French as a Second Language in Borno State Secondary Schools: An Assessment of Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum implementation fidelity is a fundamental determinant of educational outcomes, yet assessments of how the national French language curriculum is actually delivered in conflict-affected and educationally under-resourced states such as Borno have been rare in the research literature. This study assesses the level of French as a second language curriculum implementation in secondary schools in Borno State, examining teacher preparedness, resource availability, instructional time allocation, and supervision practices. A descriptive survey design was employed, with data collected from 32 French teachers, 12 school principals, and 4 education inspectors across Maiduguri metropolis and three rural local government areas using structured questionnaires and interview schedules. Results indicate severely constrained curriculum implementation, with the majority of teachers lacking formal French language qualifications and relying primarily on outdated grammar-translation textbooks. Instructional time allocated to French fell short of national curriculum recommendations in 81% of surveyed schools. Laboratory facilities and audio-visual resources were virtually absent in all public schools surveyed. Supervision of French instruction by qualified inspectors occurred less than once per academic session in most schools. The study attributes these deficiencies to compounding effects of conflict-related school disruption, insufficient federal and state investment in French teacher training, and neglect of the French curriculum in national educational emergency planning. Recommendations focus on targeted teacher deployment, emergency resource provision, and integration of French education recovery into the Borno State post-conflict school rehabilitation programme. Keywords: curriculum implementation, French language, Borno State, secondary education, conflict-affected schools