| Innovations introduced with beginning of new school year | ||||
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A 13% increase in the number of certified pre-school education professionals, the installation of Internet in all of the country’s schools and the introduction of improvements in school curricula are some of the objectives and innovations outlined by the Ministry of Education and Higher Learning for the 2009/2010 academic year, which will see a total of 147,000 students in the three levels of education available in the country. The new educational system was discussed Tuesday by the director of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Cláudia Silva. The Ministry of Education and Higher Learning will introduce innovations during the course of the school year that is about to begin, innovations that will be felt most by eighth, ninth and tenth grade students. Mundu Novu in schools The Mundu Novu (New World) program will introduce modernity into Cape Verde’s educational system. The program, which consists of Internet access in schools, multimedia materials, new teaching methods, the training of teachers in updated curricula and the modernization of school management through simplification and automation are the first signs of this “revolution” announced Tuesday by the director of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The revision of school curricula will lead to the inclusion of subjects such as environmental education, civil protection, school health, HIV/AIDS and human rights and citizenship. Another innovation in the coming school year will be the introduction of artistic education and information and communication technology on the elementary level, as well as the mandatory study of two foreign languages for the four years of secondary education, with the option of beginning studies in French or English at younger ages. Special attention will be given to the reinforcement of national identity and Cape Verdean culture through the subject History and Geography of Cape Verde in the seventh and eighth grades, following up on subjects introduced in the areas of Integrated Sciences and Portuguese in the fifth and sixth grades. New schools, new resource centers During the 2009/2010 school year, the Ministry of Education and Higher Learning also intends to unveil a resource center on the island of Fogo. The secondary schools in Achada Monte (São Miguel) and Salineiro (RIbeira Grande de Santiago) are also expected to open their doors. |
