DOCSLIB.ORG

Curriculum Reform, Assessment and National Qualifications Frameworks

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Curriculum Reform, Assessment and National Qualifications Frameworks Secondary Education in Africa: PREPARING YOUTH mastercard FOR THE FUTURE foundation OF WORK This paper was prepared for the Mastercard Foundation report, Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Mastercard Foundation. Background Paper on Secondary Education in Africa: Curriculum Reform, Assessment and National Qualifications Frameworks Brahm Fleisch, John Gultig, Stephanie Allais and Felix Maringe University of the Witwatersrand February 2019 Acknowledgments Funding for this paper has been provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation. We would like to express our thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments. The contents and views expressed herein however are those of the authors. ii Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................xiv List of Figures ...............................................................................................................................................xiv 1. Background to this study............................................................................................................................ 1 Global educational reform initiatives over the last 30 years ..................................................... 1 What have we learnt over the last 20 years? .................................................................................... 2 What will this paper attempt and not attempt? ............................................................................... 3 2. Approach and Method ................................................................................................................................. 4 3. Curriculum Reform ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Who is writing about secondary school reform in SSA? .............................................................. 7 What is the Extent and Nature of curriculum reform since 2007? .......................................... 7 How successful have the curriculum reform initiatives been? .............................................. 13 Addressing the challenges ...................................................................................................................... 21 Subject Curriculum Reform ................................................................................................................... 23 4. Assessment Systems and Examinations ........................................................................................... 27 Examinations ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Cross-national (International) and National assessments ....................................................... 29 Continuous Assessment........................................................................................................................... 36 5. National Qualifications Frameworks.................................................................................................. 38 What are qualifications frameworks? ............................................................................................... 38 Regional frameworks................................................................................................................................ 40 The track record of qualifications frameworks ............................................................................ 40 6. Trade-offs ................................................................................................................................................. 43 Trade-off 1: System-wide curriculum transformation v incremental curriculum change ............................................................................................................................................................. 44 Trade-off 2: Academic curriculum v diversification .................................................................. 45 Trade-off 3: Introducing new subjects v infusing new knowledge into existing subjects ............................................................................................................................................................................ 45 Trade-off 4: Curriculum depth v breadth ........................................................................................ 46 Trade-off 5: Comprehensive schools v specialised schools ..................................................... 46 Trade-off 6: Western v indigenous knowledge systems ........................................................... 47 iii Trade-off 7: International v national assessment ........................................................................ 47 Trade-off 8: School-based continuous assessment v high stakes public examinations ............................................................................................................................................................................ 48 Trade-off 9: National Qualifications Frameworks ....................................................................... 49 Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................... 51 References and Bibliography...................................................................................................................... 52 Appendix 1: Ethiopian Case Study ........................................................................................................... 70 Appendix 2: South African Case Study ................................................................................................... 74 iv Executive summary While significant progress has been made in reforming primary education in many parts of the world, including on the African continent, relatively less has been achieved at the secondary levels in many countries on the continent and especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This background paper engages with issues of secondary education reform in SSA since 2007 and uses the MasterCard framework of questions as a template for gathering evidence. The framework seeks answers in three broad areas of reform: curriculum, assessment/examination systems and national qualifications frameworks (NQFs). It specifically invited responses to the following questions: Curriculum • What kinds of curriculum reform have occurred in SSA since 2007? • How successful has the practical implementation of new curricula been? • Given the challenges, how can resource-constrained ministries implement curriculum reform? • To what extent has a/the new curriculum promoted 21st century skills (like creativity, critical thinking, cognitive flexibility and emotional intelligence), as well as employability and entrepreneurial skills? Assessment • How successful has assessment reform been? National Qualifications Framework • What is the status of implementation of NQFs across SSA? • Have the approaches to NQF implementation promoted learning and the acquisition of skills necessary for employment? Approaches to gathering evidence To ensure greater inclusivity, and to solicit a wide range of perspectives, we have chosen to review as broad a spectrum of publications as possible. This has meant that we have included research papers that, more often than not, would have been excluded from similar types of reviews. These include graduate students’ masters and doctoral theses; and research papers published in journals that are not widely recognised. The net effect of widening the pool of sources is that many more researchers from, and working in, institutions on the continent have been referenced or included in the bibliography. The evidence gathering processes involved six linked activities: • Setting the search parameters and undertaking an electronic search. v • Reviewing the document titles and abstracts; and sifting and excluding non- relevant documents. • Once the primary and secondary sources have been identified, using high frequency citations to identify researchers in the field for follow up processes. • Reviewing the wider scholarship of identified scholars to gather additional ‘grey’ literature. • Identifying case studies, based on the analysis of these preliminary sources. • Site visits and case study write-ups Two system case studies were selected for close analysis: South Africa and Ethiopia. South Africa was selected because of its experience of three separate waves of curriculum reform in the past two decades, the extensive documentation of these curriculum reforms and as one of the first systems in the world to have introduced a national qualifications framework. Ethiopia was selected as it represents a rapidly developing country in which secondary education is likely to play a key role. It was also selected because of its recent review of its secondary education curriculum and examination system. Findings Curriculum What kinds of curriculum reform have occurred in SSA since 2007 and why have some countries
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Curriculum Reform in Lesotho: Teachers' Conceptions And
    Curriculum Reform in Lesotho: Teachers’ conceptions and challenges NAME: CECILIA SELEPE SUPERVISOR: MS BRONWEN WILSON-THOMPSON A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE MASTERS DEGREE IN EDUCATIONAT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG, 15TH MARCH 2016 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.1 INTRODUCTION This study explored the teachers’ understanding and challenges in implementing integrated curriculum in Lesotho. Integrated curriculum was first implemented in 2013, the inception was introduced in foundation phase (grade one to three) and progressively moved to grade four and five in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The progression will happen until integrated curriculum reaches Matric as the new curriculum is being implemented in phases starting from primary school. Given this the research sites were primary schools in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. This chapter outlines and gives the research context and what motivated the study. 1.2 BACKGROUND The value of Education in Lesotho can be traced back to the period before the country was colonized by Britain. The education of boys and girls was done separately instilling traditional values in them. The rationale of this indigenous education was to produce initiates who would pride themselves with their traditional values. The formal training lasted less than a year where boys were trained to fight with sticks and to protect their country from attacks, for girls the focus was more around respect and taking care of the family (Motaba, 1998). The change in education system then came during colonial rule which can be dated as far back as 1830s with the arrival of missionaries of different denominations.
    [Show full text]
  • Financing Higher Education in Lesotho and a Selection of Other Sadc Countries
    FINANCING HIGHER EDUCATION IN LESOTHO AND A SELECTION OF OTHER SADC COUNTRIES Spirit B. Tlali and Innocent Hapazari Faculty of Science and Technology, National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho, Southern Africa. Email: [email protected] Abstract In practice, Lesotho’s Higher Education funding model is similar to most of her SADC counterparts, especially the few that have been elucidated upon in this document – namely Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland. The national governments are the major sponsors for their respective education systems and for higher education in particular. The sponsorship is generally in the form of direct government subvention to institutions and student support grants and/or loans, usually administered by some government body, such as the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS) in the case of Lesotho. The government subvention is negotiated according to the institutional budgetary needs vis-viz the national government’s budgetary priorities and constraints for the given year. Comparatively, Lesotho has been observed to offer the lowest per capita support to its learners and, particularly to her Higher Education (HE) learners. Introduction The fact that HE plays a central role in driving socio-economic development and competitiveness of a country can never be over emphasized. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) categorized the contributions of HE to socio-economic development into four major domains, namely: the formation of human capital (primarily through teaching and learning), the building of knowledge bases (primarily through research and knowledge development), the dissemination and use of knowledge (primarily through interactions with knowledge users) and the maintenance of knowledge (through inter- generational storage and transmission of knowledge).
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Education Sector Analysis in Lesotho 1978-1999
    Review of Education Sector Analysis in Lesotho 1978-1999 E. M. Sebatane, D. P. Ambrose, M. K. Molise, A. Mothibeli, S. T. Motlomelo, H. J. Nenty, E. M. Nthunya and V. M. Ntoi Working Group on Education Sector Analysis UNESCO The opinions and conclusions presented in this volume are those of the authors and should not be attributed to UNESCO, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa, the Working Group on Education Sector Analysis or authors and agencies responsible for the individual studies reviewed. The review and this publication have been sponsored by the Working Group on Education Sector Analysis based on funding received from UNICEF-Lesotho, UNESCO/Danida Funds-in-Trust and funding for the general activities of Working Group received from contributing members of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa. Table of Contents © 2000 Working Group on Education Sector Analysis UNESCO Division for the Reconstruction and Development of Education Systems 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France Tel.: (33 1) 45 68 08 26 Fax: (33 1) 45 68 56 31 E-mail: [email protected] ISBN 92-9178-022-7 lesothoindex Content List of summaries, List of tables, Acknowledgements xi List of abbreviations and acronyms xvii Executive summary 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 5 Chapter 2 The review process 9 Chapter 3 Findings at sub-sector level 21 Chapter 4 Synthesis of major findings across sub-sectors 49 Chapter 5 Education sector analysis process 53 Chapter 6 Follow-up activities 61 References 64 Appendices 65 1. Population and sample of documents for the Review of Education Sector Analysis in Lesotho 67 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenges of Learners with Special Educational Needs in Lesotho Mainstream Classrooms 1,MC Morena, 2,MM Nkoane 1,2,University of Lesotho, Faculty of Education
    International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Educational Research (IJMCER) ISSN: 2581-7027 ||Volume|| 3 ||Issue|| 2 ||Pages 01-09 ||2021|| Challenges of Learners with Special Educational Needs In Lesotho Mainstream Classrooms 1,MC Morena, 2,MM Nkoane 1,2,University of Lesotho, Faculty of Education I. INTRODUCTION This intellectual piece is outlining an analysis of a line of discourse on how best the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho Ministry of Education with a specific focus on the basic education department could achieve education for all. The discourse was triggered by an introduction of policy imperatives within the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho Ministry of Education coined as Free and Compulsory Primary Education Policy in the year 2000. This policy is informed by the following objectives “… to make basic education accessible to all learners; to make education equitable in order to eliminate inequalities; to guarantee that every Mosotho child completes the primary education and ensure that education is affordable to Basotho (McConkey & Mariga, 2011:18). This intellectual piece is couched within a Critical Pedagogy as a conceptual framework of choice. This conceptual framing amplifies the significant narratives of relations of learning and pedagogic praxis, whereby learners gain critical consciousness and social awareness. The methodological approach of choice for this intellectual piece was participatory action research (PAR), for data generation and data collated was analyzed using critical discourse analysis (CDA). This intellectual piece concludes by emphasizing that for Lesotho Ministry of Education to realize education for all significant intellectual spaces within the Ministry of Education should be revisited, areas such as pedagogic praxis and creation of sustainable learning environment to enable an accessible intellectual spaces for all learners especially those with special educational needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Language Status on Assessment and Educational Development of Basotho Learners from Minority Languages' Backgrounds
    International Journal of Language Education Volume 4, Number 3, 2020, pp. 378-388 ISSN: 2548-8457 (Print) 2548-8465 (Online) Doi: https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v4i3.14046 Effects of Language Status on Assessment and Educational Development of Basotho Learners from Minority Languages’ Backgrounds Maboleba Kolobe National University of Lesotho, Lesotho Email: [email protected] Lifelile Matsoso National University of Lesotho, Lesotho Email: [email protected] Received: 19 June 2020 Reviewed: 1 September-16 October 2020 Accepted: 1 November 2020 Abstract This paper provides a critical overview of the theoretical and practical questions that prevail in the teaching, learning, and assessment of learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds in Lesotho. It investigates how far exclusion of minority languages affects both assessment and/or educational development of learners whose mother tongue is not Sesotho but other minority languages spoken in Lesotho. The paper advances a research-evidenced argument that the poor performance of students from such backgrounds is indicative of marginalisation and discrimination of such learners due to their language background. A constructivist qualitative study was adopted through use of focus group discussions with 246 learners and 142 teachers in 23 schools located in Botha Bothe, Mohale’s Hoek, Qacha’s Nek and Quthing districts in Lesotho. These places were selected based on their predominance of minority languages. The findings revealed diminutive if not absolute non-recognition of minority languages in teaching, learning, and assessment of learners from this linguistic background. Therefore, the study concludes that linguistically discriminative curriculum, teaching and learning and assessment educational practices can reasonably be associated with poor performance of learners.
    [Show full text]
  • INITIAL PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION in LESOTHO Multi-Site Teacher Education Research Project (MUSTER) Country Report Two
    23862 DFID Book 49 Lesotho 1/5/03 11:21 am Page 1 INITIAL PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION IN LESOTHO Multi-Site Teacher Education Research Project (MUSTER) Country Report Two J. Pulane Lefoka with E. Molapi Sebatane March 2003 23862 DFID Book 49 Lesotho 1/5/03 11:21 am Page 2 Country Report Two - Initial Primary Teacher Education in Lesotho Educational Papers Department for International Development: Educational Papers N This is one of a series of Education Papers issued by the Policy Division of the Department For International Development. Each paper represents a study or piece of commissioned research on some aspects of education and training in developing countries. Most of the studies were undertaken in order to provide informed judgements from which policy decisions could be drawn, but in each case it has become apparent that the material N produced would be of interest to a wider audience, particularly those whose work focuses on developing countries. Each paper is numbered serially, and further copies can be obtained through DFID Education Publication Despatch, PO Box 190, Sevenoaks, TN14 5EL, UK – subject to N availability. A full list appears overleaf. Although these papers are issued by DFID, the views expressed in them are entirely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent DFID’s own policies or views. Any discussion of their content should therefore be addressed to the authors and not to DFID. N Address for Correspondence Centre for International Education University of Sussex Institute of Education, N Falmer, Brighton, Sussex BN1 9RG _ UK T +44 +1273 678464 E [email protected] F +44 +1273 678568 W www.sussex.ac.uk/usie/cie N © Keith M Lewin and Janet S Stuart March 2003 Front Cover Photograph: Janet Stuart DFID 23862 DFID Book 49 Lesotho 1/5/03 11:21 am Page 3 Country Report Two - Initial Primary Teacher Education in Lesotho Educational Papers No.1 SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS IN No.
    [Show full text]
  • Factors Influencing Access and Retention in Secondary
    SOFIE Opening Up Access Series No 7 Factors influencing access and retention in secondary schooling for orphaned and vulnerable children and young people: Case studies from high HIV and AIDS prevalence contexts in Lesotho Thabiso Nyabanyaba 1 Institute of Education, National University of Lesotho Cover photo: © Thabiso Nyabanyaba Published by SOFIE © 2009 Institute of Education, University of London SOFIE is a three year Research Project supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC). Its purpose is to strengthen open, distance and flexible learning (ODFL) systems and structures to increase access to education for young people living in high HIV prevalence areas in Malawi and Lesotho. It seeks to achieve this through developing a new, more flexible model of education that uses ODFL to complement and enrich conventional schooling. It also seeks to encourage application of the new knowledge generated through effective communication to development agencies, governments, development professionals, non-governmental organisations and other interested stakeholders. Access to education and learning is being viewed as a „social vaccine‟ for HIV but in high prevalence areas orphans and other vulnerable children are frequently unable to go to school regularly and are thus being deprived of the very thing they need to help protect themselves from infection. In this context sustained access is critical to long term improvements in risk and vulnerability and it requires new models of education to be developed and tested. The partners The research team is led from the Department of Education and International Development, Institute of Education, University of London and the research is being developed collaboratively with partners in sub- Saharan Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION in TEACHER TRAINING in EASTERN and SOUTHERN AFRICA United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization MAY 2015
    COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION IN TEACHER TRAINING IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization MAY 2015 Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Teacher Training in Eastern and Southern Africa Table of Contents ACRONYMS ...........................................................................................................3 VOLUME 1 .............................................................................................................6 Preface .....................................................................................................................................................7 Figures and Tables ..................................................................................................................................8 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................9 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................10 Chapter 1: Introduction and Background .............................................................................................15 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................15 Background ...................................................................................................................................................................................15
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide for Strengthening Teacher Capacity
    Ngoana eo ke oa Mang? A Guide for Strengthening Teacher Capacity By CRS Lesotho Written By Edith Sebatane, Dr Pulane Lefoka and Sue Connolly 2 A Guide for Strengthening Teacher Capacity ince 1943, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has held the privilege of serving the poor and disadvantaged overseas. Without regard to race, creed or nationality, SCRS provides emergency relief in the wake of natural and manmade disasters. Through development projects in education, peace and justice, agriculture, microfinance, health, and HIV & AIDS, CRS works to uphold human dignity and promote better standards of living. CRS also works throughout the United States to expand the knowledge and action of Catholics and others interested in issues of international peace and justice. Our programs and resources respond to the U.S. Bishops’ call to live in solidarity—as one human family— across borders, over oceans, and through differences in language, culture and economic condition. Catholic Relief Services 228 West Lexington Street Baltimore, MD 21201-3413 USA Since 2002, with the invitation of the Lesotho Catholic Bishops Conference, CRS has been working in Lesotho. Over the last 10 years, CRS has focused on helping rural Basotho to meet their food security needs and mitigate the effects of HIV and AIDS. This period has been marked by recurring drought combined with high HIV prevalence throughout the country, underscoring the need for CRS to support families, especially most vulnerable children, infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Catholic Relief Services Lesotho PO Box 11471 Maseru 100 Lesotho Written by Sue Connolly, Edith Sebatane and Dr Pulane Lefoka in consultation with the CRS Review Committee.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Southampton Research Repository Eprints Soton
    University of Southampton Research Repository ePrints Soton Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES DIVISION OF SOCIAL STATISTICS AND DEMOGRAPHY School Attendance at Basic Education in West Africa by Mamusu Kamanda Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2013 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES Doctor of Philosophy SCHOOL ATTENDANACE AT BASIC EDUCATION IN WEST AFRICA by Mamusu Kamanda The proportion of children entering primary school at the stipulated age in 2010 in Sub-Saharan Africa was 57%. For the same year, the net attendance ratios for primary and lower secondary education were 76% and 47% respectively. These figures are correlated in that delayed school enrolment increases the risk of dropout which in turn shortens the school life expectancy for children. These observations are the motivation behind this research.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lesotho Curriculum and Assessment Policy: Opportunities and Threats
    South African Journal of Education, Volume 35, Number 1, February 2015 1 Art. # 1041, 12 pages, http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za The Lesotho curriculum and assessment policy: Opportunities and threats Mohaeka Raselimo and Mahao Mahao Department of Language and Social Education, National University of Lesotho, Lesotho [email protected]; [email protected] The end of British colonial rule in 1966 provided an impetus for curriculum reform in Lesotho. Since then, a number of curriculum and assessment reforms have been attempted, albeit with a little success. In all cases, the aim has been to achieve the goals of education for national development. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy 2009 represents the latest education reform, which marks a departure from the subject and examination-oriented curriculum to a new dispensation wherein curriculum is organised into learning areas reflecting practical life challenges. In this paper, we analyse the content of this policy document in order to identify the underlying assumptions about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment focusing on secondary education. We take a critical perspective on policy analysis to uncover contradictions and paradoxes associated with the educational discourses being promoted by the document. We further discuss the implications of curriculum policy intentions of the document, highlighting opportunities and threats for educational development in Lesotho. Based on the findings of our review, we argue that although the new policy creates opportunities for personal growth of learners and economic development in Lesotho, there are threats and challenges, which can be detrimental to its successful implementation. Keywords : assessment; curriculum; curriculum integration; pedagogy; policy Introduction When examinations dominate curriculum, there is a likelihood that moves to introduce progressive practices may be stifled, unless there is a corresponding change in high-stake examinations (Cheng as cited in Carless, 2005:39).
    [Show full text]
  • Physical Education and Physical Culture in the Coloured Community of the Western Cape, 1837-1966
    PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL CULTURE IN THE COLOURED COMMUNITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE, 1837-1966 BY FRANCOIS CLEOPHAS SUBMITTED IN FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR IN PHILOSOPHY at the STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF SPORT SCIENCE FACULTY OF EDUCATION Promotor: PROF. F.J.G. VAN DER MERWE March 2015 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za DECLARATION By submitting this dissertation electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the owner of the copyright thereof (unless to the extent explicitly otherwise stated) and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. __________________ FRANCOIS CLEOPHAS 12 FEBRUARY 2009 Copyright © 2015 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank Prof Floris van der Merwe, my supervisor, for his scholarly guidance and expertise, as well as his endless patience with numerous readings of draft documents despite his full academic programme. I am also grateful to Prof Richard van der Ross, who accommodated my requests for interviews. A sincere thank you to Richard Dudley who shared his teaching experience as a political activist. A special word of appreciation is also due for the staff of the Genadendal Museum (Samuel Baadjies and Desiree Theodore) for t heir assistance and to Dr Isaac Balie for access to archival material. The staff of the National Library (Cape Town division) and the Centre for Education Conservation: Western Cape Education Department, for whom no request was unimportant and who showed interest throughout the research, further deserves special mention.
    [Show full text]