The draft National Curriculum Framework fails to address important issues such as extending school hours and increasing teachers’ salaries to reflect new the skills and re-training needed, according to the Church’s environment commission.
“While the NCF was bold enough to identify and address certain issues, it tried to avoid hot academic, administrative and trade unionist issues... by navigating around current curricular practices and agreements,” the commission said.
It was important to “think outside the box” while keeping in mind that what worked in the past might no longer make sense given today’s needs, it said. “Unfortunately, the way forward is usually shackled by the presence of traditional no-go areas which, unless resolved, could jeopardise the whole process.”
Since the draft national curriculum was issued for consultation last year, the Malta Union of Teachers has opposed the idea of increasing working hours for its members. The union points out that teachers’ working hours had been agreed upon in the sectoral agreement signed between the union and the government.
The Church yesterday praised the curriculum for placing the student and the education experience at its centre. This was a move away from the old system based on end-of-year exams. The new curriculum widened the educational experience to a more creative one and to include non-formal and informal sectors.
This implied a change in the very heart of how learning and teaching occurred in schools, the commission said. It meant that teachers had to be actively involved.
It criticised the fact that teachers were not consulted enough the Form 1 syllabi were drawn up.
The commission said that the successful implementation of the framework needed to be supported by educational resources, additional personnel and guidance to help schools and teachers adapt to the proposed changes.
There was also the need for ongoing consultation especially with teachers, consistency in policies and more time to allow schools and teachers to assimilate the changes.