The CEFR-VL and its suitability to art education in Nigeria – a review

Research has shown that pictures are easier to recognize and process than words; art as a subject is taught using both words and images. The introduction of the Common European Framework of Reference for Visual Literacy (CEFR-VL) is developed around the concept of ‘competencies’, which is currently used in all school subjects, art included. It is a timely initiative and a necessity for other regions. But does the depth of this framework in content and context make it applicable to other regions outside Europe, given that the framework was developed using European curricula as a starting point and that the acronym of the framework clearly denotes its source? Its suitability and workability to curricula outside Europe − particularly Nigeria − therefore becomes an issue to discuss. This review aims to highlight the concept of 'visual literacy' and the need to embrace it in the teaching and learning of art; to discuss the structure and content of the CEFR-VL; and to confer its workability in the context of art teaching in an African country, in this case Nigeria.