by Marie Kauna – EMTV Online, Port Moresby
Milne Bay Province is one of the first provinces in Papua New Guinea to support the new Standard Based Curriculum that is being rolled out by the National Department of Education, to improve literacy levels.
Under its Education Division funds, the division has supplied resource books for the new Standard Based Curriculum, to give to selected schools in the province, to help teachers with their teaching.
A total of 100 schools in the province were selected and will receive the resource books to teach, using the new Standard Based Curriculum.
About 250 teachers from 100 selected schools participated in a two-day training workshop, and were taught the guidelines on how the resource books can be used to teach Phonics at each grade levels: elementary prep, elementary one and elementary two.
Other books supplied include copies of: Bilum Books Phonics for Papua New Guinea, Bilum Books Elementart School Picture Dictionary and Teacher Guide and Spelling and Word Study Foundation (E2).
With Elementary schools considered as the foundation, emphasis on the new English Syllabus for Elementary Schools is very important, and if successfully implemented, will enable the children at a lower grade to read and write and also expand their understanding level.
The workshop covered teaching of phonics, common words and how to implement the new syllabus using the resource books. Each representative was given resource books after the workshop.
The initiative, taken by the Milne Bay Provincial Education Division, not only supported the new Standard Based Curriculum but the elementary teachers as well. It will help both the teachers and the children.
Information and Image Source: Bilum Books