SLIP concept changing schools

THE school learning improvement plans (SLIP) is transforming the standard of schools curriculum and infrastructure, highlands education regional director Gabriel Tai says.
Tai said in Mt Hagen last Wednesday that all educational agencies, including community, primary, high and secondary schools in the region using SLIP were seeing changes.
“SLIP is an education reform initiative and the plans are the vehicles for enhancing students’ learning and schools performance.
“The concept is the brainchild of Peter Nung Kants, assistant secretary of the standards and guidance division of the Education Department,” he said.
He said SLIP was drafted in 2006.
He said all schools under the programme had seen improvements in six focus areas of:
l    Student learning curriculum;
l    Staff professional development;
l    Management and administration;
l    Infrastructure development;
l    School governance and community relationship; and
l    Budget allocation to support the improvement agenda.
Tai said SLIP was aimed at holding schools accountable for their actions.

  “SLIP involves all stakeholders including parents, agency, teachers and students who are part of the SLIP committee that is responsible for the budget of the school.
“Each stakeholder is held responsible for money issues like mismanagement unlike in the past where the board of the schools control the finance. We make sure schools spend according to budget. In that way we really see results,” Tai said.
Tai said 19 schools were now in the programme.
He said the first two schools he tried to see if the concept worked  were Jim Taylor Memorial and Milep Primary schools.
 “SLIP is a three-year school learning plan that includes a school mission statement, school context statement and school vision statement that started from 2007 – 2009 and which saw the trial schools improve very quickly in terms of curriculum and infrastructure development.”
   Tai said SLIP was a vehicle to bring change and to make schools become efficient and effective and that it had spread to all parts of the country.