Members of the Fiji Islands History Association met to discuss and critically examine and review the Fiji School Leaving Certificate History syllabus that is currently being taught in schools.
The team was made up of History academics from the University of the South Pacific, History teachers from various schools around the country and former graduates of the programme and a representative from the Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Unit and Department of Culture and Heritage.
Teachers and Academics at the History revision workshop
The team were divided in two groups to focus on questions like:
the current FSLC prescription
are the history skills being properly catered for
how can the topics taught in schools be improved
if the content relates to major ethnic communities is appropriate
is the new FSLC skills driven.
Senior Lecturer for History and Politics at the University of the South Pacific, Dr Morgan Tuimalealiifano said the current prescription that is taught in schools at the forms five to six level was prescribed in 1960 and 49 years later, teachers who are currently teaching the subject were also taught the same syllabus.
“The aim of this workshop is to revise, update and bring in new information that students need to background their knowledge and further studies at tertiary level, currently there is a mismatch between what is taught at University and what is taught in the classroom.
“Moreover the prescription has outlived its use and the resource materials are out of print since they were published in the 50’s and 60’s however students of today need to now relevant information about their history such as the events of 1987 and 2000.
Dr Morgan Tuimalealiifano said even though the Deed of Cession is relevant more recent events also have greater impact on the present generation.
“So these teachers are working on integrating these and modifying it into the syllabus”
Dr Morgan hopes that the new look FSLC History prescription comes into fruition next year.
“Everybody agrees that it needs to be updated however the only problem is what do we take out and what do we place and how can we teach history better to make it more interesting.”