Government to retire old school curriculum
. . . primary school pupils to sit exams again before high school
MOSA MAOENG
MASERU – The government is set to reintroduce a new curriculum reform terminating the old curriculum, which had portrayed challenges impacting the educational system in Lesotho. This was raised during a press conference held by the Lesotho Schools Principal Association (LESPA) on Tuesday this week.
The old curriculum allowed Grade 6 learners to go to high schools without having been assessed in examinations and, as a result, learners faced challenges when they got to high school.
In a bid to raise awareness and embrace the change with the educational threats in Lesotho, the Lesotho Schools Principals Association (LESPA) is yet to host its annual conference from September 25 to 27. This initiative is mostly essential at the moment since the new curriculum is being introduced therefore its impact must be seen in their education world.
The programme is aimed at challenging the education system in Lesotho for the betterment of the sector. LESPA therefore wishes for every principal to embark with them on the journey for the improvement of the Mosotho child.
LESPA Public Relations Officer ’Matšoanelo Lichaba, explained the 11 major threats to be urgently attended to during the conference. Among others, she spoke about democratisation of school governance, financing of schools in Lesotho, the place of principals in the 21st century, principals’ mental health, prolonged acting without pay and law, new curriculum reforms for the ideal Lesotho, and emerging leaders, to mention a few.
“The government of Lesotho intends to change the old curriculum to a new one. This year, Standard 7 will be sitting for their final examinations, where their results will be published just as before. They will no longer go to high school without sitting for exams. The new curriculum entails three tier models, which will be artisans, vocational, and academic. We will give learners the opportunity to choose where they feel most comfortable.
“When they reach Grade 9, they will be awarded certificates in alignment with their work. Although the curriculum will be introduced, it will only be different where Grade 10 learners will not pass to Grade 11 but will skip and pass to Grade 12.
“To touch on digitalisation in schools, our schools are behind compared to other countries. We also need our schools to be digitalised, enabling teachers and learners to use tablets during learning,” she said.
Lichaba further urged the government to see to it that schools are connected with the internet from primary level to high school. She said it is important that they begin at primary and high school level so that when learners reach tertiary level, they are already comfortable with the use of internet.
On the other hand, the chairperson of the Local Organising Committee (selected for the conference), Molefi Mafanti, added that in regard to the new curriculum, Standard 7 learners will sit for examinations based on two ways, which is; the school-based assessment as well as the end-of-level test.
For the upcoming conference, he said as principals in the country, they have decided to host an annual conference as a way of empowering principals as a way of improving the education system in the country.
Molefi said the conference will be a way of embracing and alleviating challenges in the education sector with the assistance of experts inside and outside the country.
The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) introduced a new curriculum designed to respond to the changing needs of education in Lesotho.
The aim of the new curriculum was to enable the education system of Lesotho to deliver education for individual and social development.
The new curriculum has already been used in Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, piloting Grade 7. Since January 2018, all learners have been learning through it.
In line with this, the Ministry hosted a Curriculum and Assessment Symposium, which ran from March 28 to 29, 2023. The theme stated ‘Basic Education System Reform’. The symposium was meant to provide a platform for stakeholders to engage in basic education curriculum reform as well as to reflect on new curriculum policy.
