Appraisal Of Curriculum-Based Moral Instruction Strategies of Nigeria’s Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) Basic Education Curriculum

Abstract

This paper investigates the moral instruction strategies in Nigeria’s Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) of Islamic studies, assess their effectiveness in instilling moral values, and identify challenges affecting their implementation in Nigerian education schools. Library-based research design which relies on the systematic collection and analysis of information from existing literature was adopted. The research discovered dramatization, dramatization, discussion and questioning, Storytelling and Qur’ānic narratives, memorization with application, sīrah and biography studies, and role modeling, and role playing as the curriculum-based moral instruction studies in the IRS curriculum. The existing related literature indicate that the identified strategies are powerful for moral instruction. However, their effectiveness in classroom is retarded by a number of discovered factors including; assiduousness of moral Instruction; mode of teaching morality which rather than aim at moralizing the learners emphasizes moral concepts and theories; unavailability of qualified teachers; Institutionalized materialism, tribalism and political patronage; lack of effective sanctions on culprits; inadequacy of teaching resources, and assessment difficulties. The paper finally concluded that curriculum-based moral instruction in IRS has great potential for shaping student character, but its success depends on effective teacher training, availability of resources, improved assessment methods, and innovative pedagogy adapted to 21st-century realities.