UNIONS OBJECTS TO CANCELLATION OF STEM CURRICULUM

By OLIVER SAMBOKO GOVERNMENT should not discontinue the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum in technical schools because the move will affect pupils who are scheduled to write exams this year, the Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) has said. Ministry of General Education Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Dr. Jobbicks Kalumba announced the cancellation of the STEM curriculum in a memo addressed to all Provincial Education Officers dated May 7, 2021. ZNUT Secretary General Newman Bubala said in an interview that the decision to revert to the old curriculum will not be in the best interest of the country and learners in particular. He was reacting to government’s decision to suspend the use of the STEM education transitional curriculum in light of concerns raised by stakeholders on the implementation of STEM curriculum in technical schools. Mr Bubala  said it was not practical at this time for learners to revert to the old curriculum and be ready to sit for the examinations.  Meanwhile, the National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) says it’s deeply troubled with the decision by the Ministry of General Education to abruptly put off the newly launched STEM curriculum. NAQEZ Executive Director Aaron Chansa warned that the abandonment of STEM Education has come as a huge shock to many stakeholders in the education sector, as well as teachers and parents whose children were attending this specialised training for the past two years.