ABG plans education curriculum

By ABIGAIL APINA
A CURRICULUM development and legislative workshop of a joint implementation group (JIG) involving the Department of Education (DOE), Teachers Services Commission (TSC) and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) was held in Kokopo, East New Britain, last week.
It is understood the three-day workshop was to develop action plans for the ABG education curriculum and legislation that will be presented to the JIG meeting next month in Buka.
JIG co-chair and ABG education chief executive officer Bruno Babato said this was part of preparations towards the transfer of powers and functions from the national government to the ABG so that administrative decisions were made by appropriate authorities concerning the political destiny of the region.
Babato said seven MoUs were signed last February between the national government and the ABG, two of which concerned DOE and TSC.
He said this further resulted in the formation of the JIG, which involved mainly a joint technical team as a vehicle to implement the transferred powers and functions from DOE and TSC.
He said sub-committees on curriculum and legislation were then created to find a way forward for the elementary education curriculum and the draft Bougainville Education Bill, which will be legislated before the end of this year.
Babato said the consultation on curriculum development would continue to ensure the ABG team continually received technical assistance in developing its own curriculum for elementary education and TVET sectors.
He said these would further explore the opportunities of how to best serve the teachers in Bougainville.
Babato said on the downside, gaps in capacities in funding and additional staff were potentially undermining what was undoubtedly a strong commitment from DOE and TSC to help ABG division of education institutionalise transferred powers and functions that had been transferred to Bougainville in practical ways.