The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has said that it was finalising plans to make democratic studies part of secondary school curricular.

Director General NILDS, Prof. Ladi Hamalai disclosed this on Tuesday at the final round of the 2019 NILDS Quiz Competition for secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“The National Assembly and the Institute are desirous of improving knowledge of the legislature and democratic governance in Nigeria in a more systematic way, not just the quiz competition.

“To this effect, consultations have also been held with the Nigeria Education Research and Development Council to develop a curriculum on legislative and democratic studies for inclusion into Civic Education.

“We have so far had meetings with the NERDC, we are at the final level of concluding some of the reports that will now go through the lengthy process of being integrated into the school curriculum within the FCT and beyond.”

She thanked all the stakeholders in the education sector who have contributed in institutionalising the quiz competition.

In his remark, the Speaker of the House of Representative and Alternate Chairman of NILDS Governing Board, Yakubu Dogara commended the institute for inculcating democratic principles in students.

Dogara, represented by Hon. Mohammed Mongonu, a member of the governing board, said that with the competition, the institute had surpassed its mandate.

He stressed that NILDS has as its mandate the training of legislators as well as legislative staff, adding that with the extension of the training to schools, the institute had done a commendable job.

He charged NILDS to extend the quiz as well as democratic studies to schools outside the FCT.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition featured a total of 94 government and private schools in the FCT; out of which eight qualified for the final round while 16 others were awarded for coming second and third in each of the 8 zones where the first three rounds of the competition held.

At the end of the finals at the National Assembly Complex, Louisville Girls Secondary School, Gwagwalada came 1st with 23 points.

In the second position was Government Secondary School, Karshi with 22 points and Jesus Christ Best Schools International in third position with 21 points.

The winning schools were presented with their trophies and school bags by a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba. (NAN)

Update news