multigrade malaysia

Asia and the Pacific Programme of Educational innovation for Development

Multigrade Teaching in Single Teacher Prima; Schools

UNESCO PRINCIPAL REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA A N D THE PACIFIC BANGKOK, 1989

& U N I S C O

@ UNESCO 1989

Published by the Unesco Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

P.O. Box 967, Prakanong Post Office Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Printed in Thailaiid

nie desigtiatioits enipoyed and die presentation of niatenal thoughout tite publication do not ititply the expression of aity opinion whatsoever on the part of Uttesco coiicenting the legal Stahls of any coicttty, tem'toy, city or area or its authorities, or cortcenting its frontiers of bolciidanes.

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter One - Multigrade Teaching Chapter Two - Synthesis of Country Reports Chapter Three - Country Experiences

Australia Bangladesh People's Republic of China India Indonesia Republic of Korea Malaysia Maldives Nepal Pakistan Philippines Thailand

Chapter Four - Framework for Improving Multigrade Teaching Chapter Five - Conclusions

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14 19 22 27 32 37 40 46 52 57 60 67

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95

ANNEX 97

PREFACE

The Unesco Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (PROAP) in cooperation with the Office of Educational and Cultural Research (BALITABANG DIKBUD) Ministry of Education and Culture, Jakarta, Indonesia organised a Subregional Training Workshop on Multigrade Teaching in Primary Schools in November 198 8.

The Workshop:

i) reviewed the difficult population and educational contexts in which the small primary schools practising multigrade teaching are functioning;

U) identified the learning difficulties and other problems which are encountered in multigrade teaching;

iii) examined the projects and experiments which are being conducted by the different countries in an effort to find solutions to problems in multigrade teaching;

iv) reviewed other ways of improving the quality of

v) prepared a framework for improving multigrade

education in schools practising multigrade teaching; and

teaching.

There were 13 participants, one each from Australia, Bangladesh, People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. In addition, there were two resource participants and seven observers from Indonesia. List of participants given in Annex.

Chapter One

MULTIGRADE TEACHING

The Context The Universal Declaration of Human Rights encompasses

the right to education. Most of the member nations have made constitutional provisions for achieving the goal of Universal Education for all. The right to education, especially Universal Elementary Education (UEE), which is directed to the full development of the human personality (Article 26-1,2), has its immense value for educational policy making by the nations. Equality of educational opportunity is conceived as not only providing access to education but also creating conditions of success for the millions of learners living in remote, sparsely populated mountain regions, deserts, islands, lagoons, plains and .other inaccessible areas.

Efforts to provide comprehensive access to elementary education led to the establishment of a large number of primary schools with low enrolments where normal teacher: pupil ratio norms are just not operative and the number of teachers is less than the number of grades. The teachers have to engage in multigrade teaching.

Multigrade Teaching Multigrade teaching implies the school situations where the

number of pupils in different grades is so small that the pupils of several grades together add up to a normal or slightly larger than normal class. It connotes combination class groupings in a school with one two to three classrooms. Multigrade teaching is generally seen in one teacher schools, two teacher schools, sometimes even in three teacher schools, multilevel classes in larger establishments, ungraded early childhood education units and special multilevel aggregation of pupils. The enrolments of such schools usually varies between 10 to 100. Multigrade teaching is not an answer to meeting teacher shortages in the educational systems but is a strategy to improve the quality of education in rural communities.

Multigrade Teaching in Primary Schools

Looking to the socio-cultural milieu in which the small schools with multigrade teaching are functioning, these schools could be the centres of social development and community conscientisation and the need for improving their functioning is far greater than recognised.

Multigrade Teaching Schools in Difficult Population Situations

It is generally not recognised that in almost every country there are many primary schools practising multigrade teaching. W h y ? It is because they are usually located in remote, sparsely populated areas with insufficient means of transportation and communication. Almost all the countries participating in the sub-regional workshop reported the high incidence of small schools in their primary education systems. They are typically located in far flung areas-the mountainous, pastoral and outlying districts where the economy is poor and the population sparse. These are the areas inhabited by Aboriginal groups and people engaged in traditional pursuits requiring the participation of children in domestic and or economic activities.

Countries in Asia and the Pacific have thousands of small inhabited islands which are scattered, very thinly populated, remote, under developed and isolated due to poor communication and social mobility. Likewise, there are highlands, the mountainous regions, the narrow strips in the hill tracts which for the outsider seem to be uninhabited lands but these are in fact bubbling with life in their own contexts and have a significant number of children requiring education.

The inhabitants have their isolation due to poor social mobility, inadequate communication, infrequent transportation, indigenous belief systems, a multiplicity of local languages and their adherence to local traditions. For generations, the children have been replacing their parents as the next generation in the same grimness of poverty, ill health, ignorance and illiteracy. The application of science and technology to these areas could greatly make the life of the people pleasant, easy and productive. Their isolation is due to absence of education for development and development for want of education. The national policies on universalisation of Primary education kinde a hope that education would come as an meliorative force in these difficult contexts.

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Multigrade Teaching

The opening of small schools with the posting of one or two teachers is a measure of creating access to primary education for young children. These suffer from constraints resulting in learning difficulties and other administrative problems which need to be looked into. It is an appropriate time for member nations to have a collective and introspective look at planning and providing quality education programmes for this type of primary institution.

Incidence The incidence of multigrade teaching in primary schools is

quite noticeable in the Asian and Pacific Counmes. Large sized countries like the Republic of China and India have reported as many as 420,000 and 327,000 schools practising multigrade teaching respectively. A sizeable number are one teacher schools. Multigrade teaching is practised in about 40 percent of schools in the Northern territory of Australia; 8 percent of schools in Philippines; about 20,000 schools in Indonesia; 1540 schools in Malaysia. There are sparsely populated population belts such as Maldives with about 65 islands, Pakistan with its desert lands and far flung habitations, the remote area villages of Korea, Nepal's mountainous regions, and the remote districts in Thailand where the phenomenon of multigrade teaching is pervasive.

There are demographic, geographic, and economic reasons for the existence of multigrade schools. More such schools are likely to be opened as the policy on Universalisation of Primary education is gradually implemented, propagation of population education continues and non-formal education centres for the out of school children are established. As such, the practice of multigrade teaching requires a Pedagogy in its own right.

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Chapter Two

SYNTHESIS OF COUNTRY REPORTS

The Unesco (APED) proposal entitled Multigrade Teaching in Primary Schools in Rural, Isolated, Sparsely Populated Areas provided an opportunity for the participating countries to investigate the functioning of small multigrade schools with a view to locating learning problems and other problem areas. The data emerging from the country papers has been synthesised under the following heads:

- Advantages of Multigrade Teaching Situations - Learning Difficulties Specific to Multigrade Teaching - Parental Attitudes - Constraint of Educational Systems - A Pedagogy for Multigrade Teaching - Measures and Innovations in Multigrade Teaching Advantages of Multigrade Teaching Situations

have its o w n advantages such as the following: Combining several grades, age groups, or ability groups can

- Pupils tend to develop independent work habits, self-study skills; - Cooperation between different age groups is more c ommon resulting in a collective ethics, concern and responsibility; - Pupils develop positive attitudes about helping each otheq - Remediation and enrichment activities can be more discreetly arranged than in normal classes.

Learning Difficulties Specific to Multigrade Teaching

cause of some confusion and a source of some problems. These ultimately give use to learning difficulties which have been categorised here as follows:

Multigrade teaching is often the target of some complaints,

a. Curriculum Design b. Classrooms and teachinflearning processes

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Mutigrade Teaching in Primary Schools

c. Space organization and instructional management d. Grade combinations e. Role perception by the teacher f. Existing teacher education programmes g. Learners' behaviour problems

Specific learning difficulties and problem areas under the above aspects are as follows:

a. Curriculum design

- Primary curriculum documents usually include or are supported by a list of minimum learning competencies (MLC), which are analysed into objectives appropriate to each grade level, together with suggestions on a methodology to achieve these. The MLCs and their components have not been specifically designed for use by teachers in multigrade schools.

- The school plans, instructional materials, and methodological guidelines which have been prepared for ordinary school situations present difficulties to teachers when they try to apply these in multigrade teaching situations.

- The centrally designed curricula may lack relevance and be dysfunctional when applied to the socio-economic needs and cultural life style of rural learners and their communities.

- There is a shortage of support materials for teachers and of inividualised instructional materials for learners. This is compounded by inadequate media support (such as radio or television, programmes for teachers and pupils).

- Existing tools and methods for pupil assessment need to be further improved and refined. There is a need for more work on the kinds of continuous evaluation, diagnostic testing, remediation and feedback which would best assist multigrade teaching.

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Synthesis of Country Reports

- Multigrade teaching does not fit weii with outdated and traditional teaching methodologies which rely on verbal communications and teacher authoritarianism.

b. Classrooms and Teaching Laming Process

- Interruptions and distractions are major problems confronting teachers of multigrade classes.

- Teachers often abruptly change from one class to another without recapitulating what has been taught or suggesting follow up measures. Similarly, teaching is often abruptly initiated when the teacher passes from one grade/ability level to another.

- Teachers may be tempted to work with multigrade classes as a whole group for quite long periods and thus will tend to overlook the special needs, ability levels and developmental stage of the learners.

- There is a general need for more adequate teaching aids which are suitable for use in multigrade teaching situations.

- Slow learners and fast learners will often receive insufficient individualised attention.

- Learners may have difficulty in comprehending what is presented to them because they are unfamiliar with the language used in school.

- Teachers do not generally allocate sufficient time to health, Music, creative arts, games and physical education, cultural and literary activities or moral education.

- There is an overemphasis on completion of textual lessons and preparation for examinations.

- Some teachers are too casual about their preparations for teaching.

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- Some classrooms are over crowded. - S o m e multigrade schools lack essential classroom space.

- Many teachers lack the competence and confidence which is necessary to handle mixed ability groups.

- Teachers working in multigrade schools put less emphasis on remedial teaching.

- More often than not, teacher assistants, monitors, tutors and group leaders are inadequately prepared for their role which is to assist the teacher by keeping pupils usefully and productively engaged.

c. Classroom organization and Management

- In an ordinary school situation, it is a common practice to seat all the pupils facing the chalk board. In multigrade teaching, if all learners from different grades sit in this position, difficulties arise.

- Supply of teaching aids, such as chalk boards, in proportion to the number of teachers, creates problems for multigrade teaching.

- Combination of any grades under one teacher creates special problems when learners are horizontally and/or vertically grouped for instructional purposes.

- Teachers in multigrade schools often lock essential training in school organization and classroom management for direct and assisted teaching, organization of collective teaching, small group work, etc.

- Use of teaching aids such as wall maps for one grade often distracts the learners of other grades who are sitting in the same room and facing the same teacher and the teaching aid.

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- The design of buildings in multigrade schools need to be revised to allow modular partitioning and moveable fumiture for more effective classroom organization. To date, this has not been extensively med.

- In several countries, lessons are conducted in the open space outside classrooms. Teacher guidance notes on how to hold multigrade classes in open spaces are not yet available.

d. Grade Combinations with a Teacher

The duration of primary education varies from country to country. In some countries, primary education extends to grade VII, while in others it only extends to grades IV or V. The age of admission to grade I also varies from 5, to 7 in some counties. In many multigrade teaching schools staffed with more than one teacher, there are no set principles for class combination with one teacher. The heterogeneity of class combinations creates problems in the management and teaching of pupils.

e. Role Perception by the Teachers

Teachers are often unwillingly posted to primary schools situated in remote, sparsely populated areas. Some of them do not belong to the local communities and have a poor knowledge of their languages value systems, life styles and educational needs. They develop a sort of psychological alienation from the school and the learners. This leads to:

- Lack of interest in compulsory education. - Personal prejudice against the small school. - Indifferent and authoritarian behaviour with learners - Low self-concept on the part of the teacher. - A depressing learning environment in and around the - Irregular attendance by teachers and learners.

and their parents.

school.

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f. Existing Teacher Education Programmes

- Most of the participating countries have not developed any special teacher training curriculum on Multigrade Teaching.

- Although there are many teachers working in multigrade teaching situation, they are not being provided with the kind of intensive in-service teacher training, they need.

- Practice teaching in multigrade situations is not ~ generally prescribed or even advised for teacher trainees. They usually experience only monograde teaching situations. This leads to to insufficient preparation for service in remote rural areas.

g. Learners' Behavioural Problems

In remote, rural, and sparsely populated areas, children tend to exhibit the following behaviour:

- They will often tend to shy away from the teacher and from formal teaching-learning situations.

- They are often uninterested in schooling. - They may become frustrated by their mobility to understand the language of formal schooling.

- They may be unable to cope with homework assigned by the teacher (for reasons cited above and/or because condition at home are not conducive to study).

- Owing to physical handicaps such as partial vision impairment or conductive hearing loss, etc., pupils m a y not necessarily display the sort of learning behaviour expected of them, such as keenness and alert concentration.

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Paren tal Attitudes Most counties with a high incidence of multigrade teaching

in primary schools reported low levels of parental literacy. Only the Philippines reported high literacy rates in their sparsely populated areas. In places where education is just making a beginning, the social environment is characterized by a general inertia and an indifferent attitude on the part of parents towards schooling for the learners. Parents do not see the connection between education and a future career for their children. Children are often absent from school on minor pretexts or because parents consider that it is more important for children to assist with family chores and to participate in various other economic, social or religious activities.

- Parents are sometimes unwilling or unable to provide the textbooks and other stationery items which are required. This contributes to the low participation in instructional activities by some pupils in each grade.

Educational System's Constraints Even though the member countries have legislated for

Universalization of Primary Education and have established primary schools in rural, remote, sparsely populated areas, adequate attention to the proper functioning of these schools seems to be a long way off. The following problems have been noticed:

- Non-filling of vacant teaching positions in rural areas. - Absence of a system of teacher accountability, which

would greatly assist the proper functioning of small schools.

- Lack of basic physical facilities in the schools. - Lack of training for supervisors who are responsible for

smail schools practising multigrade teaching in remote rural areas.

- General inattentiveness of education officers to the needs of these schools.

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Pedagogy on Multigrade Teaching The process of Multigrade Teaching in rural, sparsely

populated areas has not yet been subjected to research preview by adopting multidimensional or comprehensive research designs. Some efforts to develop self-iearning materials for learners have been reported. Likewise, some innovations in teaching methodologies were reported. But none of the participating countries have come up with a complete model of Multigrade Teaching.

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Chapter Three

COUNTRY EXPERIENCES

Multigrade teaching is the practice usually adopted in small schools in sparsely populated rural areas. As national policies on Universalisation of primary education are being formulated and implemented, multigrade teaching schools are coming under the lime light. Unesco's (APEID) project Multigrade Teaching in Primary Schools in Rural, Isolated, Sparsely Populated Areas was aimed at investigating the problems and difficulties in small sized Primary schools practising multigrade teaching and the solutions which have been devised to solve these problems. The project also included identification of specific teaching learning tasks applicable to multigrade teaching.

The project activities were undertaken by twelve countries: namely, Australia, Bangladesh, Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. The participating countries conducted task force meetings and/or National workshops on the theme and country papers were prepared. The data in these country papers is obviously rich. It has been synthesised in the previous chapter. The country papers having been presented, the participants desired to have a forward look at their situations and to discuss these. Brief write ups in the form of country experiences were prepared and presented.

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AUSTRALIA

Multigrade Teaching

The historically recent expansion of compulsory primary education into remote rural areas has brought about an increase in the number of multigrade classes, where pupils of a wide range of maturity and ages study under one teacher, usually for two or three years. Another factor which has contributed to the trend is the decline in pupil environments in some schools and the consequent reduction of staff, which may result in classes being combined. Sometimes, multilevel classes are deliberately created because of the benefits which are said to flow on the students from such arrangements. The most extreme example of a multigrade class is a one-teacher school where a single teacher has responsibility for all grades. Such teachers need to have special skills in multilevel programming and classroom organization, not to mention expertise in overaii school management.

Incidence Professor lan Birch, in Western Australia, is preparing a

report for Unesco on multigrade teaching in Australia. This report will give data on the number of multigrade schools in the country.

In the Northern Territory of Australia, there are many small abilities are taught by a single teacher in the same classroom setting. These include one-teacher schools (that is, about 19 per cent of all Government schools), other small schools, and multilevel classes in larger establishments; there might be combination classes (for example, a Year 5-6-7- class), ungraded early childhood units, or special purpose multilevel aggregations of pupils. It can be conservatively estimated that at least 40 per cent of schools in the Northern Territory have multigrade classes. As in neighbouring states, the percentage of teachers engaged in multilevel teaching is appreciably lower than this. The actual number and percentages are given in the table below:

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Australia

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

(not including Homeland Centre Schools)

SCHOOLS STUDENTS TEACHERS

One teacher Two teachers Three teachers Four teachers Five teachers Six teachers Seven or more teachers

TOTAL

33 19.5% 614 1.8% 17 10.1% 568 1.6% 6 3.6% 315 .9% 12 7.15% 875 2.5% 4 2.45% 385 1.1% 4 2.4% 353 1.0%

93 55.0% 31937 91.1%

170 100.0% 35323 100.0%

35 1.5% 34 1.5% 18 .8% 48 2.1% 20 .9% 24 1.0%

2162 92.4%

2341 100.0% ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~

Source: Student Census June 1988 N.T. Department of Education Statistics Section, Nov.1988

Pop la ti on profiles Multigrade schools are typically located in rural areas,

particularly in remote localities. A high percentage of pupils are Aboriginal children.

Learning difficulties Many students come from homes where literacy and

numeracy are not valued. Students in traditionally oriented Aboriginal communities may be unfamiliar with English and the purpose of education. Students find it difficult to see learning as an active, independents, goal-oriented process. In a multigrade school, students with learning difficulties may require a lot of individual assistance.

Other difficulties faced Multigrade classes are more common in isolated, rural

schools, where teachers often have to contend with a range of challenges in addition to their professional responsibilities.

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Understandably, many non-local teachers are reluctant to stay for more than a year or two in these areas, because the schools may be a long way from major urban centres, communication and transportation systems may be comparatively undeveloped, facilities may be sub-standard, resources limited, and the teachers themselves may be inadequately prepared for the work they are called on to do. In addition, pupils may be frequently absent from schools and their parents may have little desire for academic success on the part of their children. For comparatively inexperienced teachers, these challenges may be frequently absent from school and their parents may have little desire for academic success on the part of their children. For comparatively inexperienced teachers, these challenges may be stresses which cause fatigue, sleeplessness, depression, and other forms of ill health. Even experienced teachers may become jaded, cynical or even burnt out. Other teachers may cope admirably with their multigrade classes, but will freely admit that it is not at all easy to plan for, to teach, and then to assess a class which consists of a number of year levels.

Measures adopted to overcome difficulties and problems Some tertiary institutions have included special units on

teaching in small schools. These provide an introduction to small school management, multigrade planning and the specific needs and problems associated with working in remote rural area. Teachers in training also have the opportunity to go out to 'bush schools' for a month at a time on teaching practice placement.

Many stateshemtories in Australia conduct induction and service programmes for teachers working in small schools.

In the Northern Temtory, some in-service training materials have been prepared by groups of experienced teachers working in conjunction with regional office staff. Starting out in Small Schools in the Northern Territory is one particularly useful handbook which was produced in this way be staff in the Kathering Region. The aim of the handbook is to give new teachers detailed guidance for the first six weeks of the school year and general assistance from then on. The manual covers community relations, school organization, school routines, classroom organization practical hints, curriculum matters, suggested layouts for a multigrade classroom, time tabling

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Australia

suggestions, setting up activity centres, working with an assistant teacher, and other matters. This information is followed by detailed weekly programmes.

Some special materials have been developed by and for teachers is small schools. Correspondence schools and schools of the air provide additional assistance for some pupils.

Projects conducted, models evolved and degree of success achieved

Interested readers are invited to refer to the National report on multigrade teaching in Australia, and /or correspond with the workshop participant.

Proposals for improving multigrade schools

Curriculum planning and transaction

- Some of the findings of the Aboriginal Pedagogy Project may be applicable to teaching in small schools.

- S o m e consideration could be given to revising and extending the school of the bush curriculum project.

- Before any specific courses are designed for multiple grade schools, they should take into account the needs of the learners and the socio-political context of the school.

- Instructional objectives should be explicit, relevant, attainable and measurable.

- The format of modular courses could be improved by application of instructional design principles.

- Activity based learning programs need to be more clearly conceptualised.

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Teacher training

Both pre-service preparation and in-service support programmes for teachers ought to devote more attention to methodologies suitable for multigrade schools; for example, time tabling, seating arrangements, grouping, peer tutoring, problem solving approaches to learning, use of RIT materials, learning contracts, curriculum negotiation strategies, self-assessment and team teaching.

Instiiutional planning, classroom management and school supervision

There is an opportunity for cooperative arrangements within the region, since many education authorities have begun to focus on ways to improve multigrade teaching. Perhaps supervisors could be sponsored for 2-3 week exchange visits to a neighbouring country to look at successful projects and innovations. For example exchange between Australia and Indonesia can provide rich comparative insights.

Input required

a. Research. Some well-conducted evaluation studies of successful multigrade schools would be of help.

b. Programme development. Every country in the Asia-Pacific region should be invited to commence a Small School Project which could serve as a training and resource centre for teachers, principals and supervisors.

c. Extension services. If a bank of videos on multigrade teaching were kept in Unesco PROAP's library, these could be loaned to member nations for training purposes. National library holdings could be expanded to support pre-service and in-service training in this area.

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BANGLADESH

Multigrade Teaching

In rural, isolated and sparsely populated areas, for want of sufficient number of students in different grades, a single teacher and in some cases two teachers are appointed to a multigrade teaching school.

Also, in many parts of the country, especially in heavily populated rural areas, there are insufficient teachers to staff the primary schools.

The multigrade teaching schools have 5 grades, 1 or 2 classrooms and one or two teachers.

Incidence

The Chittagong Hill tracts and the Hawor (Lagoon) lands of greater Shylhet districts are sparsely populated. Schools are few and the number of students is much less in all the grades. On the other hand in the thickly populated areas, there are many schools where there are sufficient number of pupils but teachers are insufficient. In both the cases, multigrade system of teaching exists, The incidence of multigrade teaching is quite high.

Population Profiles

Multigrade schools are located in the sparsely populated areas of the greater Shylhet district where there are canals and lagoons. In Tangail, and also in the narrow strips of Chittagong Hill tracts, different tribes live. They are hardly interested in education at all and the rate of literacy is dismally low.

Learning Difficulties and Other Problems Traced

Teachers are less interested in serving in the Hill tracts and Communication to and from school is a isolated rural areas.

problem. Physical facilities are poor.

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There are not enough tribal teachers to teach the tribal people and when teachers belonging to urban belts or even some other rural areas are appointed in such places, the linguistic problems obstruct good learning.

Proper physical facilities and instructional materials are wanting. Teachers have no special training in multigrade teaching. Multigrade teaching in the IMPACT system is a modularised teaching/learning system which is expensive.

There are more lower grades than upper grades in small schools.

Measures adopted for overcoming Problems for Multigrade Teaching

In a national workshop on "UPE for the Disadvantaged group of people" suggestions for mobile schools and Mobile teachers in the tribal areas were made. Suggestions for writing textbooks in the local languages have also been made.

Success in the IMFACT system of multigrade teaching was not up to expectations and it has been replaced by SIMPLE - a non-modular delivery system which is expected to be more hitful. It is being maled in 24 schools.

The Curriculum is being renewed and textbooks are being written.

Proposal or Improving Multigrade Schools

Special training for the teachers of multigrade teaching should be emphasised. Short in-service courses should also be arranged for teachers in normal rural schools. School supervision should be improved and strengthened.

Inputs Required

improved methodologies can be introduced. Fruitful research on multigrade teaching is required so that

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Bangladesh

Radio and T.V. programmes on Multigrade teaching should be included in educational broadcasting programmes.

Videos can be made and used for teacher training and for primary school teaching. A number of additional materials are necessary for successful teaching-learning in multigrade schools.

Many schools have no buildings, benches, chalk-boards, latrines, electricity, library, radios or science-kits. The government, community and the parents should be encouraged to come forward to help solve problems.

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PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Multigrade Teaching

Multigrade teaching (MGT) is a situation where one teacher teaches two or more grades in one classroom at the same time. MGT is one of the primary teaching forms, a research area in schooling pedagogy. However, very little research has been conducted in this aspect. Considering from certain angles, MGT is an "art". W h e n the quality of MGT is compared to mono-grade teaching, it is no worse and may even be better if MGT is properly implemented.

Incidence and Population Profile The existence of MGT is decided by geographical factors,

population distribution, economic development and other conditions. Generally, MGT is widely practised in the mountainous, remote and poor areas and is a main form of primary education there. According to 1986 statistics, classes using MGT made up 12.12% of all classes in the rural areas of the whole country. In Hebei Province, the quality of MGT classes makes up 22% of the total teaching classes in primary schools in the whole province. Moreover, in Chengde prefecture, Hebei Province, which is mountainous, remote and poor, MGT classes makes 57% of the total. As for Zhangjakan prefecture, Hebei Province, it makes up 82%.

In recent years, the trend towards MGT in primary schools is' increasing. Firstly, because of the implementation of family planning, the birth rate is decreasing. Secondly, because of the development of the commodity economy, people are leaving the countryside for the cities and the population in some villages is decreasing.

China believes that the rural areas are the key place to popularize primary education, however the mountainous, remote and poor districts are difficult contexts. Thus, the government pays great consideration to MGT.

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PeopleS Republic of China

W h e n one teacher deals with the pupils of several grades, a complex classroom structure is developed. Compared to instruction for pupils in a single grade, the pupils receive less direct teaching and engage in more self-studying activities. This is the essential feature of MGT which consists of both negative factors and latent positive factors.

Learning Difficulties and Other Problems Faced To consider the situation at this juncture, many primary

a. Many teachers, who do not master the regular pattern of MGT, cannot carry out this form of teaching well:

schools using MGT face plenty of problems and difficulties.

b. Textbooks in use for primary schools only meet the need of mono-grade teaching but not MGT;

c. There is a universal need for suitable apparatus which can be used for M G T .

Measures Adopted To Overcome Difficulties and Problems

To overcome some of the difficulties and to improve the quality of MGT, the following measures have been adopted in China.

Teaching, Research and Teachers' Training on MGT

a. With the support and subsidization of Unesco, in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, in 1986, and in Zhangjakan City, Hebei Province, in 1986, two national workshops were organized, which aroused considerable interest on the part of the provincial governments, and pushed them to strengthen the work of research and training on MGT.

b. A provincial research workshop on MGT was organized in 1987, and anather provincial training workshop was conducted in 1988.

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In 1987, the Hebei Provincial Research and Training Centre of MGT was set up. Led by the Education Commission of Hebei Province, its mission is to:

a. Carry out research on MGT, to sum up and popularize experiences of MGT;

b. Train multigrade teachers and improve their professional skills on MGT; and

c. Provide information, materials and advisory assistance to teachers working in multigrade situations.

After the establishment of the centre it:

a. Organized four workshops in for 160 multigrade teachers in the countryside. After returning, these key teachers then conducted training of other multigrade teachers. Thus a network is being formed in the whole province;

b. Continuously sent out teachers to go round the countries and villages to train multigrade teachers in primary schools and to give demonstration lectures to solve problems encountered; and

c. Has conducted a workshop for normal schools and trained personnel, to equip them with the skills for multigrade teaching.

The centre trained multigrade teachers not only for Hebei province itself but also for the Provinces of Heilongjian, Yunnan, Shanxi, Qing-hai, Jilin, etc. The centre has been asked to help train multigrade teachers for Qing-hai Province and Noimonggoi autonomous regions etc. The provincial centre has achieved great success and vast influence in the whole country. It has been given great consideration by the National Education Commission of China.

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People's Republic of China

Training of Multigrade Teachers

The following training aspects have been covered.

a. To make the teacher aware of importance of MGT, love the countryside and MGT;

b. To improve teaching skills of MGT, teachers should master the key and difficult points of textbooks to stress the essentials and teach carefully; they should pay attention to fostering self-studyng ability; arrange school time table scientifically; arrange pupils seat order suitably; train helpful "little teachers"; and establish a perfect class community.

Preparation of Textual Materials

a. Writing of textbooks for MGT. It has been carried out by Zhejiang Province, Luliang Prefecture, Shandong Province and Hebei Province. Textbook compiling, according to the Primary teaching Programme, is not allowed to reduce standards laid down in the National Curriculum.

b. In line with the characteristics of MGT, the monograde textbooks in use are being re-adjusted.

Teaching Aids Suited to the Needs of MGT

a. The c o m m o n blackboard has been adopted in a number of ways including folding blackboards, pulling blackboards, multi-layer blackboards, etc.

b. Tape-recorders, slide projectors, etc are being used in multigrade classes.

Proposals for Improving Multigrade Teaching China will consider its o w n objective conditions, try to

learn, transplant and see helpful experiences from other countries, and promote MGT to a new level.

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W e should pay more attention to MGT in primary schools to set it up into a system and give it a proper identity.

On-going Teacher training will be emphasized so that teachers can master the skills of MGT.

More attention should be given to train "Little teachers" or "little assistants". "Little teachers" actually are pupils. Their task is, under the teacher's direction, to organize pupils self-study, and help others when there is no direct teaching by the teacher. However, the role of the "little teachers" should not be exaggerated.

Establishment of a class community should be emphasized. A class has more than one grade, but members help each other and actively try to help the progress of the group.

It is also important to closely combine school education with family education.

Inputs Required China hopes to further cooperate with Unesco on the subject

of research and training of MGT in primary schools and to get support and financial help from Unesco.

a. It is proposed that Unesco might organize sub-regional training workshop on MGT in primary schools in the year 1989 and in the coming years.

b. Hebei Provincial Centre of Research and Training for MGT will go further to enlarge its capacity to provide an educational service. Besides the service for its o w n province, it will also work for the country. It will organize workshops, publish "News Report on MGT," provide information, materials, and advice for the whole country. It will also compile a biography for teachers w h o engage themselves in MGT in primary schools for a long period of time, to commend their contributions to MGT in primary schools and popularize their experiences.

c. Hebei province is engaged in compiling textbooks for MGT. The main problems encountered is lack of funds.

26

INDIA

Multigrade Teaching

Multigrade teaching situations imply teaching of two or more grades by one teacher simultaneously. In some places, if the first two grades are assigned to one teacher, it is also referred to as a nongraded or Combination class. Multiple Class Teaching is another term popularly useci for multigrade teaching.

Incidence

Multigrade teaching in al primary schools is phenomenal. There are approximately 188,000 (around 34%) primary schools with one teacher and about 144,000 (around 27%) primary schools with two teachers.

About 68% of the villages in India have a population of less than 500 persons. Primary schools in such villages are likely to practise multigrade teaching.

Population Profiles of Areas Where Multigrade Schools are Located

Most people are poor and illiterate. They have to work very hard. Agriculture and allied activities including cattle rearing are their mainstay. In the tribal (Aborigine) areas, the people subsist on fruit and wood gathering, collection of weeds and herbs from the forest and shifting cultivation. In the coastal areas, fishing is the main activity. In the deserts, sheep grazing is practised. In the mountainous regions, cattle grazing in the pastures, fruit growing in the meadows and fuel Wood collection in general are pursued. A large proportion of the population seeks employment or self employment as landless labour.

27


Leaming Difficulties and other Problems faced

Learning difficulties are the obstacles which stand in the way of learners comprehension in learning situations characterised by multigrade teaching.

In the Indian situation, most of the primary schools practising multigrade teaching suffer from inadequate material resources.

Teachers attention and pupils participation in classroom teaching-learning is very often obstructed.

In remote areas, teachers passivity, irregularity, ill planning, non-accountability and engagement in non-academic pursuits create and maintain a low school profile.

Inadequate teacher training in the planning and organization of multigrade teaching coupled with an urban biased educational system continue to keep the quality of education low.

Parental aspiration for the child's future and educational progress is low.

The enrolment ratios are low while the incidence of drop-outs are high. It is particularly distressing in the case of girls.

Measures Adopted to Overcome Difficulties and Problems

- Grades I and II are treated as a non-graded unit and are taken by teachers as a combination class.

- Schemes in the form of ancillary services to pupils have been implemented. These include supply of uniforms, textbooks, and stipends to learners. Book banks are also provided to the schools. In several regions, mid-day meals are being provided.

- Primary education is free in the sense that no fees is charged at this stage.

28

India

- Teacher guides on multigrade teaching are being brought out and video cassettes are being prepared.

- Multigrade teaching is included in the general In-service Teacher Education Programme. It is proposed to include multigrade teaching in the teacher Education Curriculum Framework - a document providing a basis for developing Pre-service and In-service teacher education courses. A multimedia kit for one teacher schools has also been designed.

Projects Conducted, Models Evolved and Degree of Success Achieved

The National Policy on Education (1986) has envisaged a special scheme for improving the conditions of small schools in rural areas. The scheme is known as OPERATION BLACKBOARD. It is contemplated that at least two reasonably large rooms that are usable in all weather and which are equipped with the necessary toys, blackboards, maps, charts and other learning material will be provided. At least two teachers, one of w h o m a woman, should work in every school, with the number increasing as early as possible to one teacher per class. A phased drive will be undertaken to improve primary schools all over the country. Teacher training materials, special kits and equipment for primary schools are under preparation.

Proposals for Improving Multigrade Schools Curriculum Planning and Transaction

It is necessary to re-structure the existing Primary education curriculum in its entirety to evolve a comprehensive curriculum package for use in multigrade schools. There is a need for both analysis and synthesis of competencies into instructional units for accommodating methodologies on multigrade teaching. Instructional material preparation in a detailed way to cover the entire textual material will have to be undertaken. Teaching aids based on low cost material especially suited to schools in villages which have not yet been electrified will have to be evolved. A scheme of continuous, comprehensive evaluation suited ta non-graded multilevel ability groups will have to be worked out.

29


Teacher Training

It is proposed to develop a comprehensive in-service teacher education programme for primary school teachers serving in multigrade schools. The programme would include work practice on material and teaching practice based on simulation and role play strategies.

Multigrade teaching is being proposed as a component in pre-service teacher education programmes.

Institutional Planning, Clarsroom Management and School Supervision

planning and classroom management of multigrade schools.

programmes for school supervisors.

A Teachers Guide is to be brought out on institutional

There is a vital need for developing in-service orientation

Inputs Required India is a large country with material and human resources

but it has often been observed that Unesco collaboration and inter-country cooperation serve as catalysts to programme generation. There is a need to provide Unesco status and project support for conducting some significant activities such as:

- Development of teachers handbook on methodologies for multigrade teaching

- Development of teachers guide on institutional planning and classroom management

- Development of a teachers kit on multigrade teaching - Development of a comprehensive package for the In-service teacher education

- Development of a comprehensive package for the In-service education of school supervisors.

30

India

- There is a need to conduct needs-assessment studies of multigrade schools selected on a sample basis from different regions. The findings would yield data for further research activities.

31

INDONESIA

Multigrade Teaching

Multigrade teaching is based on the assumption that there is a reversing relationship between a student's capability for self-learning (without the teacher's assistance) and a student's dependence on the teacher, and that this relationship is in line with the grade level. The lower the grade level, the more is the dependence on the teacher but the higher the grade level, the less dependence on the teacher.

In addition to this, there is a conviction that peers and upper graders are capable of furthehg assistance to classmates and lower graders.

Finally, carefully prepared self-instructional materials can be satisfactorily used in grade IV onwards because the student has developed self-learning abilities and lessened hisher dependence on the teacher.

Incidence

Multigrade teaching is practised in almost all provinces of Indonesia, particularly in small communities with less than 100 school age children, in poor communities with a considerable number of dropouts and unschooled children w h o cannot attend school during ordinary school hours, among nomadic groups in the small archipelagos w h o routinely migrate in schools with less than the required number of teachers because some teachers have left their posts for some reason or another, and in classes which are expanding because of increasing enrolments where additional teachers have not yet been provided.

Population profiles

Multigrade teaching practices are observed in poor, rural communities living in small settlements with less than 500 people. Transportation is a big problem and isolation is the norm. Most

32

Indonesia

communities are culturally deprived and left out from the mainstream. Efforts to resettle those people have registered failures because they are strongly culturally attached to their settlements.

Learning Difficulties - There are no scientific/special techniques for multigrade

- There is no special curriculum and the present cumculum

- Infrastructures are unsuitable.

teaching.

is the same as for ordinary primary schools.

- There is a lack of self-study or Do It Yourself materials. - There is a lack of audio-visual and other teaching-learning aids.

- Teachers have a heavy load in preparing lesson plans. - Some students come from distant settlements and have to encounter hardships on their way to and from school. Rain, forests, rivers, waves and hunger are c o m m o n problems for young children attending the school.

- Loneliness is a problem when there is only one child in one grade or only one girl but many boy students.

- The recruitment of experts or local instructors is not always smooth. Adjustment of the timetable is another problem when teachers try to fit instructions from the experts into school activities.

Other Problems

- The remoteness of many settlements makes it difficult for supervisors to give proper supervision.

- These places are usually beyond the public traffic routes. Consequently they are almost inaccessible using public transportation. Special arrangement must be made if visitation is to take place.

33


- Sending additional teachers is not easy because most teachers avoid assignment to such places.

- Salaries of teachers working in cities and such areas are the same. Teachers are discouraged from filling remote rural posts.

Measures Adopted - The creation of modules. - The provision of 3-room schools with teacherss houses. - Increasing school visits. - Creating a typology of primary schools to allocate resources (rooms, teachers, budgets and others).

- Annual in-service courses for multigrade teachers. - Improving the promotion and rotation system for personnel.

Projects Conducted:

a. The Pamong Primary School Project in Solo, Central Java. This is the first generation multigrade teaching model. This type of school is no longer in existence but there is an indication that this type will be revived.

b. The Small School Project. The prototype was developed in Central Kalimantan in 1978. The model created through this experiment has been adopted officially by the Directorate of Primary Schools. More small schools are being established throughout Indonesia.

c. The Pamong/Small School Project in East Java. This is the third version of the Solo Pamong Primary School, specifically designed to provide education for dropouts and unschooled children living in small remote areas nearby densely populated cities.

34

Indonesia

The Small School Project has registered successes in increasing enrolment and providing quality education.

Proposals for Improving Multigrade Schools a. Curriculum Planning and Transaction

A Special curriculum, based on the common curriculum, must be developed and adjusted to the specific conditions of multigrade schools. The three lower class grades may have to be treated as a non-grade unit. Simplified textbooks which integrate many subjects will ease the teaching-learning load and in the meantime reduce the cost of printing and distribution.

b. Teacher Training

Pre-service course

Teachers normal school (SPG) and teachers college should include multiple class teaching course in their curriculum. Student teachers in areas practising multigrade teaching are required to engage in internship for a certain period of time in multigrade schools.

In-service training

multigrade teaching schools Annual in-service training should be periodic for teachers in

Inputs Required a. Researchon:

- the sociepedagogical effects of multigrade teaching; - the proportion of self study and direct contact; and - the upper limit of multigrade teaching in terms of teaching load and student size

35


b. Programme development:

- Integrated books and modules - Radio programmes - Television programmes - Low cost instructional materials and aids

36

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Multigrade Teaching

two or more grades simultaneously in the same classroom. Multigrade teaching is a situation where one teacher teaches

Incidence

Approximately 2% of the schools practise multigrade teaching. O f this, 81% combine two grades and 19% combine more than three grades. There is a declining trend in multigrade teaching.

Population Profiles

activities. People living in rural, remote areas pursuing agricultural

Learning Difficulties

1. The number of interactions between teacher-pupil is insufficient.

2. It is difficult to operate classes effectively.

3. Pupils preparation for the classes is insufficient.

4. Teachers' preparation for the classes is insufficient due to miscellaneous work.

Orher Problems Faced

1. Shortage of suitable facilities and school environment.

2. Lack of instruction or teaching materials which are suitable for local needs including teaching materials and source books for the teachers, worksheets, workbooks and audio-visual materials for the pupils.

37


3. Shortage of financial support form local and regional education offices.

4. Insufficient assistance for the teachers to improve their teaching abilities.

Measures adopted to overcome difficulties Greater emphasis has been placed on training teachers to

handle multigrade situations.

Projects conducted, models evolved and degree of success achieved

Piloting of materials prepared by the teachers and teacher-assisting body is being done.

Proposal for improving multigrade schools

a. Curriculum planning should be designed to fit various types of local situations.

b. Various types of teacher training programmes should be developed at. teachers colleges or teacher education institutes.

c. Along with institutional planning and school supervision programmes, local development programmes should be established by the government, if possible.

Inputs required

a. A detailed survey of the local situation needs to be done.

b. There is a need for analysis to sort out the topics suited to local needs.

c. Feasibility studies involving the preparation of teaching modules on the topics should be done.

38

Republic of Korea

d. The government authorities should actively invest public money into remote villages in order to assist multigrade classes.

e. Various types of in-service programmes for multigrade teaching should be developed.

39

MALAYSIA

Multigrade Teaching

In the Malaysian context, the term multigrade teaching schools refers to schools which have classes accommodation two or more grades of pupils of different age groups under the care of a single teacher within a classroom. These schools usually have an enrolment of between 15 and 100 pupils. There are usually less than 15 pupils in any one grade. Two or three grades are combined together in a classroom because the number of pupils in one grade does not justify the formation of a regular class.

Incidence

There are about 950 multigrade teaching schools in Malaysia which can be classified into three types, namely:

a. Under Enrolled Small Schools

Most of these schools are National Schools and National type Chinese Schools. These schools are located in traditional Malay villages along the banks of the main rivers, in small fishing villages, on tiny coastal islands, nearby big towns and also in the remote secluded areas of Sabah. Most of the Chinese multigrade teaching schools are in small Chinese settlements.

b. Estate Schools

These are the National type Tamil Schools located in rubber estates to cater for the children in these estates most of w h o m are Indian.

c. The Aboriginal Schools

About 62 of these schools are under the supervision at the Ministry of H o m e Affairs and Department of Aboriginal Affairs. These schools are normally located in the interior and remote areas of Peninsular Malaysia.

40

Malaysia

Multigrade teaching schools exist in Malaysia because of the following factors.

- Primary education was made compulsory and schools are being opened to give education to children even in remote and sparsely populated areas.

- There arenot enough teachers In small schools, the allocation of teachers is based on the

number of pupils in the schools is as given below:

below 45 -- 4 teachers including the Headmaster 46 -70 -- 5 teachers including the Headmaster 71 --lo0 -- 6 teachers including the Headmaster In the case of Aboriginal schools, usually only one or two

teachers or field officers manage a school.

Situations where the enrolment of pupils has declined as a result of:

- shifting cultivation practised by nomadic ~ b e s ; - the drift of villagers to urban areas in search of new jobs; - villagers shifting to new land on agricultural schemes; - non permanent residents such as timber workers have moved away as soon as they finish their work in one particular area.

Population Profiles Malaysia is a multiracial country with a population of about

16 million people made up of three main ethnic groups: Malay and other indigenous people, Chinese and Indians. One of the main aims of education in Malaysia is to promote national integration and unity among these ethnic groups through narrowing the gap in educational opportunities between rich and poor, and by reducing the disparities between the various regions and ethnic groups in the country.

41


At the primary level education is free and there are six standards years with automatic promotion from one year to another. Since 1970, primary education is offered in each of the three languages; namely,

a. National Schools - Malay (National Language) b. National type Schools - Either Chinese or Tamil c. Aboriginal Schools - Malay (Malay (National Language) Common content syllabi are used for all types of primary

schools, so that whatever language is used as the medium of instruction, all pupils follow the same courses in furtherance of the national Malaysian outlook.

Learning Difficulties and Other Problems Faced Problems of multigrade teaching in Malaysia can be

classified under three headings.

a. Physical Problems

i.

ii.

iii.

the schools are too far from urban centres and because of poor communication system, they are often left unattended and unsupervised,

there are insufficient funds and very little support from the community;

there are no proper quarters for teachers, no electricity, no piped water supply, and a lack of basic materials and facilities, especially in the remote aboriginal schools.

b. Teachers' Problems

i. Teachers lack skills in handling instructional problems in multigrade teaching such as adjusting the curriculum, nor do they have the combination of skiils of skills needed to adapt the syllabus to suit the various grades of pupils.

42

Malaysia

ii. Teachers often feel lonely and can easily get bored with the environment in remote areas and are not sensitive enough to the values and needs of the community.

iii. Teachers do not have the skills and knowledge required to prepare teaching aids and other suitable teaching aids by using locally available material.

c. Pupils' Problems

i. Pupils are often left out by the teachers and are disturbed by the learning activities of the other grou ps/grade s.

ii. They do not have enough exposure to the mass media and are not aware of the relevance of education.

iii. The illiteracy rate among parents is high especially in the communities of the aborigines and the indigenous tribes of the interior secluded areas of Sabah.

iv. Poor living conditions, inadequate medical care and ' malnutrition affects the mental and physical growth

of children.

v. Lack of regular attendance is a problem caused by the societal norms and way of life in many remote area communities.

Measures Adopted to Overcome Difficulties Project Schools

Several schools have been selected as project schools in Peninsular Malaysia and also in Sabah. The aims of the project are:

- to disseminate teaching learning strategies - to introduce additional activities such as using free materials as teaching aids, and improving face-to-face

43


teaching, and peer group teaching by obtaining parental or community involvement.

A series of courses and workshops were given to the Headmasters and teachers engaged in multigrade teaching schools to make them more efficient and help them acquire the required managerial and administrative abilities needed for conducting multigrade teaching schools. The workshops also provided for the exchange of ideas and experiences concerning the new approaches, methods and materials used in their schools.

Efforts have been made to prepare and provide reference materials such as guide books and samples of teaching aids made from low cost or no-cost materials to these schools.

S o m e children have been relocated from very sparsely populated areas to regular schools in the town.

Proposal for Improving Multigrade Schools

Curriculum development

Teachers in pre-service and in-service courses should be trained to modify the curriculum to match the requirement of multigrade teaching. They should know how to select and combine certain topics, and develop skills in the syllabus which are relevant to the grades of pupils involved in their lessons.

Teaching Strategies and Methods

The need to be exposed to several suitable methods of teaching such as class methods, group methods and individual methods. They should also be able to group the pupils according to their abilities and interests.

Diagnosis and Evaluation of Teaching

Teachers should be trained to conduct diagnostic tests. Teachers should be able to master the techniques of data gathering concerning the pupils background, to identify

44

Malaysia

pupils behavioural characteristics and assess pupils progress so that they can plan and implement remedial activities for them. In conjunction with this, they can review or evaluate their teaching methods and also be able to keep pupils academic and developmental records systematically.

Production and Utilization of Teaching Aids

Teachers should be exposed to the production of teaching aids and facilities using low cost or no cost materials available from the local environment.

Inputs Required

a. Supervisors and inspectors of schools should visit these schools regularly to assess the adequacy of these schools.

b. Adequate funds should be made available annually to such schools

c. The facilities should be brought in line to overcome problems of poor communication system, illiteracy and mainu tri tion

d. Special importance should be given to training the teachers required to teach in multigrade teaching schools.

e. To compensate for the lack of comfort and convenience enjoyed by their friends in the towns, the teachers should be provided with some kind of incentives including better facilities and allowance so that they would remain in these areas until the junior teachers acquire enough experience and skills to take over their responsibilities when they are transferred to such schools.

45

MALDIVES

Multigrade Teaching

Multigrade teaching refers to the teaching of more than one grade level simultaneously by one teacher. It also connotes teaching in one classroom of more than one age group of children with varying ability.

Incidence

There is a high incidence of multigrade teaching in the distant and remote island schools operating under the labels of makthab, madhrasa or primary school. It is commonly practised in kiyavaage or edhuruge which are informal preschools. Government efforts in the last decade to provide more teachers and better school facilities have led to a downward trend in multigrade classes.

Population Profiles

They are located on geographically remote, distant and widely dispersed islands. Access to these islands is very difficult in view of poor transportation and communication. The population is small and the number of children are few, but of varying ages. Socio-economic conditions are poor.

Learning Difficulties

Pupils experience many learning difficulties arising from: under-nourishment, lack of motivation for schooling, lack of learning materials, poor physical conditions and poor learning environment, poor quality of teaching, lack of exposure to modernity, inflexibility of curriculum, low self-concept, low level of independence and competitiveness.

46

Maldives

Other Problems Faced

a. The teacher is over burdened, being required to prepare lesson plans for all grades and attend to administrative and clerical matters;

b. Supervision is inadequate and there are insufficient in-service courses;

c. The problems are compounded by frequent absenteeism and the high rate of turn-over of teachers;

d. Many teachers, administrators and communities regard multigrade teaching as inferior to ,monograde teaching; and

e. Skills related to multigrade teaching are not adequately covered in pre-service and in-service courses.

Measures Adopted to Overcome Difficulties

a.

b.

C.

d.

e.

Government commitment to achieve the goal of UPE by 1995.

National workshops on Education in Difficult Contexts (1987) and Multigrade Teaching (1988) have been conducted. Handbook and materials produced during the workshops are to be made available to atoll teachers.

Physical upgrading of selected island schools has continued since 1978; regular government funding for selected island schools to employ more teachers and upgrade physical facilities has continued since 1979.

he-service teacher education activities have expanded and more atoll teachers have been trained.

Innovative and unconventional means of training untrained teachers are used - e.g using practice teaching for trainees in the atolls to upgrade teachers in remote island schools.

47


In-service education is regularly provided through radio programmes for teachers.

Community newsletters and journals for teachers are used to further educate teachers.

Atoll Education Centres (AECs) have been established to serve all schools in the atoll.

Textbooks and teachers guides have been produced in most subjects since 1984 and made available to teachers and pupils.

In-service courses - especially on-site teacher education courses - are conducted in the atolls.

Projects Conducted ond Models Evolved

No projects on multigrade teaching have been conducted to date.

Proposals For Improving Multigrade Schools Curriculum Planning and Transaction

a. Greater flexibility in all aspects of the curriculum is needed to permit teachers to modify, adjust and reformulate both the content and methods to match the requirement of the pupils in line with the objectives of the national curriculum.

b. Appropriate supplementary teachingearning materials need to be produced. These include learning modules in key subjects, "survival" type support materials similar to those produced in the workshop held in 1987. A variety to such materials is necessary for decreased direct teaching and increased self-study and peer group study.

Teacher Training

a. We need to ensure that the skills and practices needed for multigrade teaching constitute an integral part of pre-service and in-service courses. The skills should

48

Maldives

include: mixed ability teaching, individualizing instruction, creating a flexible time table, use of monitoring assistance, use of peer tutoring, encouraging and training pupils for self-learning and self-study, organizing group work, developing work sheets and work cards, coping with slow, average and fast learners, evaluation of pupils progress, gaining parental and community support, making the best use of available facilities, and producing low cost teaching aids.

b. Those involved in the training of teachers need to be exposed to short orientation programmes with a view to encouraging a positive attitude to multigrade teaching. They also need to recognize that multigrade teaching is an art in itself which requires special skills.

c. A hndbook or manual should be prepared containing key skills for multigrade teaching. It should incorporate the view of experienced teachers about what works in multigrade teaching.

d. Encouragement and due recognition should be given to successful teachers in multigrade teaching situations. Information about their work could be disseminated through regular radio programmes for teachers, the community newsletter, and the teachers' journal.

e. Multigrade teaching methodology should be given high priority in in-service courses for atoll teachers.

f. In-service courses should be more frequent and less centralized to meet the practical needs of atoll teachers.

g. In order to staff and maintain staff levels in remote island schools, it might be useful to:

- offer incentives and inducements to teach in remote island schools, and

- require trained teachers to undertake a set period of remote island service.

49


Institutional Planning, Classroom Management & Supervision a. Teachers need training in effective classroom

organization (establishing special areas for specific activities, seating arrangement for various tasks etc). This will conmbute to effective teaching.

b. Teachers need to be informed about the most productive method of combining grades in a multigrade class.

c. W e should ensure that a system of supervision is developed and that the remote island schools are more frequently visited by supervisors with the professional ability and skill to help teachers.

d. Teacher assistants should be trained and utilised.

Inputs Required Research

a.

b.

C.

Surveys may he conducted to gather data on all aspects of multigrade teaching to help planning efforts;

Research directed towards solving urgent problems of multigrade teaching (e.g. which grades can best be combined in a multigrade class) need to be conducted; and

The socio-pedagogical factors related to multigrade teaching should be investigated.

Programme Development

a. Greater support for multigrade teachers through the weekly radio programme, the monthly newsletter and the annual teachers' journal should be extended.

Extension Services

a. The AEC to provide extension service to all schools in that particular atoll may be utilised. The head teacher of

50

Maldives

the AEC could serve as the chief extension officer. Resource centres at AECs should be further developed for this purpose.

Material Resources

a. The programme of physically upgrading of island schools should further be paced so as to reach many more remote and poor island schools.

b. The small schools should solicit the support of parents and the community to upgrade the physical resources.

51

NEPAL

Multigrade Teaching

Multigrade teaching is a method by which children of different levels (class 1-V) are taught in a single class room. This system of teaching is practised in village schools, where the number of teachers and children is small. One can find in a class room one or two children of level four learning Arithmetic while others of level three learning language. The atmosphere of such a small class room is homely. Due to the very small number of potential students in a hilly pocket of human habitation, it becomes very expensive to employ teachers for each grade and build separate class rooms for each level.

In the system of multigrade teaching, students are taught according to their ability. Let us take an example of a class consisting of 30 students. Among them w e can find 5 good students being taught in one way, 10 average students being taught in another way and the rest 15 students of below average intelligence being taught at a much slower speed. Some of them, in this way, can finish studies within a few months, while others hardly finish their studies even in a year.

Multigrade school system of primary education has been very much in vogue in the mountainous and hilly regions of the kingdom. The industrial model of setting up a school centrally is not feasible in the remote mountainous and hilly regions, where the settlement pattern is sparse and scattered. The dearth of teachers and students in a small village is a deterrent for the establishment of primary school in the remote areas. In such circumstances, the model of multigrade teaching school can be of great help.

In the remote villages this system of multigrade teaching is very useful. Due to shortage of trained teachers, the low number of students and the non availability of well furnished class rooms, this system can be very practical. But the teachers should have a sound knowledge of teaching all or most of the subjects prescribed. This system in a way is very scientific but very difficult too. It is quite different in comparison to grade teaching, non-grade teaching and subject teaching.

52

Nepal

Incidence

In Nepal due to the mountainous and hilly nature of the country and the inadequate system of transportation, one can find very few schools in remote villages. In the village primary school, the number of students enrolled in a particular grade is often very low, so only one teacher looks after all the classes. In a remote village the number of students from grade I to V is less than 100.

Population Profile People are engaged in agrarian and allied activities in

mountainous regions, incomes are low, there is a paucity of resources, the literacy rate is low.

Learning Difficulties and Other Problems a.

b.

C.

d.

e.

f.

g.

Most schools have small classrooms. In this environment students can not be taught in groups and the quality of teaching is also adversely affected.

As schools are located far from home, the attendance of students becomes very poor. A m o n g those admitted, some drop out and some become irregular.

Many school-going children have to graze cattle or stay home looking after their small brothers and sisters. They are denied their right to learn.

Obtaining writing paper, pens and pencils is another problem for poor students.

Desks, benches and blackboards are not adequately provided to classrooms. Other teaching aids are also lacking.

Teacher training programmes do not provide adequate skills for multigrade teaching.

During planting and harvesting seasons schools are compelled to close. As Nepal is an agricultural country, every member of the family is engaged in work.

53


h.

i.

j-

k.

1.

Evaluation records of the students are not properly maintained

Parents and guardians, after admitting their children, think their responsibilities are over.

Sports activities are not organized

Often trained teachers can not be found. If available they do not want to stay longer in remote area schools.

The students come to school with very inadequate preparation for school. In the villages teaching at home is non-existent. School teaching is all there is from which the students can learn.

Suggestions for Improving Multigrade Teaching by Teachers

a.

b.

C.

d.

e.

f.

The main aim of the school is to maintain an atmosphere for admitting many students, so classroom should be spacious, airy and well lighted.

The teacher, after studying the subject matter to be taught, should decide about how to proceed without adhering to the formal routine.

Lecture type of teaching should be avoided. Students should be encouraged to expand on the points given by their teachers. A pupil-centred approach is imperative.

Teachers should help students to form groups according to their ability and intelligence.

In formulating class routines, arrangements should be such that in a class room with two grades the same subject is taught at the same time.

Practical work should be done in a separate room with the assistance of another teacher or teacher assistant or any other aide.

54

Nepal

g. While teaching two groups together, two teachers should try to teach them one by one.

h. The primary school should be established at a place within reach of every child.

i. To decrease the drop-out rate and increase the number of students, efforts should be made to provide free school uniform in addition to free tuition fee, free text books and free food.

j. Routine evaluation of the working capacity of teachers, their service security, award and punishment should be done periodically.

k. The teachers at the primary level should be trained according to changing circumstances and with particular training in skills and methodology of multigrade teaching.

1. The inhabitants of the villages should be well informed about the importance and necessity of education. This may need regular contact sessions with parents.

m. From the early period, students should be encouraged to learn in groups and help each other.

n. While forming groups care should be taken of the level of every student. For example, such of the students doing very well in one grade should be promoted to the higher grade without waiting for the end of the term.

o. In group teaching, problems of common interest should be presented and discussed

Inputs required

Nepal's aspiration to achieve universalization of primary education by the year 2000 A.D. is commensurate with the country's desire to abolish illiteracy from the land and build up a sound infrastructure for development and prosperity. The major obstacles to this goal are due to geographical, economic and

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attitudinal constraints. The isolated hamlets and villages far flung from one another with steep mountains and fast-flowing rivers and streams forbidding communication and contact with one another, pose a major difficulty. Their lack of exposure to modern means and methods has still kept a major section of the rural population shrouded in age-old superstitions and apathy.

The dearth of trained teachers, the problem of production and distribution of essential reading material, and the difficulty of providing essential physical facilities for schools are some of the major difficulties requiring solution and inputs into the system.

One effective strategy to break this deadlock, is the implementation of a well planned Multigrade System of Teaching' and training of primary school teachers. One large room can substitute for many different classrooms. Even one teacher can take care of all the children; the heterogeneity of age and previous learning does not become a hindrance; a general atmosphere of homeliness and opportunities for group work can prevail; school-age children w h o have to stay at home to look after their small brothers and sisters can come to school with them so that toddlers can play with one another and even get habituated to going to school. School becomes an extension of home.

However, a few essential criteria need to be fulfilled if such a system is to work. Multigrade teaching is a science in that it needs special techniques and at the same time it is an art because it requires an unders tanding of human relationship. The teacher therefore, needs careful training before he can teach such classes. The classroom has to be large, airy, comfortable, and well-lit. Textbooks, writing paper and pencils and above all, good food, should be made available to all the children free of cost because this not only prepares the child for education but also motivates the parents to send their children to school. Once home and school trust one another, half the battle is won. Teachers and educators of this part of the world should sit down together and exchange their experiences and opinions and formulate and build up sound strategies so that a brighter future for the children of the region can be ensured. It is education and only education that can provide a key to the magic Kingdom of our best visions.

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PAKISTAN

Multigrade Teaching Multigrade teaching is a system where a single teacher is

make responsible for teaching more than one class in one classroom.

Normally the problem is faced in rural, sparsely populated areas, where the number of students enrolled does not warrant posting of one teacher for each class: sometimes, due to financial constraints, the posting of more teachers is not possible. Multiple class teaching may be practised in large schools sometimes, when a teacher is absent for one reason or other and a substitute is not available.

Population Profile In Pakistan, the majority of the population lives in rural

areas, but it is not evenly distributed. The density of population varies from area to area. For example, the province of Baluchistan is the largest province in area, but it has the lowest population. In such a situation, multigrade teaching is a reality. It is a problem and has to be faced, to achieve the goals of universalization of primary education in the shortest possible time.

Learning Difficulties and Other Problems Faced Cmiculwdextbooks

There is a view that w e should have a different curriculum and textbooks for multigrade schools and another for schools where one teacher teaches one class. But this is not logical. Apart from financial and other considerations, it poses very serious questions, because the two streams running parallel will never meet, thus the long-term results will not be positive when the students from two different streams join the secondary stage.

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Physical facilities

Multigrade schools particularly those in remote areas are given step-motherly treatment in terms of physical facilities although as a matter of fact and natural justice, a single teacher teaching more than one class deserves more facilities in terms of school buildings, furniture, teaching matenal/aids, etc, so that he can compensate for the difficulties and his burden becomes light. H e needs more funds to develop teaching aids from locally available cheap material.

Measures adopted to overcome problems

A n experiment on Integrated curriculum is being conducted. It is expected to reduce the burden of the teacher, and will also lighten the curriculum load of the children. In doing so care is being taken to ensure quality. This is being done by incorporating all the concepts/course contents of existing curriculum in the integrated curriculum. Thus for classes 1-111, there are only two books: one language book, covering concepts of languages, social-studies, science, Islamiat, etc and the other is for Mathematics. There will be teacher versions (teacher guides) of these books giving greater details of the subject matter, enabling the teacher to prepare his daily lessons, to use the modules and incorporate the different subjects.

Proposals for Improving Multigrade Teaching The teacher is the central figure in the teaching-learning

process. Unless he is well-equipped and trained in the latest techniques and motivated to undertake his assignment seriously, nothing can be achieved.

So far, the teacher-training programmes have not concentrated on teaching in multigrade schools. It is important that pre-service and in-service teacher-training programmes are so organized that the teacher becomes familiar with the problems of multigrade teaching if theoretical teaching does not work, trainees should be must be given practical teaching experience during the training period.

Normally, practice teaching by trainees is done in large primary schools in the cities, where the training institute is located.

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Pakistan

Here the practising schools have one class teacher for each class. The school has all the physical facilities available. When the teacher with such experience is posted to some remote area and is asked to track two or more classes in a very different situation

multigrade malaysia

Documents

multigrade education

multigrade teaching

multigrade teaching

office of educational

goal of universal education

small primary schools

pacific bangkok

educational contexts