Moe starts implementing curriculum dev plan: Essa

‘Recent TIMSS report based on old curriculum’

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 2: Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Bader Al-Essa said the ministry has started implementing the curriculum development plan which was prepared in collaboration with the World Bank.

Speaking at a press conference in the presence of Head of the National Center for Education Development Dr Sabeeh Al-Mukheizeem, Al-Essa explained this plan aims to evaluate the level of students’ performance; hinting on the possibility of implementing the plan next academic year.

He pointed out the recent report released by Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and published by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) serves as a motivation for intensified efforts to develop the educational sector. “We should not bury our heads in the sand. We have to be transparent and explain everything based on a thorough study or analysis,” he added.

He clarified the recent TIMSS report was based on the old curriculum, not the new curriculum that the government has already implemented. He was quick to add that, “We do not underestimate the efforts exerted in the past. Every effort gets a fair share of reward.”

He pointed out the report was done according to the results of a study on grade five and eight students, indicating these two grades are not usually significant for students as they are not considered the critical years for advancement to higher academic level, hence, the students are not that keen on responding to the exam questions.

He disclosed the ministry will study the TIMSS report in order to determine reasons behind the results and how to tackle them in the future. He asserted that education is a collective social practice which requires concerted efforts to reach the advanced level.

On the other hand, Head of the National Center for Education Development Dr Sabeeh Al-Mukheizeem said the first edition of TIMSS international performance was released in 1995 and it is done by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) every after four years.

Kuwait participated for the first time in the sixth edition (2015) and it is expected to participate in the seventh edition in 2019. In the 2015 TIMSS ranking, Kuwait came 47th out of 56 countries in International Science achievement and 49th out of 56 countries in International Mathematics achievement.

Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan continued to dominate international rankings for Mathematics and Science. The East Asian countries maintained their 20year lead for pupils aged 10 and 14.