Author: Burama L. J. Jammeh Title: Curriculum Policy Making: A Study of Teachers‘ and Policy-makers‘ Perspectives on The Gambian Basic Education Programme Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) October 2012 i Curriculum Policy Making: A Study of Teachers’ and Policy-makers’ Perspectives on The Gambian Basic Education Programme By Burama L. J. Jammeh Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Department of Educational Studies School of Education October 2012 ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to Mrs. Maimuna Saidy-Jammeh for her unflinching support throughout our life partnership. In particular, her excellent care of our family and relatives while I was studying abroad, her continued solidarity, moral and emotional supports in my moment of joy as well as times of sorrow shall ever be remembered. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of my study. First and foremost, I appreciate the support given by the Government of the Republic of The Gambia through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for making my studies possible by granting me the fellowship and study leave. I am particularly indebted to the Permanent Secretary (Mr. Baboucarr Bouy) for his support and encouragement throughout my period of studies. My sincere thanks go to the Senior Management Team and staff of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. My staffs of the Directorate of Curriculum Research, Evaluation, Development and In-service Training have indeed cooperated in their dedication to professional responsibilities in my absences. Without this, I could not have completed my studies. I am also particularly grateful to Professor Jerry Wellington for supervising my studies through the completion and for his professional guidance during my academic career at the University. In particular, the support accorded to meet the demand of my Government employer and sponsor for me to return to office work in The Gambia at interval periods of my course years, is fresh in my memory. By the same token, I thank Dr. Christine Winter for supporting me in my studies and all other professional and secretarial staff of the School of Education, especially those who facilitated the departmental research training programme and student seminars. I must also acknowledge the support of the library staff as well as the Graduate Research Office and the Career Services for the various courses, seminars and professional development programmes they organised from which I benefited most. I really appreciate the services of the Student Support and Guidance of the university. I would like to register my thanks and appreciation to all my respondents, consisting of teachers in public, private and mission schools, Madrassah and Maglish institutions of The Gambia; the national and international policy makers, including officials of UNESCO, the World Bank and UNICEF, for their voluntary informative responses, sharing their experiences and views with me during my field work. Without their support, this thesis iv could not have achieved the volume and depth of data and the richness of the findings it embodies. My special thanks are to the following for their various contributions: Hasoum Ceesay for introducing me to the educational records of the Gambia National Archives; Alison Gee for proof reading the draft chapters of this thesis and Dr. Yves Benett for his benevolent support; PhD student colleagues for their socialisation, academic and emotional supports throughout the period of my studies. Finally, I am indebted to, and continue to pray eternal peace for my late father (Alh. Junkung-ba Jammeh) whose foresight enabled me to successfully completed my schooling. I am thankful to Jamilatou Sawo, my mother and all of my family members for their support and patience while I was distant from them during my studies. v ABSTRACT Research Topic: Curriculum Policy Making: A study of teachers’ and policy- makers’ perspectives on The Gambian 9- year Basic Education Programme This thesis aims at a critical understanding of how the curriculum policy making process is perceived by teachers and policy-makers in The Gambia – a former British colony. The complexity of curriculum policy issues requires this study to draw on multiple theoretical underpinnings in order to gain insight into curriculum policy relating to Basic Education in The Gambia. Therefore, curriculum theories and education policy literature including the issues of globalisation and national policy are engaged to frame the data collection, analysis and findings. Data obtained from semi structured interviews are used to analyse the perceptions. The thesis examines critically the historical and contemporary approaches to curriculum policy making, identifies the key policy players and analyses their significance in the construction of the national curriculum policy. The thesis further investigates experiences and views about the policy in practice and recommends a new approach to the curriculum policy making. Two levels of the curriculum policy making process are found to be influential in The Gambia: the international (global) and the national and local levels. While the global influences are profound on the strategic education policy, the national and local effects are stronger than the global impact on the operational policy (curriculum plans). The thesis argues that policy is not simply received and implemented as given. Although incidences of compliance are noted, curriculum policy guidelines developed by the Ministry of Education are continually interpreted, sometimes misunderstood and/or resisted by the teachers. Gaps between policy and the implementation are found, resulting from the resource constraints and the practitioners‘ influences and impacts. A curriculum policy reform is recommended, recognising the centrality of teachers in the curriculum process, promoting the empowerment of the teachers and building their capacity to engage in informed policy mediation and to enable them to put their own policy into practice. Burama L. J. Jammeh vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction to the Research Topic ........................................................................... 1 1.1.1 The Background of the Study ........................................................................................ 1 1.1.2 Research Focus .............................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Research Aim and Objectives ..................................................................................... 3 1.3 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1 Justification for the Research Questions ................................................................ 5 1.4 The Significance of my Research........................................................................... 8 1.4.1 My History and Positionality ................................................................................. 8 1.4.2 Research Problems ............................................................................................... 11 1.5 Methodology and Approach ..................................................................................... 15 1.6 The Structure and Organisation of the Thesis ........................................................ 16 Chapter Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 2: CONTEXT ............................................................................................... 20 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 20 2.1 Colonisation and the Residual Policy Making Structures ..................................... 20 2.2 Introduction of Western School System in The Gambia ....................................... 23 2.2.1 Founding of Madrassah ............................................................................................ 25 2.3 Curriculum Policy (CP) Making in an Historical and Contemporary Contexts . 26 2.3.1 The McMath Report of 1943 ................................................................................... 26 2.3.2 The Baldwin Report of 1951 .................................................................................... 27 2.3.3 The Development Programme in Education for the Gambia 1965 – 1975 .............. 30 vii 2.3.4 Education Policy 1976 – 1986 ................................................................................. 31 2.3.4.1 Curriculum