NATIONAL CURRICULUM CENTRE (NCC)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In order to introduce major reforms in education, the Swaziland Government launched two curriculum projects, namely the then Primary Curriculum Unit (PCU) in 1974 and the then Secondary Unit (SCU) in 1978.
The two curriculum projects were merged to form a national institution called the National Curriculum Centre (NCC) in May, 1983.
 
THE FUNCTIONS OF THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM CENTRE

The principal function of the NCC is to interpret the Ministry of Education's educational policies as contained in policy documents including National Development Plans, Reports of National Review Commissions, the Imbokodvo Manifesto etc; formulate objectives, and produce educational programmes that are relevant, cost effective, of high quality, and accessible to all for use in the education system.
The specific tasks of the Centre include the following:

a) developing  teaching  syllabi and outcomes  with members of subject panels.
b) researching, developing, trial testing, and evaluating instructional materials;
c) continued formative evaluation and revision of the existing school text-books and other educational materials so as to make them more instructionally effective and relevant to the country's need
d) Arranging for commercial publication of the instructional materials,
e) Conducting workshops for the  teachers and some stakeholders for trial testing and implementation of new NCC programmes;
 liaising with other education institutions, departments, ministries, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector in curriculum matters;
f) Participating in the development of examinations and assessment programmes of the Ministry of Education to ensure that the requirements of the revised curricula are appropriately reflected in the examination/ assessment procedures;
g) Providing on-going professional advice to the Ministry of Education on matters pertaining to curriculum revision and development policies;
h) Monitoring and reviewing the implementation of on-going curriculum programmes in the schools.

DEPARTMENTS OF THE NCC
Four components work in a cooperative and coordinated manner to design, produce, trial test, assess,  evaluate and revise curriculum materials. The total effort of producing curriculum materials is based upon Ministry of Education direction including the Outcomes of Education, National Development Plans, Education Review Commissions Reports etc., all of which are (policy) documents which tell what the nations educational aspirations are.
The four components each have specialised functions as follows:

1.  DESIGN AND PREPARATION
Materials are written based upon the objectives in the policy documents.
These materials, for each grade level, include teachers= guides, pupils= workbooks,  posters, criterion-referenced tests, remedial and enrichment materials and other teaching aids.
All the designed materials are reviewed and improved by national subject panels and other educational bodies before they are printed and placed on trial in the pilot schools.  After the first trials, the materials are revised and again placed on second trials in the pilot schools.  They are revised a last time in preparation for use in all schools (as approved by the Ministry of Education).

2. EVALUATION
The evaluation function serves a two-pronged purpose: to improve the materials designed by the Centre and at the same time improve student achievement. 
It includes assessing the efficacy of the instructional materials by eliciting formative feedback from the teachers and testing the pupils. It also includes continually assessing the pupils= achievement of the curricular objectives and making the assessment data available for the teachers to use in diagnosing and correcting learning deficiencies in a timely manner. 

3. PRODUCTION
The production component is responsible for producing the trial materials for use by teachers and pupils in the in the pilot schools.
This includes all the technical processes of illustration, photography, printing, collating and binding.  In addition, this component is commissioned by the Ministry of Education and other organisations to print special bulletins, reports and other publications.

4. TEACHER EDUCATION
The main work of the Teacher Education Component is to learn the intent of the new materials, distribute the materials to the seventeen pilot schools, assist the pilot school teachers in using and understanding the materials, and getting feedback from the teachers and pupils about their effectiveness.
The ideas of the teachers are brought back to the designers so that revision can be made as the materials are improved. This component is also responsible for planning and coordinating workshops for the pilot schools.

Curriculum Development and Evaluation is a highly specialised field which requires continued inservice training and further development, to enhance expertise for improved performance both administratively and professionally.

There is regular inservice training for established members of the cadres, in the different components of the Centre, to enhance performance, to prepare them to meet international standards and to offer the best advice to the Ministry of education.
This is done through both in-house and formal training programmes entailing both short-term and long-term training courses.

There are attachment programmes with related institutions, organisations and agencies for further Ahands-on@ enrichment, motivation and skills development and sharpening. 

PRODUCTS OF THE NCC

 Products produced at the NCC consist of the following:
  
ü Pupils' Books
ü Pupils' Workbooks
ü Teacher's Guides
ü Item Specifications
ü Curriculum Guidelines, e.g. syllabi

PROGRAMMES available at NCC:

Primary level:
ü English
ü Mathematics
ü Siswati  (Mother tongue)
ü Religious Education
ü Social Studies
ü Science
ü Practical Arts
ü Physical Education
ü Home Economics
ü Modern Agriculture
ü Continuous Assessment

Secondary level:
ü English
ü Siswati
ü Development Studies
ü Prevocational Studies      -      (senior secondary level)
- Agricultural Studies
- Business Studies
- Technical Studies
- Home Economics Studies
- Information Technology
- Entrepreneurship

Additional information about the Centre may be obtained from:

The Director
National Curriculum Centre
P.O.  Box 73
MANZINI
       
Physical Address:  Next  to William Pitcher Teacher Training College
Phone: (268) 505-2106 
Fax:     (268) 505-3177
E-Mail:  ncc@realnet.co.sz