Editorial Comment: Curriculum issues need multi-sectoral approach

With government embarking on a curriculum review process paying attention to the Competence Based Curriculum with Continuous Assessment of Learning Activities (CALAs) taking centre stage, a lot has to be taken into consideration if ever the noble idea is to bear fruit.
After government made it clear that they aim to produce learners who have the relevant skills that are useful in real life situations, there is need for that same government as a policy maker to ensure the input of every stakeholder in curriculum issues is taken into consideration.
Thus the success of this whole competence-based education system will hinge on the incorporation of ideas from all key stakeholders unlike a situation whereby government will just impose itself over other key stakeholders whose input is critical in implementation of curriculum issues.
Government must seriously revisit and consider its stance on the role of educators in the success of any curriculum and thus should make sure they shift from the use of force through imposition of directives on an already demotivated teacher. Initially government should have taken the input of teachers, their views and positions with regards to the issue of CALAs since they are the ones on the ground guiding the teaching and learning processes.
Secondly, the role of parents in curriculum shows how key a stakeholder they are in any given curriculum implementation situation. Since parents are the ones who bear the brunt of the whole cost of the learning of their kids, government should have taken into consideration the role of parents instead of just taking them by surprise and expect them to foot the costs.
After the realization that the old curriculum didn’t address the needs and demands of this contemporary society, government should thus have made sure that enough resources are availed in schools countrywide to ensure the intended goals of the updated curriculum can be realized and that entails making available of teaching and learning materials timeously as well as addressing such key issues like teacher-pupil ratio as well.
Teachers especially those in service need to upgrade their knowledge bases to meet the demands of the new system and that means not only school administrators attend such upgrading workshops. Bearing in mind also that the content in other learning areas like ICT, and or Science and Technology is a bit too much for the young learners, the way to go will be for government to position the young learners to what suits them and thus making sure relevant content is imparted to them suiting their grade levels. By making sure that the content suit the grade level, enough resources are availed and teachers are motivated, only then can glimpses of success filter through the education system while at the same time avoiding overburdening parents and other stakeholders.
Government through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education thus should act in sincerity even when it comes to judging how the updated curriculum has fared over the previous seven years and that will see them come back to the drawing board and avoid working with manipulated and doctored results.
Teacher representatives unions should also be taken into consideration as they form an integral party in the whole success or failure of any given curriculum.