International Workshop on Curriculum and Textbook Development in Afghanistan

July 2003


A two-week workshop on Curriculum and Textbook Development in Afghanistan was held in Kabul from 5 to 16 July 2003. The workshop was organised by IBE-UNESCO, UNESCO Afghanistan and UNICEF Afghanistan as part of a series of capacity building programs for curriculum and textbook developers working in the Ministry of Education (Compilation and Translation Department). It reunited 120 local participants representing the Ministry of Education and education NGOs, as well as 13 international experts from Argentina, Bahrain, France, Romania, Canada, U.S.A (Teachers College, Columbia University) and Denmark.

 

During the two weeks, interactive plenary presentations and discussions were combined with group activities (mostly hands-on sessions). Participants explored the main pedagogical dimensions in the newly finalised Curriculum Framework for primary and secondary education, and started to work on developing syllabi for primary education, based on learner-centredness and curriculum integration.

 

A generic model for syllabi development in all curriculum areas was adopted, incorporating seven main parts (rationale, aims and objectives, knowledge, skills, attitudes, suggestions for assessment & evaluation, and suggestions for teaching and learning strategies). In co-operation with the international experts, participants worked in subject-based groups and developed specific parts of the respective syllabi, which were then shared with the other groups. In addition to the exercise in developing syllabi, based on modern pedagogical orientations, the groups worked on developing draft units for textbooks and other teaching aids. Quality criteria were discussed and illustrated by the international experts, based on textbook analysis of samples for primary education from different countries.

 

As a follow-up of the workshop, the Ministry of Education will create a special Task force for curriculum development in primary education, whose members will be assisted further by an international technical assistance team supported by UNICEF Afghanistan, UNESCO Afghanistan and Danida.

 

Workshop objectives

 

  • To upgrade the capacity of curriculum and textbook developers from Afghanistan for developing quality materials in compliance with the pedagogical orientations in the new Curriculum Framework;
  • To share experience on selecting and organising meaningful learning experiences with experts from other countries;
    To develop draft syllabi (scope and sequences documents) in several curriculum areas for primary education as models for good practice;
  • To revise draft textbooks developed by the personnel of the Compilation and Translation Department in the Ministry of Education and provide models of good practice;
  • To create a basis for a shared curriculum culture and vision of meaningful learning experiences among curriculum developers and education stakeholders in Afghanistan;
  • To develop the capacity of curriculum and textbook authors to work in teams;
    To contribute to the reinforcement of the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education for handling a quality and sustainable curriculum & textbook development process at a quick pace.


Workshop outcomes

 

  • Suggestions for the gradual development and implementation of the curriculum, guided by the new Curriculum Framework;
  • Shared understanding of basic technical elements and dimensions in modern curriculum and textbook development;
  • Draft syllabi for primary education (first and second cycle) in all the curriculum areas, as models of good practice;
  • Revised models for textbook development for primary education as examples of good practice;
  • Capacity to apply team work in curriculum and textbook development;
    Priorities and actions in curriculum development.


Topics to be covered during the seminar

 

  • What does 'meaningful learning experiences mean'?
  • How can learning experiences be identified, selected and organised through addressing students' competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes, patterns of action, etc. - with reference to different learning areas: i.e. religious education, languages, mathematics, natural sciences, social studies, arts and crafts, new, integrated areas);
  • What kind of 'technical' solutions could be envisaged to provide a unitary and explicit organisation of learning experiences and requirements through well designed syllabi ('scope and sequences');
  • What are the relationships between Curriculum Framework, Syllabi ('scope and sequences') and Textbooks/other teaching aids?
  • What is the relationship between syllabi ('scope and sequences'), student competencies and assessment?
  • How to develop a good textbook? What is the role of a textbook in facilitating quality learning? What other teaching aids can be used in school?

 

Seminar Overview