EDUCATION, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education minister John Phiri yesterday launched the Revised School Curriculum under the theme “Empowering learners by putting theory into practice.”
Dr Phiri said the revised curriculum which would be implemented in four phases is in line with the Patriotic Front (PF) manifesto on equal access to education, implementation of a comprehensive education system, improving quality and relevance of education, review of the trained teachers’ deployment and conditions of service as well as to review the language of instruction policy.
The minister explained that the phases for the implementation of the new curriculum will start later this month from early childhood Education through to grades one, five and 10.
The other grades to follow in 2015 include grades two, six, nine, 11 and adult literacy that would be followed by grades three, seven and 12 in 2016 and the last grade being grade four in 2017 respectively.
He said the first examination based on the new curriculum would be administered at grade nine level in 2015 followed by grade seven and 12 examinations in 2016.
He was speaking at the official launching of New Revised School Curriculum held at Munali Boys Secondary School in Lusaka yesterday.
Dr Phiri said for the past 49 years of Zambia’s Independence, there have been consistently loud voices of dissatisfaction with the education being given to the children of Zambia.
Some stakeholders have criticised the current curriculum saying it is over loaded, it is not flexible and that it does not take into consideration the emerging changes in terms of technology and social development issues such as life skills, sexuality, financial and entrepreneurship and Information Communication Technology (ICT).
He urged all teachers in primary schools to use official local language when teaching pupils in grade one to four.
Speaking at the same event United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) chief communications manager Patrick Slavin congratulated the Ministry for successfully carrying out a comprehensive curriculum review process.
Mr Slavin said the cooperating partners who include the UNICEF, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) have pledged to work with the ministry to ensure that the curriculum achieves its intended goals adding that the partners had already started providing new textbooks, teaching and learning materials and the training of teachers.
is it one subject only?can same advise this not cool if its what am thinking off?
Everything including the School Curriculum is centered on man of action but he is proving to be a let down
Ba chumbu mushololwa are really in a rush to implement this programme. Almost all the changes mentioned by the minister sound good, but I have a problem with the way teachers were left out. The other problem is the use of local languages in schools. Again teachers were not considered.
Do not be surprised when you hear of retrenchments in private schools. What makes private schools to tick is their ability to teach fluently in English. Now with this vernacular thing, what will motivate parents to take their children to private school when these schools cannot teach in english anymore?.
????? your thinking is pathetic man…..English is just a language like ours. Our children should also learn our languages ..dont be inferior man.
young man have time to watch Botswana TV, Namibia TV, Malawi TV, just a few to mention. The paramount language they use to address themselves to most of the programs, interviews inclusive is in their local languages.They are very proud of their mother tongue languages.
Why shouldn’t us Zambians follow suit? Mind you we are born blacks not whites. Let us follow what is best for us.
The English you are talking about it has the owners and they are proud of it. Go to England you will see how they enjoy themselves. So young man work up and be Zambian. Enjoy yourselves with Zambian ethics.
Have good time
The move to introduce this is welcome, but it requires some revisit especially the borrowed situation from western system. It is erelavant to compare us when to start, get high sch & degree qualification. May be with the introduction of early childhood ed, there is need therefore to specifie the starting age of early child!
Zambia has 73 tribes. Are we relegating some tribes to extinction.
If my child is learning in Livingstone and I’m transferred. Does my child start learning from grade one again?
How long does it take to train teachers language competence?
Was there case study done in Zambia to show how successful this would be.
73 tribes is not an issue. Don’t worry about your child either. For your own information children acquire language much quicker than you.
If other countries have achieved using local languages in learning why can’t we. Don’t they have many other different tribes too. These programs don’t just start from the blues. They first had to find out from other countries and how successful they have been that is when it has been brought to our country.
so pick it up from their and start thinking wisely.
This policy of teaching local language is rubbish and should be stopped
Well done GRZ. Why should a child be forced to receive instruction in a language which is foreign to him/her? It so shameful nowadays to find a child who cant speak his parents’ language…….very inferior indeed.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
Shallow thoughts, sorry but I have to tell you. There are 73 languages in Zambia and only 5 the so called major or selfish languages are spoken, which means there are 68languages that will not be taught in school and children from these 68 languages will have to learn “foreigner laguages”
English is the best for Zambia. What GRZ should have done was to introduce Chinese as another official language.
Another abrupt program launched without warning. Do not blame anyone when it fails.
#OneZambia
it has already failed before it even begins
How come State House is still communicating in English? Shouldn’t Plot 1 lead by example?
especially that the tenant is a std 4 who falls in the first category of those to be taught local language
the current move to introduce tis curriculum is gud and welcome.evn America hs had at about 4 curricula till the current one in use.it is formulated and implemented to mit societal nids and nt foreign wishes.since 1964 Zambia hs jst bn editing the British curriculum which equipped citizens for foreign duties hence perpetuating a big gap in terms of social mobility vertically.with tym tis, curriculum ll benefit the majority Zambians by reducing the burden of unemployment,especially the majority youths whose powerhouse is the govt.it ll promot informal employment.with all thez unprecedented promises laying in the bosoms of the nu curriculum,i hv some few reservations hwever. not all ‘relevant’ technocrats and stakeholders were involved in the process implementers(pr sch trs)
The move is welcome but government was suppose to consider consulting teachers who are end users in this case.To change acurriculum is very simple but to the implementers has become aburden.I rural areas teachers are teaching plp and achosen language for example apupil who knows nyika or tumbuka cant get bemba if is in bemba learning coverage .