Integrating the African Xylophone to Strengthen Cultural and Creative Arts Curriculum Implementation in Nigerian Primary and Secondary Schools: Policy Recommendations

Abstract

Nigeria’s Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA) subject, introduced as a compulsory part of the 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum since 2008, officially supports the use of local musical instruments to help students build cultural pride, spark creativity, develop hands-on skills, and preserve heritage through music, arts, drama, and dance. Despite this clear national policy overseen by Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) federally and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) at state level, actual rollout across schools has been inconsistent and weak. Most teaching stays theoretical because few teachers are trained music specialists or know how to play indigenous instruments like the xylophone and schools often favour Western instruments instead of local ones. These issues leave many students missing out on engaging, practical cultural learning, weakening Nigeria’s goals for identity, talent nurturing, and tradition-keeping in the face of modern influences.To close these gaps, the policy brief urges the National Assembly to push forward targeted changes: • Advise Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to reinforce the CCA syllabus with explicit, mandatory xylophone modules for primary and secondary levels. • Introduce legislation requiring integration of indigenous music training (including xylophone skills) into pre-service and in-service teacher education programs via the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), with certified workshops for CCA teachers. • Advise UBEC to partner with local experts such as Yama Chorale Africa (a sociocultural ensemble in Akwa Ibom dedicated to promoting and teaching African instruments) for structured training of teachers and students. • The national Assembly may wish to call on awareness campaigns through the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to shift societal perceptions, emphasising CCA’s role in national development and how Nigerian National Anthem can authentically be rendered using African musical instruments such as the xylophone. • National Assembly may also wish to mandate dedicated UBEC funding for procuring xylophones and other indigenous instruments for all public primary/junior secondary schools, including bulk manufacturing partnerships with local artisans and groups like Yama Chorale Africa for affordability, authenticity, and sustainability.