Archaeology Education in Igbo-Ukwu, South East Nigeria

An outcry for the inclusion of archaeology into school teaching curriculum has been on for over six decades. Yet, Nigeria is one of such countries in West Africa that have experienced a slow growth in archaeology education at both tertiary and pre-tertiary schools. In a bid to addressing this issue, a public awareness and community archaeology project was conceived in Igbo-Ukwu to create awareness on the relevance of archaeology in preserving cultural heritage and enhance skill acquisition. 93 secondary school pupils and 12 community residents in Igbo-Ukwu participated in classroom educational seminar and archaeological field training, respectively. The participants were exposed to learning soft and hard skills. Results from the assessment of the participants showed that at a time when Nigeria and many countries in Africa are troubled with loss of traditional histories and oral traditions, archaeology education is a vital tool for addressing the problem.