TEACHING OF INTEGRATED SCIENCE IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

Integrated Science is a science course meant to be taught in the first three years of secondary school education in Nigeria i.e. in the junior secondary school (JSS). At the primary school level the course is generally called primary science but the teaching approach science but the teaching approach is more or less the same as (JSS).
It has not been easy to produced teachers to teach integrated science the way it should be taught. This is because most science teachers in our schools like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture etc, but not integrated science and when these “specialist” teachers are required to teach it in a compartmentalized field of physics, chemistry, Biology etc.
One can appreciate the problem because integrated science is a relatively new concept in science education in Nigeria. In fact, it was only about (1970) that first book on integrated science is (with Nigeria students in mind) were published in Nigeria, Baja (1983). Hitherto the early study of science in schools, particularly in the primary, schools, did not show clearly these areas of specialization. At one time the subject was essentially a natural history programme in which student learnt the names of rocks, plants and animals. At another time, particularly at the close of century, the subject was studied in order to strengthen the mind. That was the age in which science was taught in order to exercise the child’s memory and to sharpen his power of observation.
At the turn of 20th century however, the major goal of science was to instill a love living things in effect, segments of the subject were studied under different names such as rural science, Natural study, domestic science and Hygiene. Nevertheless the essential common feature was the attempt to make the students acquire scientific knowledge and skills even though the curriculums contend and methodology differed widely.
As envisaged by the federal Government in National Economic Empowerment and development strategies the (NEEDS) document, a progressive Science and Technology policy, embedded in pro-growth and anti – poverty policies, can trans form Nigeria one of the twenty foremost nation of the world by (2002). Realizing the vision of National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (NEEDS) has numerous imperatives for the way we present science and technology in our schools.
The task of drawing up the basic Education Curricular was assigned to the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). With respect to science and Technology, the (NERDC) development two Curricular namely, Basic science and Technology Curriculum for years 1-6 and Basic science Curriculum for years 7-9. The last three years of this basic education programme (7-9) correspond to the former (JSS 1-3) that has been domain of the Popular Science Teachers Association of Nigeria. (STAN) series known as the Nigerian Integrated Science Project (NISP). The take off of the new National policy in September (1982), resulted in a National workshop on the New Integrated Science Project (NISP) and the 3-3 secondary school system. A series of papers and communiqué was issued as part of the resolutions, part of which stressed that.