How Teachers Actually Create Schemes of Work: A Realistic Look

A scheme of work is the operational backbone of teaching. Every teacher creates one. Every term. For every subject they teach. And for most teachers, it takes between 8 and 12 hours per subject per term. We studied this process across 47 educators in Lagos, Enugu, Kano, and Rivers states. Step 1: Curriculum Alignment (2 to 3 hours) The teacher opens the NERDC curriculum document and locates the relevant section. They read through the topics for the term and identify which learning objectives apply. The curriculum document is organized differently from how teachers work. Many teachers print pages and highlight them. Others copy topics into a notebook. Step 2: Week-by-Week Allocation (2 to 3 hours) The teacher distributes topics across the weeks. This requires judgment calls: How many weeks should a topic get? Should assessment week count as a teaching week? How do holidays affect the schedule? Step 3: Resource Identification (1 to 2 hours) For each topic, the teacher identifies what resources are needed. This is where the process becomes most fragmented. Step 4: Writing the Document (2 to 3 hours) The teacher writes the scheme into the school format. For many teachers, this is primarily transcription. Step 5: Review and Adjustment (1 hour) The HOD reviews and feedback often requires revisions. The Total Cost The average total time was 8.5 hours per subject per term. A teacher handling three subjects spends 25 plus hours per term on scheme of work creation alone.