Dramatic changes to school curriculum announced Mother tongue instruction, a new grade beyond Grade 12, new rules for repeaters and a host of technical subjects, are among the changes to Namibia’s basic education curriculum, which has been given the green light by Cabinet. Grade 11 will now be the first point at which learners can exit the schooling system with an internationally recognised certificate, which will allow them to access to further education and training institutions that offer diploma and certificate programmes pitched at NQF levels 5 and 6 or the job market. Limits will also be placed on the number of times a learner can repeat a grade. A new so-called A level will also be introduced in schools, with learners writing national examinations at this level after 13 years of schooling. The Education Ministry plans to implement the revised curriculum for Grade 10 to A Level from 2019. The revised curriculum of the junior primary phase – up to Grade 5 - will also include Mathematics, Environmental Studies and Physical Education, and will be implemented from next year. The new curriculum of the senior primary phase - Grade 5 to 7 - will also include mother tongue instruction, as well as pre-vocational subjects, Elementary Agriculture, Design and Technology, Home Ecology and Information and Communication. The new curriculum for this phase will be implemented in 2016. In the junior secondary phase – Grade 8 to 10 – there will be six compulsory promotional subjects. These are English, mathematics, Life Science, Physical Science, Geography and History. Pupils can also choose from several other subjects, including another language, Accounting, Fashion and Fabrics and Technical Studies, which includes Metalwork and Welding. Support subjects include Life Skills, Religious and Moral Education. At the end of Grade 10, learners will write Semi-National Examinations for quality assurance purposes. The examinations will be set nationally, but marked at regional level. Grade 11 pupils have English and Mathematics/Advanced mathematics as core subjects, while the elective subjects include Entrepreneurship, Development Studies, Electricity and Electronics and Technical Drawing. Grade 12 level, one of the elective subjects must be a second or third language. National examinations in Grade 12 will be benchmarked against the Cambridge Advanced Subsidiary Level. In addition, the Advanced level, based on the Cambridge A Level will be introduced into Namibian senior secondary education through a phased-in plan. Other aspects of educational reform include that learners who repeat a grade should receive remedial education, while identified learners will also receive additional instruction and interventions. Minister of Education Dr David Namwandi said the money required for the implementation of the new curriculum will be budgeted for over period of seven years. The first tranche of money – N$21 million - is already budgeted for in the 2015/16 national budget. Namwandi said costs will include in-service training for teachers, the procurement of new textbooks and the appointment of additional teachers, while from Grade 5 onwards it will include the procurement of hand tools and equipment for pre-vocational subjects, as wells as construction of workrooms for specialised subjects. Namwandi said the curriculum review exercise had identified the gaps and weaknesses, as well as strengths in the current curriculum. Cabinet gave the green light to the new curriculum on Tuesday. Namwandi added: “The reviewed education system and curriculum shall provide an opportunity for diversified growth, learning and development for a healthy sense of responsibility. Learners will obtain knowledge, skills, values and attitudes they need in life to further their studies and live a meaningful life in a democratic society
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:27:50 +0000
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