Scrap OBE while it is still in early stage

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National – Wednesday, December 22, 2010

FOLLOWING up on my earlier comments about producing “first class kanakas” (The National, Dec 15), I call on the Education Department to publish in our papers all exam results based on OBE for all Papua New Guineans to see and comment. 
The department initiated the OBE and it must now convince us why it should not be discarded.
I used to be a faithful teacher for a good number of years but after learning and understanding all the facts and disadvantages about this ongoing trial and error learning model, I gave up because I foresee a lot of workload for teachers and problems cropping up.
Some of the problems are:
1. Teachers will have to do a lot of paper work, planning outcomes for each lesson, for each student if he or she is not achieving that particular outcome, etc.
2. Teachers are going to spend a lot of money buying pens, pencils, writing tools and writing pads.
3. No increase in teachers pay. If the pay is to be increased, then it must be increase 100% for all teachers from elementary up to Grade 12. The department or the government should not say it will be a costly exercise. If the department is adamant on implementing it, then it should compensate teachers well.
4. Teachers will eventually feel the pain, stress, pressure and resign and look for greener pastures.
In the end, the department will fall short of teachers as no one will want to become teachers.
Many countries which have implemented OBE are taking steps to scrap it.
South Africa is the latest country to junk it after trying it out for 20 years.
That means all the effort, money and human resource put into it have all gone to waste.
So let’s scrap this reform system at this early stage.

 

Ykandale
Via email