Assessment of teaching and learning in Nigeria: Some methodological issues

Abstract

Assessment of teaching and learning internationally and within Nigeria formed the crux of the paper. The focus is the basic and secondary education levels. The main objective is to demonstrate that assessment of teaching and learning are core to education delivery. The concept of assessment was analyzed. Cases of assessments in Africa were cited and compared. Then the analysis went in-depth into the frameworks for assessing teaching and learning internationally and within Nigeria. It revealed the insufficient assessments so far in the Nigerian education system and the commendable decision of the Minister of Education in 2012 to set up a national committee to development national blueprint for assessing learning achievements in Nigeria. Against these backgrounds, the paper made several recommendations that included the need to institutionalize national frameworks for assessing teaching and learning in Nigeria. It also advised that the national frameworks should be compatible with international teaching and learning assessment models so as to enable comparison of findings in Nigeria and internationally. It further called for the establishment of a national forum on teaching and learning assessment driven by the Federal Ministry of Education to promote exchange of best practices; collaboration among stakeholders involved in teaching and learning assessments to boost the exercises; and the implementation of the recommendations of the learning assessments committee set up by the Federal Government.

Keywords: Assessment, teaching, learning, basic and secondary education.