Professional Assessment of the National Home Economics Curriculum for Senior Secondary Schools in Nigeria

The National Home Economics curriculum for Senior Secondary Schools determines the scope of practical household and family education for millions of Nigerian girls and boys, and its professional evaluation against contemporary life skills demands is overdue. This study assessed the National Senior Secondary School Home Economics Curriculum against practical life skills frameworks, employability requirements, and student and teacher perceptions across three states: Ekiti (South West), Anambra (South East), and Kebbi (North West). A mixed assessment methodology was used, combining document analysis of the curriculum guide and WAEC syllabus, a survey of 90 Home Economics teachers (30 per state), and structured interviews with 12 curriculum and home economics specialists. Document analysis showed that financial literacy content occupied fewer than 3.0 percent of curriculum time, entrepreneurship components were absent, and digital home management tools (budgeting apps, food planning resources) were entirely unaddressed. Teacher survey results indicated that 70.0 percent believed the curriculum was outdated for the contemporary household environment. Consumer rights and product safety content was rated as inadequate by 64.4 percent. The study concludes that the Senior Secondary Home Economics curriculum is significantly behind contemporary life skills demands and recommends a comprehensive revision incorporating financial literacy, digital household management, consumer rights, and entrepreneurship components with updated practical assessment tasks.

Keywords: Home Economics curriculum, professional assessment, senior secondary school, life skills, curriculum revision