MBSSE Rolls-out curriculum framework for Basic Schools

The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education has commenced roll-out exercise of the recently reviewed curriculum framework for basic schools across the country. The roll-out exercise entails training of educational stakeholders, including school quality assurance officers of the Ministry, and representatives from teachers training colleges, local councils, Sierra Leone Teachers Union and Teaching Services Commission.
The Ministry through it Directorate of Curriculum and Research conducted training for educational stakeholders in the various regional headquarters of the country. Beneficiaries of the training are expected to cascade knowledge they have acquired from the training to their colleagues, in order to ensure effective implementation of the reviewed curriculum framework.
The facilitator of the training, Professor Joe AD Allie, was among the Consultant Educationalists who worked on the reviewed curriculum framework. He said before the utilization of the new curriculum, it is important for those who are going to use the curriculum, know what are embedded in it. He said they need to know the philosophy, goals and rationale for developing the school curriculum.
One of the issues focused on, at the training, is the teacher’s preparation for class session; to this Prof. Allie said teaching requires a lot of planning. He said for every lesson, a teacher has to ask himself why he/she is teaching the lesson. He said those days are gone when a teacher will assume what the pupils will know. He added that a teacher should care about, how he/she tests to know the level of pupils’ comprehension of his/her lesson.
The Director of Curriculum and Research at the Ministry, Osman Kamara said it is important for teachers to be guided on how to teach in the classroom. He said the new basic education curriculum is designed in line with the widely accepted mode of teaching in the 21st Century, which is the Learners Cantered Approach.
A beneficiary of training from Bonthe District, Rebecca Aruna said they have been trained on how to follow prescribed learning techniques. She said this will enable teachers to move away from their old ways of teaching and follow a professional method of teaching, which has been developed by the Government.
She further expressed her satisfaction with the content of the new curriculum framework for basic schools, which she said if fully implemented, will help to train school children to become productive citizens of Sierra Leone.