School’s curriculum reform process ongoing

DPI/GINA, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The process that will lead to the revision of the school’s curriculum is on-stream, as the Ministry of Education is currently engaging the public and other stakeholders.

During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) /Government Information Agency (GINA), Chief Education Officer (CEO), Marcel Hutson said that the approach the Ministry is currently taking is quite different from what occurred previously.

“There was a time when ministry officials would sit down and say what we want, but I think a broad based approach is better and so we are in the phase of consultations as to what should be included in the curriculum,” Hutson said.

One of the things that will be looked as part of the process is whether the current text books are relevant to what the government is pushing, “in terms of bettering the education system,” Hutson said.

The Chief Education Officer noted that while the process is not at the stage where he would like it to be, he is happy that it has started. “It is on stream and I would really like it to move very quickly because I think we are at a stage where we really need to have our curriculum revised,” he reiterated.

The project is funded by the World Bank, and once completed will see over $5M being invested, Hutson explained. He said that the revision process is more than just paper work; hence the process will be costly.

Recognising that curriculum is the cornerstone of any education system, in 2016, the Ministry took some steps towards conceptualising the revision of its curriculum. This process will include stakeholder consultations, curriculum review and assessment, curriculum development, training for curriculum pilot programmes and implementation and development of national assessment for the curriculum.

 

By: Synieka Thorne