By Mortimer Yangharry
Grade 12 political science students from the Sir Tei Abal Secondary School in Enga Province petitioned the Education Department over issues surrounding two different school curriculums.
They said political science subject was one of their five subjects taught in the newly introduced Standards Based Curriculum as they started learning it in grade 11 until towards the end of the first term this academic year and are concerned the subject won’t be examined.
In a small but important gathering at the school assembly ground on Thursday, the students presented their petition to the Provincial Standards Based Curriculum Coordinator and Standards Officer Mr Henry Kapo witnessed by teachers and staff of the school.
Student representatives said that the subject of Political Science is one of the subjects to be examined according to the Education Secretary’s Circular Instruction Number: 08 of 2022 but was omitted in the Measurement Service’s National Grade 12 Examination Calendar for 2023.
The points raised in their petition include;
– the subjects taught under the new Standards Based Curriculum must be examined.
– SBC subjects must be examined separately from OBE subjects because the strands, bench mark, topics and resources are totally different from OBE.
– Set separate Examination Calendar for the two different Curriculums because not all schools in PNG are implementing the new Standards Based Curriculum.
In receiving the petition, the Provincial Standards Based Curriculum coordinator Mr Henry Kapao, on behalf of the Education Department, thanked the students for addressing the issue in a peaceful and very organized manner.
Kapao assured the students that he will brief and seek advice from senior officers at the National Headquarters in Port Moresby and give them their response accordingly.
The Sir Tei Abal Secondary School in the Wabag District is one of seven secondary schools in Enga Province.
