The Ministry of Primary and Second Education continues to implement its capacity development programme for primary school teachers under the new curriculum. Training of Trainers workshops in mathematics and science were undertaken for 474 primary teachers for ECD A – Grade 2 and Grades 3-7 in nine provinces. The training was to equip teachers with requisite skills for effective teaching of Mathematics and Science as one stand-alone learning area at Infant level and Mathematics in the Junior level; capacitate teachers in acquiring skills to act as core-explorers and facilitators in knowledge discovery to arrive at an objective understanding of content and demonstration of skills acquired; and equip the teachers with necessary and appropriate methodologies to implement at both Infant and Junior levels.
Mathematics and Science constitute part of the 7 learning areas in the Infant School Module. At the Junior education level, mathematics is one of the 9 learning areas. Mathematics and Science at infant level and Mathematics at junior level provide the foundation for mathematical and scientific skills. These learning areas intend to foster knowledge, routine manipulation, understanding, application, experimentation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the respective levels. The subjects are also to develop positive attitudes towards the use of technology in line with the competency-based curriculum.
The capacity development of the teachers is a realization under the new curriculum of multiple of gaps that hinder effective teaching and learning of mathematics and science at Infant Level and Mathematics at Junior level. The gaps include syllabus interpretation, failure to integrate and relate mathematics and science with other learning areas, time management, choice of appropriate methodology, failure to explore and articulate scientific and mathematical ideas to come up with conclusions and innovations as well as content streamlining among others.
