Abstract

Since the inception of Western Education in Sierra Leone, frantic efforts have been made to formulate policies in order to improve the quality of education. It has been acknowledged by various educationists that curriculum implementation is instrumental in improving the quality of education in any society. Therefore, it is seen as an approach which improves students’ academic achievements, equipping graduates with sufficient knowledge and skills for them to survive academically and socially in this modern world.
 On that note, the development of school curriculum is very significant in the life of a nation. The National School Curriculum as a program of learning is supposed to be a highly sensitive document as it contains the aspiration of the nation, preparing its citizens to face future challenges. It is supposed to be a document of hope.
 Notwithstanding the wide recognition and acceptance accorded the roles of curriculum as a career of national philosophy in Sierra Leonean Educational system, there seems to be challenges in the implementation of this important blue print. This could not be disassociated with inadequate trained and qualified teachers in the field/classroom; community/volunteer teachers unpaid; ill-trained and sometimes confused graduates and inadequate Teaching Learning Materials; lack of guidelines for the implementation of curriculum and the complexity of managing the curriculum coupled with inadequate training regarding curriculum implementation. Capacitation of teachers is essential in the successful implementation of any curriculum as they are the main role-players in promoting quality education. This and other related problems should be a cause for concern.
 By and large, the researcher is optimistic that although people are different and despite the negativity and inadequacies surrounding the curriculum, there is hope that with time and effort and given the total commitment of all stakeholders to implement the curriculum, success can be attained. Especially with the President’s (Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio’s) New Direction Agenda on education in Sierra Leone. Therefore, it can be concluded that the aim of the study and primary research questions which were explored, namely the Challenges towards Curriculum Implementation in Four Selected Junior Secondary Schools in Kpanga Chiefdom, Pujehun District, were adequately addressed and answered.

Highlights

  • Singer (2006), that Curriculum is an area of education that is characterized by a lack of agreement about its definition and nature; Wortham (2006), that Curriculum is a planned set that is presented to teachers to arrange teaching and learning in certain level of ages; Nation & Macalister (2010) defined Curriculum as a guidance in designing courses that consist of outer circle namely Principles, Environment and needs that involve practical and theoretical considerations that will have a major effect in guiding the actual process production

  • The study concluded that, All education stakeholders in the district must be involved in the education process for curriculum implementation to be effective

  • Principals as change agents working together with their teachers are responsible for ensuring that effective curriculum implementation is taking place in their schools

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Summary

Introduction

Various scholars have viewed curriculum as follows; Nichols, Shidaker, Johnson, &. A Principal in one of the targeted schools in Pujehun had this to say; “The roles and responsibilities of the principals are mainly focused on attending Professional Development workshops monitoring and supervising teachers to ensure that the curriculum is successfully implemented. The administrators in targeted schools outside Pujehun (Village) identified induction of teachers, resources, workshops, continuous meetings as crucial support structures for effective implementation of curriculum change. Documents, such as minutes of meetings, schedules for monitoring teachers work and reports of moderation were obtained from the Administrators and teachers. The information was discussed in terms of the aims of the study and the research questions

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