This archive report was first published on 6 August 2019.
Published on August 6, 2019, the Ministry of Education's late introduction of initiatives to publicize and engage the public on education reform has sparked several questions that need to be addressed.
At the heart of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is a philosophy that needs to be clearly articulated and understood by the public. The public needs to know where the CBC idea came from, why it was adopted, and what specific function it seeks to serve.
Furthermore, the nation's unpreparedness to thoroughly prepare the entire curriculum and attendant tools before beginning implementation has raised concerns. How can we be talking about international best practice when we are knowingly putting the cart before the horse?
Teachers, who are at the periphery of the reform process, are being instructed literally through the window on what to do, yet they should be the experts. The next question is: where are the competency frameworks for various levels?
The last minute release of Grade Three assessment guidelines tells a story of unpreparedness that should not be happening in the education sector. The measurement of performance generally becomes guesswork at best.
The Ministry of Education needs to put all cards on the table when engaging stakeholders. The kind of tokenism being experienced in a bid to silence voices that are offering different opinions needs to stop.
The policymaker and the practitioners need to sit down now and work out something that will not only stand the test of time but provide a clear philosophical underpinning for the reform process.
