Doing It Right: Curriculum Reforms in Eastern and Southern Africa. James Kahwa (10) studies at the Kissjo model primary school in the Kyenjo district of western Uganda. UNICEF supports the Kizo model primary school with teacher training, textbooks and a WASH program on water, sanitation and hygiene.
Despite efforts to improve the basic education curriculum in sub-Saharan Africa, the level of learning is very low. The general departure from the traditional curriculum (broadly defined as 'academic' and teacher-centered 'with high subject content') is an 'outcomes' -based curriculum (that is, student-centered and teacher-centered). in skills and abilities). in any case, to improve learning outcomes.
We need to challenge the current focus of the elementary curriculum reform process. Lessons from past curriculum reform efforts in the global South can be applied to future reforms. I propose two key messages for course reform for governments and development partners:
The new courses are very complex: one step too early and too far?
A comprehensive, competency-based primary curriculum is ambitious for most of sub-Saharan Africa. Real change requires us to focus on what can be realistically distributed and to ensure that basic literacy and numeracy take precedence over our curricular areas.
This remains the biggest challenge, with a high proportion of children lacking minimal literacy and numeracy levels. The temptation to overload the course deviates from this basic goal. The beginning grades require a lot of attention to lay the foundation for future learning.
- Refugee children from South Sudan attend a school in Kule camp in Ethiopia's Gambela region.
In the process of curriculum reform, deep-seated structural flaws are often overlooked: large class sizes, low teacher competence and motivation, books that are very difficult for students (and sometimes even for students! teachers!). Key elements of the distribution system are often assumed to work.
This includes how teachers are trained and supported, their hunger and motivation for change, issues such as leadership, the overall school environment, and physical conditions. Consider what the supply chain will require for the necessary teaching and learning materials.
Successful implementation requires changes in many areas, not just the curriculum. It also requires a change in the way we learn through tests and exams. A new curriculum is essentially different, perhaps more difficult and certainly more demanding than this system. Since it does not deliver the familiar, why do we expect it to be distributed in an unknown manner?
Curriculum improvement is very frequent so it is designed for a reality that does not exist. We need to dedicate a high proportion of time and initial resources to considering the preparation of the system to be able to adapt to the necessary changes.
The improvement process itself is an iterative process as the new curriculum takes shape - there is a need to continually test delivery feasibility, assess strengths and weaknesses, and tailor implementations to fit available resources.
Roger Cunningham has extensive experience working on educational policy and practice in nearly thirty countries. He was previously a senior advisor to DFID and the EU, now he works as an independent consultant.
Preparing each child to learn. During a physical exercise session, Ms. Moonlight Olives (46) walks with children outside the Kisojo ECD Center in the Kyenjo district of western Uganda. After receiving UNICEF-supported training on ECD (Early Childhood Development) (ECD) caregivers, Ms. Olive helped her community establish an ECD Center.
Blue flag with the word Think Education. Tackling the Learning Crisis in Eastern and Southern Africa Quality pre-primary education is important for a child's cognitive, social and emotional development, school readiness, and future economic potential. Yet only 42 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa attend some organized pre-primary education before the typical age of enrollment for first grade.
And all those who do are not learning in a child-friendly, rights-based environment where developmental and learning needs are effectively supported. The inclusion of investment quality and equity in early childhood education should be minimized.
As low-quality early childhood education has limited or negative impact on children's development. Alternatively, children who have supportive and trusting relationships with teachers tend to have better regulated levels of stress hormones. Promotes positive development and learning.
Why is there a lack of quality preschool education in many countries?
Despite strong evidence and growing support from policymakers and communities, access and quality issues persist in resource-poor settings.
These include:
- Assessment of early childhood as a critical period of development.
- Big misconceptions about the formation of a quality preschool education.
- Focus only on access, which compromises quality.
- Many conflicting priorities in nutrition, health, social protection and child protection.
- Lack of accountability for quality and equity in preschool education.
Some promising prospects in action
To be scalable and sustainable, the pre-primary education model must address insufficient human resources at a cost to governments. Some examples of promising approaches that address these challenges:
Equip local community members, including parents, with the skills to deliver pre-primary education: BRAC pre-primary schools in Bangladesh and Hippocampus Learning Center in India. Accelerated School Readiness Training for First Grade Teachers or Community Volunteers - Education Quality Improvement Program in Tanzania's School Readiness Program.
The pre-primary education model "Hub and Spoke", where the high-quality center becomes a center of best practices and the Kidogo model in Kenya, serves as a resource for the surrounding centers (spokespersons).
How can we guarantee a quality preschool education for all?
Establishing quality preschool education in preschool systems and the perception of teachers requires social change and a willingness to forgo quick wins in favor of long-term achievements. Education experts from UNICEF and other international partners can engage in information sharing and advocacy with policymakers and other stakeholders.
Who have the power to drive change at the system level. Innovative approaches can challenge the beliefs and practices that sustain pre-primary education and the inferior status of teachers among policy makers, parents, and the public.
To obtain the supervision, funding, and other resources necessary to reach all children, the system requires national quality standards, leadership, and data systems; Training and monitoring systems at the local level to ensure the quality of the program; And goodbye to governance for effective national and local coordination.
To provide universal and quality preschool education in the region, we need substantial and long-term investment from governments and donors to: identify best practices; Scale friendly; And develop the support systems necessary to manage and maintain the system.
There is a great need for quality preschool education universally available in Eastern and Southern Africa. Donors and government partner countries can help improve equitable access for their children, rather than enabling environment and capacity (rather than investing directly in programming.
A large-scale shift in priorities, coupled with investment in strong systems development, can provide quality preschool education for all. Dr. Elizabeth Spier is a Principal Investigator for the American Research Institutes specializing in impact studies and technical assistance in the areas of child development, school readiness, learning situations, and parenting support.
Hirokazu Yoshikawa is an undergraduate professor at New York University, co-director of the Global TIS for Children's Center, and conducts research on programs and policies in early childhood development in low- and middle-income countries.
Paul Oburu is an associate research professor at New York University and an associate professor of psychology at Masino University, Kenya. He is the Project Director of the Global Research Network on Quality Education and Learning for All (EQUAL) based at New York University and New York University in Abu Dhabi.
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