Quality Curriculum
A quality curriculum is as important as the
quality teachers. The
purpose of a curriculum or any educational program is to achieve diverse goals
that might have been designed “within a framework of theory and research, past
and present professional practice, and the changing needs of society” (Parkay, F., Standford, B.H.& Gougeon, T.D.
(1996). Without a quality
curriculum spounds students learning may not happen.
Essentially, the quality of students’ learning
is strongly determined by the type of curriculum that is in place in the education system. A curriculum must contain the
elements which will enable teachers and students to explore and enhance the
multiplicity of innate potential the learners possess and must also align with
the learning styles of the learners. The nature of the curriculum should be not
only gender sensitive and inclusive but also outcomes oriented (Glatthorn
& Jailall, 2000). All curriculums
is supposed to be learner-centered, of a standardized design and free from
discrimination, particularly in terms of cultural diversity, multiple
intelligences, in-born talents and the vested interests students have for their
own learning.
UNICEF (2000) points out, “National goals for education, and outcome
statements that translate those goals into measurable objectives should provide
the starting point for the development and implementation of curriculum.” Curricula
must entail reliable and contextualized studies, whereby, the three domains of
learning, namely psycho-social, affective and cognitive aspects are available to
our students. UNICEF (2003) robustly puts forward the view that while designing
the curriculum, an emphasis should be on deeper learning areas rather than just
a broad coverage of some aspects of knowledge. It is believed that these
learning areas are inevitable attributes. To cite an example, a doctor without
a good knowledge on values and attitudes is more likely to fail in life. The
curriculum is expected to be value based education containing literacy,
numeracy and life skills putting more emphasis on child-centered method of
teaching (UNICEF, 2000). Raising the standard of
academic curriculum provides an opportunity to embody the interests and skills
of students, hence is more likely to ensure the future of the students than
exposing them to a de-personalized curriculum. A sound curriculum can help to
achieve educational goals of producing well qualified, skilled and motivated future
citizens in the nation.
Quality Learning
Figure2. The Second Part of TLS Model of Quality
Education
Quality Learners
Good
health, nutritous diet in early childhood, and nurturing psychosocial
experiences contribute to producing quality learners in the schools. McCain & Mustard (1999) as cited in
UNICEF (2000) maintains that children learn well when
they are healthy physically, socially, and mentally. A healthy childhood life, in
particular, for the first 3 years, renders a base for a good life for academic
outcomes to flourish later. Good food, a balanced diet can provide children with
opportunities for a wholesome development. For instance, a child who has good
health is less likely to miss school and continuity of the teaching learning
process in the class. Regular attendance enables a student to do well in class
and in both curricular and co-curricular activities in the school. There is a strong
correlation between healthy learners and a quality education.
Fuller, et al (1999) demonstrates that children who attend the school
consistently do well academically and as a result, this significantly
influences achievement. To cite an example, Miske, Dowd et al. (1998) found that
students who went to school regularly in Malawi had significant gains in
learning and minimal repetition and dropout rates. Good
curricula and teachers are rendered
ineffective if the learners are passive, disinterested or frequently absent
from school. The Figure 2 on page 5 shows the quality learners and resources
contributes to quality learning.
Quality
Resources
Well appointed and stimulating classrooms and
adequate teaching-learning materials have a significant bearing on achieving quality
learning. The school facilities
are likely to be important along with curriculum and good teachers in order to
produce a quality teaching-learning process. Fuller (1999) strongly argues that
“empirical evidence is inconclusive as to whether the condition of school
buildings is related to higher student achievement after taking into account
student’s background”, however, in India, a study has been carried out by Carron
& Chau, 1996 who sampled 59 schools, out of which only 49 schools had
buildings; 25 schools had 1 toilet; 20 schools had electricity; 10 schools had
1 library room each and 4 schools had 1 television set each. The study found
that there was a strong correlation between sufficient resources in schools