The Educational Process

Pre-Primary Education | Basic Education | Secondary Education |

The present curricula for basic and secondary schools (also called the 1994 Curriculum) consist of national content (about 80%) and local content (about 20%). The national content is developed by the central government, which is also responsible for its implementation in all public and private schools. The local content is developed at the provincial and, more ideally, at the district level. The development of the national curriculum is the main function of the Curriculum Development Center (CDC), under the MONE National Institute for Educational Research and Development, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Basic and Secondary Education. The local content is developed by the Provincial Office of Education based on the guidelines prepared by the CDC.

The central government decides upon the structure of the curriculum (subject matters and weekly time allocation), curricular objectives, essential content of each subject matter as well as the guidelines for the teaching-learning process and its evaluation. The provincial government defines the local content, which consists of subject matters or learning materials suited to local needs and conditions. The school chooses the local content subject matters or learning materials according to its needs and condition. The local content is intended for the students to be aware of, love and appreciate local cultures and folklore, locally-developed industries and other productive economic resources. It may deepen, broaden or enrich the students’ knowledge and understanding and thus complement the national curriculum. The choice of local learning areas is entirely up to the local government. They may include local/native language and culture, local handicrafts or industries, agriculture, land or coastal fisheries, or even foreign languages or computer studies, depending on the local needs or interests.

The curriculum is defined as a set of plans and arrangements of content, learning materials and methods used as guidelines for the teaching-learning activities. It is designed to achieve the goal of national education taking into account the stages of children’s development as well as the local environments, in accordance with the type and level of each educational institution. The school curricula reflect the history of the nation and the political situation of the country. That is why in its earlier stages the curriculum strongly emphasized the teaching of subject matters that will inculcate the state’s ideology and beliefs and develop in the students the spirit of nationalism, patriotism and unity. In the 1960s, emphasis was given to the teaching of national ideology; the focus of the curriculum was primarily to meet the needs of the rural society, and recognition of the importance of vocational skills and further education. The curriculum reform in the early 1970s placed emphasis on the teaching and development of science and technology. This reform resulted in the 1975 curricula for pre-primary, primary and secondary education. These curricula were later criticized for being overly objective-oriented, too rigid and overloaded. The 1984 curricula attempted to eliminate the weaknesses identified; the new syllabi were not too detailed so as to provide flexibility for teachers in managing the teaching-learning activities.

The latest curriculum reform was conducted ten years later in response to the messages contained in the Education Law of 1989, which resulted in the 1994 Curriculum. Criticisms concerning the current curricula focus on three areas. First, the curricula are overloaded. Teachers are more concerned with completing curricular targets than making students learn and understand the curriculum content. Second, they are too rigid to leave room for flexibility in the educational process. Third, they tend to overlook students differences in academic competencies and the contents are said to be appropriate for students with high acedemic capability.

The Government plans to reform the present curricula and develop a national competency-based curriculum and assessment framework designed to maintain unity yet allowing for diversity. The national competency-based curriculum is a framework that sets out what students are expected to achieve in each grade. Each level of competency will be a step in the students’ progress towards higher levels of competence in key areas. The definition of student competency at each grade will be expressed in general terms. They will therefore allow for provincial and local differences in subject matters as well as for differences in local facilities and students’ abilities. However, it will always be possible for students, schools, districts and provinces to measure their own performances against national standards of competence. The framework will include reformed methods of assessing students’ achievements. It will provide ways to strengthen teachers’ abilities in the assessment of classroom activities. It will also continue to provide for examinations at key grade levels, based on the competencies expected of students. And it will enable regular monitoring of and research into the achievements of the national education system. To make the most of the curriculum’s flexibility, there will be a planned introduction of school-based management concepts and principles. This will allow schools to choose and decide on the best ways to effectively use the available resources in meeting their particular needs, policies and priorities.

The national framework of competencies will, by its nature, enable standards to be developed at key points in the students’ progress through the various elements of the curriculum over the twelve years of schooling. Standards summarize the typical performances of students in specific parts of the curriculum at certain grade levels. Data from national examinations, tests and surveys, combined with international data, will be used to establish standards. Expected standards of moral behavior, civic behavior and work ethics will also be included. The purpose of establishing standards is to improve the overall quality of education for all. All schools will be expected to achieve and where possible to exceed the standards. Reforms in the curriculum, assessment, teacher development and school management will support these efforts.