I AM amazed by the total lack of rationale and
statistical back up by the government to get rid of the so called OBE
curriculum within 40 days by the Department of Education and to have it
replaced with the old curriculum.
First of all, the Prime Minister and his acting Education Minister in my mind have not been given proper advise. Both men and the many commentators have got themselves confused with what is in place. The education reforms that have been in operation for the last 20 odd years are made up of two components. Structural and curriculum reforms.What we have in place did not happen overnight. This goes back to the Matane Report on the need to have an education system in place suited for our local needs. These are the reforms many experts have commented on explained on numerous occasions. What many people don’t think is not working is the latter; curriculum reforms. What information is there to tell us that the reforms are a failure? What studies have been made to back up the belief that the reforms are not working? The government thinks that it can fool the people, by giving ultimatums to education officers 40 days to perform a miracle.
The common argument is the curriculum and the notion that it is a failure, not the structure of the education system. Both the structural and curriculum reforms are not the same. The structural reforms have been in place since the early 1990’s, and the curriculum reforms have only been in place for the last fifteen years or so. The first lot of Grade 12 students to have sat for the National Exams were in 2011, though the actual first batch to have come through the OBE. curriculum graduated in 2010. May I remind everyone that OBE is a teaching method and not the curriculum or the syllabus.
There is a need for proper evaluation of the problem and let the education department make the necessary changes with more preparation and planning.
First of all, the Prime Minister and his acting Education Minister in my mind have not been given proper advise. Both men and the many commentators have got themselves confused with what is in place. The education reforms that have been in operation for the last 20 odd years are made up of two components. Structural and curriculum reforms.What we have in place did not happen overnight. This goes back to the Matane Report on the need to have an education system in place suited for our local needs. These are the reforms many experts have commented on explained on numerous occasions. What many people don’t think is not working is the latter; curriculum reforms. What information is there to tell us that the reforms are a failure? What studies have been made to back up the belief that the reforms are not working? The government thinks that it can fool the people, by giving ultimatums to education officers 40 days to perform a miracle.
The common argument is the curriculum and the notion that it is a failure, not the structure of the education system. Both the structural and curriculum reforms are not the same. The structural reforms have been in place since the early 1990’s, and the curriculum reforms have only been in place for the last fifteen years or so. The first lot of Grade 12 students to have sat for the National Exams were in 2011, though the actual first batch to have come through the OBE. curriculum graduated in 2010. May I remind everyone that OBE is a teaching method and not the curriculum or the syllabus.
There is a need for proper evaluation of the problem and let the education department make the necessary changes with more preparation and planning.
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