Teaching materials needed

By JACINTA COHLEE
THE standard-based curriculum (SBC) has affected teachers much.
So much that they have used their own money to initiate and deliver lessons to students, a senior teacher says.
Theresia Tommy Hiri, of Bubia Lutheran Primary School in Huon Gulf, Morobe, has been teaching for 30 years.
Based on her experience, the challenge is faced nationwide because there is not enough support in terms of SBC teaching and learning materials, she said.
“We are digging from our pockets to buy data every day to access information from the internet to go with the content and the performance standard of each unit,” Hiri said.
“We’ve got only teachers’ guides and syllabus to go with the learning, but we don’t have support materials like student text books.
“Most of our activities are from the internet.”
She stressed that there had been numerous curriculums (Pacific Series, OESM – Our English for Melanesian Schools, OBE-outcome-based Curriculum and now SBC), and changes, but the support materials to go with them were never enough over the years.
Hiri said it maybe ok for urban schools as they had access to electricity and internet connections, but the rural schools did not have the same privileges.
“The rural schools do not have electricity and internet connections and how can they access information and teach according to the curriculum,” she asked.
“Most of the schools are tailing behind and are teaching based on what they have in front of them.”
She stressed that the Education Department and the Government have to seriously look into addressing the issue before another academic year begins in order for the curriculum to work effectively.
The issue has been raised by several head teachers, and teachers-in-charge, about the curriculum being introduced, but the materials were not present at the teaching locations.
They stated in previous reports that due to the lack of SBC materials, it could affect students during the national examinations.