OBE here to stay, says official

THE Department of Education has brushed aside all arguments levelled at the outcome-based education (OBE) system, saying the policy is here to stay.
Acting education secretary Luke Taita said OBE was an official government policy crafted under the education reform.
He said while OBE had created confusion and debate among teachers, parents and other stakeholders, proper awareness was needed to clarify the workings of OBE and its implementation process.
Taita said OBE was a new system of education and constructive debate and feedback from
teachers, parents and
other stakeholders
were needed to address these confusions.
He said it was the Education Department’s job to ensure clarity and focus on the new system was made for the successful provision of quality education in line with the government’s short- and medium-term plans and Vision 2050.
He said the confusion was also experienced at the administrative level, citing OBE and outcome-based curriculum (OBC) as examples, resulting in distorted comments and expressed opinions.
OBE involved competency-based learning while OBC dealt with the syllabus or the format of teaching under OBE.
Taita said the inception of OBE-oriented examination for Grade 12s next year would pose a huge challenge for students and teachers alike.
Office of Higher Education (OHE) scholarship director Joseph Morimai had said the selection criteria for Grade 12 students who sit for OBE-oriented examinations would be set by their respective tertiary institutions.
Morimai said while OHE was also concerned about OBE and its impact on students’ learning, the Education Department had implemented OBE examinations for
Grade 10s and would continue to introduce it to Grade 12s.
He said it was a new system that the government had embraced to educate the upcoming generations.