JICA, dept to work on curriculum

 THE Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will be implementing a new technical cooperation project to support curriculum change from outcomes-based education (OBE) to standards-based education (SBE) JICA PNG chief representative Shigeru Sugiyama said.

He said JICA was formulating a framework for this new project in close consultation with the National Department of Education.

“JICA initiated a training programme in 2014 for selected education officers to improve their knowledge and skills in curriculum development for mathematics and science,” Sugiyama said.

“Short-term and long-term training courses have been and will be offered in partnership with Naruto University of Education – a prestigious universities in Japan in the field of international education.” 

He said that they had dispatched volunteers to PNG as a part of JICA’s support in education sector and human development for PNG.

Sugiyama said that the importance of education was universal and it could not be overemphasised, especially in nation building 

“Japan’s country assistance policy to Papua New Guinea highlighted education as one of the three priority areas that Japan currently provides support for,” he said.

“Being an implementing arm of the Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA), JICA commits to making maximum efforts to assist PNG improve its education sector so that all children in the country are given a decent opportunity to fully explore their potential.”