By Rayon Lakingu – EMTV News, Port Moresby
Schools in the National Capital District have raised concerns that they need more materials to fully implement the Standard Based Curriculum in their schools.
EMTV News visited schools in the Nation’s Capital today, to see how far they have gone in implementing the curriculum. They all raised concerns that teacher’s resource books and student textbooks are limited and teachers are struggling to find whatever they could to teach.
Saint Francis Primary School Head Teacher Mrs. Lama Lua Sarufa said the Standard Based Education is a good curriculum; however, the only challenges they face are textbooks and resource books for teachers and students.
“It’s a very nice program and curriculum, it’s just the challenges for our teachers is the textbooks. If the textbooks and materials can be given to schools, it will make teaching and learning very easy,” Saint Francis Primary School Head Teacher Lama Lua Sarufa said.
Mrs. Sarufa added that they are yet to receive more textbooks from the National Department of Education.
She said the Education Department has given the task back to each school to print their own resource books and notes for students.
“They (Education Department) asked teachers to download using flash drives, and they are giving printed work back to the schools…So when someone comes to set-up we use our printers, our own photocopy machines to print the books – both for teachers and students.”
Teachers in some schools who wished to remain anonymous said, they also need more refresher courses to be equipped to fully implement the curriculum. They said they have gone through some workshops but that is not enough.
They also raised concerns that student overcrowding is also an issue faced by most schools. However, the standard based curriculum is now implemented in the lower grades, which are Grades 3, 4 and 5, in most schools. The upper grades are still using the old curriculum as schools are yet to receive their resource books from the Education Department.
Meanwhile, teacher’s syllabus and resource books, as well as textbooks for students, remain a need in all schools, to see the standard-based curriculum fully implemented.
