Elementary school teachers in Imbonggu district of Southern Highlands Province completed a week long training on how to teach under the new Standard Based Curriculum (SBC) on Friday, August 18.
The refresher training was to teach the 380 teachers the difference between the outlawed outcome based education (OBE), which the current government directed for commencement this school year and SBC.
Fifty-one teachers from Lower Mendi Local Level Government (LLG) met in Mendi, the Southern Highlands provincial capital, while 26 from Imbonggu and 23 from Ialibu basin LLGs met at Walume government station.
Elementary coordinator for Imbonggu district, Mary Alkend, said among others, the teachers were informed of the main differences of teaching and learning under the former OBE and current SBC systems.
Alkend said under the OBE system, schools planned their own lessons and assessment methods and the language of instruction were local languages or Tok Pisin.
She said under the SBC system, English is the language of instruction and all school have standard teaching material.
As well, under SBC system, they have contents for teaching which include:
- Setting national standards enabling equal opportunity for the students who are compared to one PNG-wide standard;
- It is clear of what students should know and be able to do at different levels of their education;
- All students know their expectations and what they are supposed to do;
- A higher level of achievement, while being realistic and relevant to the content in which they are taught.
As well, under the SBC, all elementary prep, prep one and prep two teachers PNG-wide will soon be supplied with kits containing all relevant teaching materials.
The training of teachers PNG-wide were supposed to have been done prior to the commencement of the use of SBC, but have been delayed to government cash flow situation.
This means, many teachers nationwide will continue to use the teaching materials under the abolished OBE system until replacements under SBC are ready and supplied.
(Some Elementary school teachers from Imbonggu district in training on SBCs in Mendi last Friday.)