Dear Editor – I WISH to make some clarifications on the subject, which appeared in your paper by John Iromea.
As he touched on a very important issue in our education system, I wish to write and share also my personal limited understanding of the OBE.
First OBE is an approach not to change the curriculum content but to go beyond the content and identifying elements within the contents that we wanted the students to learn and apply them in whatever situation they are in.
Once we have identified the elements within the content, then as teachers we would have clear learning statements.
These specific and clear learning statements will guide teachers to plan, prepare lesson plans and effectively deliver them in the classroom.
This will also indicate clearly specific required teaching resources teachers would use to assist to facilitate learning.
It will also assist teachers to do diagnostic assessment to find out and monitor where students are in learning.
It will also assist teachers to prepare tasks for assessments and prepare remedial teaching as an intervention mechanism for slow learners or under achieving students and assist teachers to monitor and report students achievements and progress from time to time in the classroom and the schools.
PHILOSOPHIES
– learning by doing
– assessment through demonstration
– materials – the teaching materials are structured using a learner centred frame work and contextual materials.
What the good people of this country must know is that requirements are not problems for example, learning and teaching materials, tools and equipment facilities and infrastructure and qualified teachers.
ASSESSMENT
– developmental approach through achievement levels
– vertical learning arrangements
– Horizontal learning arrangement
– Combination
CLINICAL APPROACH
– assist teachers to properly diagnose students and identify learning needs of all students in the class.
– support students with appropriate and valid remedial assistance .
– monitoring and reporting – assist teachers like Mr Iromea to monitor and report students achievements and progress from time to time in the classrooms and schools.
Mr Iromea complained about his student’s inability to read and write proper English because he has not been using the OBE to identify his learner’s weaknesses and support them with the right cure.
Mr Iromea’s problem is that he seems to go to the media about what he knew very little about as such he demean his status as a consultant all the time he confused himself in the media.
The concerns of Mr Iromea are more of administrative issues than of technical, that the self-claimed Educational Research Consultant failed to grasp is the OBE did not aim to change the curriculum content.
It is the delivery approach that changes that is why he is having difficulties with his student’s English because he is still using a very out of date delivery approach.
OBE should focus of students’ learning rather than completing the contest areas in the subject.
Mr Iromea is a very confused man as he kept on referring to the requirements of OBE as problems.
The following are OBE requirements:
· learning and teaching materials
· tools and equipment
· facilities and infrastructure
· qualified teacher
· The clinical Approach
OBE will assist teachers to properly diagnose students and identify the learning needs of the students in the class and support students with appropriate and valid remedial assistance to their learners.
Mr Iromea has not been doing this that is why he bitterly complained about his own students in the media.
SCENERIO
Due to the objective Curriculum, Papua New Guinea ended up with rascalism and Solomon Islands with the ethnic tension.
What the OBE shift is trying to do is to drive specific learning statements towards life-long learning, survival and sustainability.
Equipping students to apply them after leaving the school system and making a holistic approach to meet person’s needs physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.
What the system needs.
1. Learning and teaching resources for all the subjects
2. Tools and equipment for all the practical subjects
3. Better and conducive classrooms for students and office space for teachers
4. Qualified, competent teachers for all subjects
So this is the kind of education needed in this country and should Mr Iromea continue to oppose it then I don’t know what system he will create out of his researches for this country when he himself find it very difficult to even teach his students proper English.
This country is full of academics like Mr Iromea who hardly contribute positively to the socio, economic development of this country.
I am not surprised at all at Mr. Iromea’s poor coverage of the OBE because he has been discussing a matter which he knew very little about.
This is a serious sickness for Iromea because as a teacher, if he knew nothing about OBE as reflected in his writings, then he will not implement it properly.
No wonder he cannot assist his Mbokonavera students.
Please Iromea, naf for proud now…..come down and be part of planet earth, because this is where your service is needed.
Stop shouting from heaven, criticising people for their great effort in writing up the books as so far you cannot even write one to be used in the school system.
By JAY A. TAUNAO
Honiara
