. Curriculum reform success depends significantly on ground-level implementation fidelity, which is shaped by teacher readiness, resource availability, and administrative support structures that differ widely across Nigerian states. A descriptive survey design was employed. The study population comprised all Science teachers in public secondary schools in Kogi State, and a sample of 200 teachers was selected using stratified random sampling across the three senatorial districts. A Curriculum Implementation Challenges Scale, validated by curriculum studies experts with a reliability of 0.82, was the main instrument. Mean scores and chi-square were used in data analysis. Findings identified shortage of prescribed textbooks, teacher overload, inadequate in-service training on curriculum innovations, and poor classroom infrastructure as the dominant implementation challenges. Teachers in schools without vice-principals handling academic affairs reported higher challenge scores. The study concluded that curriculum implementation gaps in Kogi State were primarily systemic and structural rather than attitudinal. Recommendations included curriculum dissemination workshops, deployment of additional Science teachers, and establishment of a state-level curriculum monitoring task force. Keywords: curriculum implementation, Science education, secondary schools, Kogi State, instructional challenges.