Approved List of Primary School Subjects in Nigeria (2024)

Last updated on August 3rd, 2023 at 12:10 am

This is the comprehensive list of all primary school subjects in Nigeria and their details. 

Primary education is the basic foundational education of any child/ward. It is at primary level that the child is formed and it is very important to educate the child properly so as to instill in him/her the right mindset in the pursuit of knowledge.

To this effect, the Ministry of Education in Nigeria has come up with an updated list of subjects to be taken at primary school level so as to provide every young child with the necessary knowledge for future education.

The subjects approved by the Ministry of Education and taught at primary school level include the following: English Language, Mathematics, Nigerian Languages, Basic Science and Technology (BST), Religion and National Values (RNV), Cultural & Creative Arts (CCA), Arabic Language, Pre-Vocational Studies.

Primary education in Nigeria was originally known as Universal Primary Education (UPE) before it was renamed Universal Basic Education (UBE) in the year 1999 to accommodate the first 3 years of Junior Secondary Education.

Primary Education under the Universal Basic Education is divided into two levels. The first level comprises of primary 1-3 and all subjects aforementioned are taught except pre-vocational studies. The second level of primary education comprises primary 4-6 and includes all subjects mentioned earlier plus pre-vocational studies. Let us now look at the various subjects taught in Primary Schools in Nigeria in details.

FULL LIST OF PRIMARY SCHOOL SUBJECTS IN NIGERIA (2024)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

In Nigeria, the official language or lingua franca is English and this is the medium of instruction in schools. Because of this, English Language is a core subject of the primary education system in Nigeria.

MATHEMATICS

Mathematics is very essential to the formation of the child. Mathematics is the bedrock of all sciences and science-related subjects and it is very important to for the child to be taught this at an early stage.

NIGERIAN LANGUAGES

The National Policy of Education allows schools to instruct pupils in the language of their immediate environment. This enables the preservation of one of our cultural heritage which is language.

However, schools have the freedom on what type of language, they should instruct their pupils.

BASIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

This subject helps pupils to be armed with the basic knowledge of science and technology.

RELIGION AND NATIONAL VALUES

Religion and National Values is grouped under civic education, social studies and security education. For the religion classes, separate classes operate for Christian religious studies and Islamic studies. However, calls have been made to separate the Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Studies from the umbrella body of Religion and National Values so the can stand independently as they have done through the years.

CULTURAL AND CREATIVE ARTS

Cultural and creative arts help the pupils to appreciate the diverse cultures in Nigeria and to learn to be creative in the arts. Pupils are taught how to draw, paint and mould in creative arts classes.

PRE-VOCATIONAL STUDIES

This is a subject that is organised around specific themes particularly consumer education and entrepreneurship. Pre-vocational studies equip the pupils with background knowledge on skills acquisition.