Govt’s plan in place to establish competent school curriculum

 By ELIZABETH VUVU

PLANS by the Education Department are in place to set up a competent school curriculum that will ensure standards are upheld in both urban and rural schools, Education Secretary Dr Michael Tapo says.

He said according to public perception the Outcomes-Based Education or OBE curriculum had not been delivered well, therefore the Standards-Based Education system would replace OBE this year.

He said this meant that lessons were strictly taught within time limits, which included their contents and presentation to students in the classrooms and resource books for students to work on, when the teacher was not present.

“The expectation of the curriculum is that all students who finish Grade 8 at primary school level must be able to read and write in English competently,” Tapo said.

He said another aspect of the reform was whether elementary level should still be included in the primary schools and for the provision of training for elementary teachers, or omit elementary schools altogether.

Tapo said just because the government said there was more money coming in, it did not mean there should be additional institutions and systems.

He said it was costly and discussions and decisions have to be made to accommodate the available funding for a greater outcome. 

He said the decisions must be in line with the Education Act and the National Education Plan.

He said the decisions must also cater for the increased number of students in schools and enhance the standard of the education.