TIE reviews syllabus to meet new policy demands

HILDA MHAGAMA

TANZANIA Institute of Education (TIE) has reviewed the primary education curriculum to accommodate the requirements of the Education and Training Policy of 2014.

The review included the curricular for standard one to six, and the institute is at initial stages of reworking the syllabus for secondary education as well as writing textbooks for primary and secondary schools.

For Secondary level, TIE has prepared and wrote 15 form five and six textbooks, which will be for the first time published in the country. The newly prepared curriculum has focused on technical studies, science and technology to sharpen students’ skills for effective participation in the industrial based economy.

On the other hand, the institute is currently preparing 15 textbooks for English medium schools’ standard one to three. The books, currently at the design stage, will be ready by next March.

TIE Director of Curriculum Development and Review, Dr Wilberforce Meena, said many people have been unnecessarily complaining over the government’s alleged utterly and often changes of the curriculum.

“It should be noted that from the year 2005, we have been using one curriculum for standard one and two until 2015 when we made changes... that means the changes came after ten years,” Dr Meena told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

He said the changes were made after receiving views from stakeholders and the institute researches establishing that most children were completing standard seven unable to read and write. He said for the past ten years, the institute has only been improving the curricular and not changing them.

TIE Acting Director General, Dr Elia Kibga, said the institute has written six textbooks for primary schools and is in the process of procuring the printers.

“Five textbooks for standard one are complete and schools have already started using them; six books for standard two are also complete and they are currently with the printer...4,459,000 copies of mathematics, reading, writing, sports and arts textbooks will be printed,” he noted.

Dr Kibga said the books will be distributed in all primary schools between December 2016 and January 2017. Six textbooks for standard three are with various printers, and will be distributed from next January.

He said the institute has also prepared 26 textbooks compatible with the curriculum of primary education of 2005 for standard four and seven students. The books are in the last stages of printing and distribution will commence on February 2017.

Dr Kibga further said 30 textbooks for form one to three were also prepared, with some of the books already printed and are under the Government Procurement Services Agency (GPSA) ready for distribution from 27 December 2016.

He decried content contrast among textbooks as one of the serious problems that have necessitated the improvement of the curriculum, saying all schools are now obliged to use only one book approved by the institute. He said the content difference will never recur again as only single TIE approved textbook will be used, countrywide.

TIE collected all books with defects for review and see their contents to establish whether the errors were due to printing or original writing, Dr Kibga said.