The National Quality Education of Zambia (NAQEZ) has applauded government’s decision to overhaul the school curriculum in the education system, stating that this will provide quality education, skills development, and promote national values such as love, tolerance, and democracy.
NAQEZ Executive Director, Aaron Chansa said the changes are important because they will create a harmonious society and prevent negative behaviours like political violence and hate speech among young people.
Dr. Chansa commended the reduction of Early Childhood Education from four years to three years, noting that its potential to positively impact the educational landscape.
He expressed satisfaction with most of the changes in the new curriculum but raised concerns about the lack of funding for curriculum development, emphasizing the significant expenses involved in the curriculum development process.
“We are happy with some of the changes that are going to be in the new curriculum, but what is worrying is the fact that the 2024 budget is not enough for curriculum development. We need to print textbooks, orient parents, orient stakeholders, orient teachers, and produce implementing documents, the key thing to do is to raise money for that process,” said Dr. Chansa
He appealed to the Ministry of Education to allocate sufficient funds to support the curriculum development process and ensure that the necessary resources are in place for a successful roll out.
Dr Chansa stressed the importance of not just the number of years in education, but the content and skills being obtained highlighting the need for the Ministry of Education to move quickly in implementing the new curriculum.
He said the implementation of the new curriculum is a very expensive process and urged the government to prioritize funding for these critical educational reforms.
You had a very good structure in Zambia with crafts, and technical education strategies. Then BOOM!!! University degrees became the norm, with private universities working out of residential houses and stuff. Let’s return to when hands-on specializations were the norm and respected, as well as apprenticeship education as you have in Germany… Something that actually restores each educational level to its former holding state.
There’s nothing wrong with the current curriculum…. it’s the people.
the philosophy of education ought to be considered in each curriculum change. why does the Zambian society need the education in first place? what material should be taught to prepare students for the society, or “the world” as we used to call it in our times. the reduction in the number of years will not improve the quality because quality education is both “wide and deep.” quality education is about engaging learners at higher levels of reasoning (Bloom’s taxonomy), not feeding them with recall questions yet finding solutions to problems in life requires higher levels of reasoning.
If this new curriculum is the best then we have No objection about it but to support.However we hope it’ll not affect the learners .