eng Science and Education Publishing American Journal of Educational Research 2327-6150 2023-08-10 11 9 568 574 10.12691/education-11-9-5 EDUCATION20231195 article Selina Banda Selina Banda, bandaseli67@gmail.com 1 Florence Phiri 1 Daniel L. Mpolomoka 2 Jack Kaale 2 Marian Mtonga 2 Rose Chikopela 3 Margaret Pansho 3 Agnes Mando Banda 4 Department of Social Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia School of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Unicaf University Zambia Special Education Department, School of Education, Chalimbana University, Chongwe, Zambia Agnes Mando Banda, Directorate of Quality assurance and Extension Studies, Zambian Open University, Zambia Background: Study areas need to be handled by specialists so that they can identify specific areas that are needed to be included as required learning experiences. Curriculum development activities are continuously conducted one way or the other and academics have a vital role to play therein. Curricula have to be developed and if they are already available, they need to be reviewed. Method: A qualitative tradition of inquiry was used to conduct the study. Purposive sampling was used to select 20 participants required. A questionnaire was used to collect data from academics. Grounded theory was used because no theory existed that offered an explanation for a phenomenon studied. Results: Variations in the attainment of basic skills in curriculum development were revealed. The majority of the participants agreed to having basic skills training offered to them to enable them to perform accordingly. They also noted some implications on employability skills on students due to lack of appropriate skills in curriculum development. Conclusion: There are variations in levels of acquisition of basic skills in curriculum development. This study has shown that there are some academics that are in dire need of these basic skills. It is clear from the report that academics need the skills to enable them develop comprehensive programmes. Recommendations: There is a need to plan for an in-service training programme for academics in curriculum development. This study needs to be replicated to other higher learning institutions so that results can be generalized. http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/11/9/5/education-11-9-5.pdf Curriculum basic skills higher institutions of learning academics