Malawi: Education Ministry to Introduce New Secondary School Curriculum Next Year
Abbas Panjwani
26 July 2013 ,
By Joseph Dzuwa,
Source: Malawi News Agency
Zomba
The Final Secondary School Curriculum and Assessment Review (SSCAR) Consultative meeting with University Deans from all Universities and Colleges in the country was held in Zomba to ratify, modify and put recommendations before its implementation next year.
Principal Secretary for Basic and Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Anjimile Mtila Oponyo said the meeting organized to consult the Deans from various Universities had come at the right time to make sure their contributions are included to add value to the curriculum.
Dr. Oponyo explained her ministry had consulted widely from Chitipa to Nsanje meeting heads of schools to seek their views to make the syllabus accepted as a national programme aimed at tackling the needs of the country for social, political and economic development.
Asked on what has been the major change in the proposed new syllabus, the Education PS said: "Language (Chichewa and English) teaching will be a combination of language and literature as one subject."
Dr. Oponyo further said Physical Science has been split into Physics and Chemistry from forms 1 to 4 adding emerging issues such as climate change, disaster risk management, gender, information and communication technology (ICT) were among others included.
She said her ministry found it necessary to consult the university experts to contribute on the curriculum change especially to look into the transitional part from the secondary education to university section.
The principal secretary also said her ministry is intending to put forward a recommendation to parliament to consider abolishing the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) saying the examination at the moment has no meaning because the standard formal education for employment has been raised to the Malawi School
Certificate of Education (MSCE).
However, Dr. Oponyo was quick to say the matter needed wide consultation with all sections of people to reach at a collective decision adding her ministry had no final say on the matter.
"The current situation is that even if people get the Junior Certificate, they cannot be employed. Therefore the certificate has lost its value. Should we continue spending on preparing this examination and issuing the certificates that will never be used? It's for all of us to decide," she said.
Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) Director Dr. William Susuwele said the new secondary school syllabus has taken into account, among other things, citizenship, economic development, environmental management, occupational, entrepreneurial, practical, scientific and technological skills.
He said according to the calendar in September 2014 the form 1 students will start the new syllabus then forms 2, 3, and 4 in September 2015, September 2016 and September 2017 respectively.
Dr. Susuwele said as a center of curriculum development, they decided to consult the Deans of Universities to make the syllabus rich and designed for the smooth transition from secondary school level to university or college level.
A cross section of participants from Chancellor College, Mzuzu University, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Health sciences, Catholic University, Seventh Day Adventist University, University of Livingstonia, Polytechnic and Domasi College among others, attended the meeting.
Abbas Panjwani
T: +265 888 826 666 / +265 999 826 666 / +265 212 826 666
E: ibc.m...@gmail.com / abbasp...@gmail.com
P O Box 5587, Limbe, MALAWI
Limbani Nsapato
It is good to hear of the development to introduce the New Secondary
Curriculum next year. This discussion has been long overdue. I hope
thorough consultations have been made . I hope donors are not pushing
government to introduce new curriculum like it was with PCAR. I hope
this time around government will have done its home work well, to by
then be ready with adequate teaching and learning materials, properly
trained teachers for the new curriculum and better incentives for
teachers and learners.
Yes i agree that thorough consultations are needed on abolition of
JCE. JCE has its own merits. See the attached article i wrote in 2005
after National conference on Education.
Regards
On 7/27/13, Phunzirani Dev <phunzi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> My suggestion on the JCE is that it should not be abolished, if you can
> meditate critically, abolishing JCE means that the value for money has not
> been considered. You mean 4 years in secondary school only for MSCE, where
> were these ideas during Dr. Kamuzu Banda when he was employing even STD 8
> learners.
>
> As Deans of Universities were consulted, did they consider that Malawi
> education is becoming more Cosmetic, even University Students this time, it
> is hard for them to get a job, what matters and value most in education is
> Gods Wisdom, if you lack wisdom even having a Degree is nothing. Have you
> also come across in certain circumstances a JCE man/woman performs better
> that a Degree person. You mean even a ESCOM, Water Board, and many companies
> they will need only an MSCE and Degree person to get down doing labourer
> work, lets thing properly. God knows us better than ourselves and knows our
> limits.
>
> You also mean that if JCE is abolished the employment levels in Malawi will
> improve, are you telling me that even a garden boy will need to have an
> MSCE. Do you know that we still have some members of Parliament with JCE,
> you thing the idea of abolishing JCE members of parliament will pass this,
> my assumption is no! the issue will attract a good debate when it gets there
> on Parliamentary Committee on Education.
>
> Convince us with good facts we have more Economists in Malawi well educated
> but our economy is still pendulous, We have Doctors in Agriculture but
> Malawi is not food secured even is FISP can continue more that 20 years, We
> have Professors in Malawi but do you see their contribution to this country.
> Solomon is an example in the Bible who was granted with Gods wisdom.
> Education without God to me is useless.
>
> Kinnear
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Abbas Panjwani <ibc.m...@gmail.com>
> To: "bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com"
> <bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com>; "civs...@sdnp.org.mw"
> <civs...@sdnp.org.mw>
> Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 7:36 AM
> Subject: [Civsoc-mw] Malawi: Education Ministry to Introduce New
> Civsoc-mw mailing list
> Civs...@chambo3.sdnp.org.mw
> http://chambo3.sdnp.org.mw/mailman/listinfo/civsoc-mw
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--
Limbani Eliya Nsapato,
Regional Coordinator (Acting) and Policy & Advocacy Manager
Africa Network Campaign on Education for All (ANCEFA)
Design House, ZANEC Offices, Cairo Street,
P.O. Box 30 744,
Lusaka, Zambia.
Mobile: +260 9 77 511 250
Tel: +260 211 230 698
Email: lnsa...@gmail.com
Web: www.ancefa.org /www.limbaninsapato.webs.com
Skype: limbani.nsapato
Facebook: www.facebook.com/limbani.nsapato
Twitter: www.twitter.com/limbaninsapato