CON was conceptualized by the staff of the Department of Curriculum Studies, University of Jos, Jos in 1982. Prominent amongst the staff were Profs. P N Lassa, Etim and Sali Bao. The proposal for the formation of the body was drafted and circulated to universities faculties of education and institutes of education, and other educational institutions like Comparative Education Study and Adaptation Centre (CESAC) and Nigerian Educational Research Council (NERC).
Individuals were requested to register for membership, either as ordinary members or as fellow and life members with the fee of life members being about ten times that of ordinary members. Based on the encouraging response to this proposal, an International Curriculum Conference was hosted by the Department of Curriculum Studies of the Faculty of Education, University of Jos, Jos in September 1982. At the conference, CON was formally established and launched on 24 September 1982 with its headquarters at the Faculty of Education, University of Jos, Jos. A draft constitution was also accepted for use in which it was decided that fellowship and life membership should not be conferred on any member until after ten years of active membership. All those who had paid for fellowship and life membership were advised to convert the money to appropriate number of annual dues and payment for some documents of CON.
At the end of the conference, the foundation Executive Committee (EXCO) was elected. They piloted the affairs of CON until 1986. However, following the relocation of Prof. Bao to United States of America (USA), Dr. Noel Ihebuzor was elected Secretary General at the Annual General Meeting in Jos in 1983.
The first biennial seminar and fellowship award was slated for 4 March 1999 at the University of Jos, Jos. The recipients were Profs. P A I Obanya, P N Lassa, U M O Ivowi, and S O Ayodele who respectively were the foundation President and Vice President, second President and Editor-in-Chief. A??er a seminar paper on --------- by Prof. P A I Obanya, with adequate support by UNESCO, Paris, the President, Prof. U M O Ivowi, conferred the fellowship on him and Prof. P N Lassa. In turn, Prof. Obanya, the foundation President of CON, conferred the fellowship award on Prof. U M O Ivowi; a??er which the incumbent President, Prof. U M O Ivowi, then conferred the fellowship award on Prof. S O Ayodele. Thus the four foundation fellows of CON had their fellowship award on 4 March 1999.
The next Seminar and Fellowship Award was held as planned at Jos on 14 March 2001 but that of 12 March 2003 with the theme: Nigerian Primary Education System in the 21st Century could not be followed through because of the protracted Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike. Instead, the award was made on 26 November 2003 during the Annual Conference at University of Port Harcourt, P H. Six and two members were conferred with the fellowship award in 2001 and 2003 respectively. That of 6 April 2005 was held as planned with Prof. P A O Okebukola as the guest speaker on the seminar theme: Quality Assurance in Nigerian Education; and three members were conferred with the Fellowship Award on 6 April 2005 at Jos. Since then, the fellowship awards have taken place during the Annual Conferences of 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Now that our secretariat has taken shape properly at the Faculty of Education, University of Jos, Jos, March Seminar and Fellowship Award may resume in 2020.
All members that were registered before and during the 1st Conference of CON in September 1982 are the Foundation Members of CON. These Foundation Members are:
| 1. Prof. P A I Obanya 2. Prof. P N Lassa 3. Prof. Sali Bao 4. Dr. J A Adeyinka 5. Dr. U M O Ivowi 6. Dr. S O Ayodele 7. Dr. S O Olaitan 8. Dr. Anthony Ali 9. Prof. R O Ohuche 10. Dr. M A Mkpa 11. Dr. M J Shuaibu 12. Dr. Marion Abbott |
13. Dr. A G Anwukah 14. Dr. G O Taylor 15. Mr. S K Boateng 16. Dr. E O Adeniyi 17. Dr. P I Odor 18. Mrs. M L Ango 19. Dr. S U Udoh 20. Dr. Ayo Adewale 21. Dr. Amechi Nweze 22. Dr. I Okonkwo 23. Dr. J O Ojoade 24. Hon. W V Famwang |
25. Dr. L U Izuwa 26. Dr D J Ogunrombi 27. Dr. B A Sawa 28. Dr. C S Udeinya 29. Dr. G O Obioma 30. Dr. Noel Ihebuzor 31. Prof. E |
The Foundation Executive of CON was elected on Friday, 24 September 1982 during the
1st Annual Conference of CON held at the Faculty of Education, University of Jos, Jos
from 20 - 24 September 1982. It consisted of the following:
President - Prof. P A I Obanya
Vice President - Prof. P N Lassa
Secretary General - Prof. Sali Bao (till 1983)
Dr. Noel Ihebuzor (from 1983)
Assistant Secretary General -
Treasurer - Mrs. M L Ango
Financial Secretary
Publicity Secretary
Editor-in-Chief - Dr. J A Adeyinka (till 1984)
Dr. S O Ayodele (from 1984)