INTRODUCTION
Suriname became independent on 25 November 1975 and has been one of the 14
member states of the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM) since 1995. It is a
democratic republic headed by a president. The country is situated on the northeast
coast of the mainland of South America, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (to the north),
and the neighbouring countries of Guyana (to the west), French Guiana (to the east) and
Brazil (to the south).
With a surface area of ca. 150,000 km2, a tropical climate, a vast, virtually pristine
rainforest and a unique population composition, Suriname is an attraction especially for
eco-tourists from all parts of the world. The make-up of Suriname’s population
comprising 10 ethnic groups and at least as many mixed types, originates from its
colonial past. From the 17th to the 20th century the respective colonial rulers imported
slaves and indentured labourers from Africa and Asia.
Despite the wide variety of population groups, Suriname has never known any racial
riots, with the different population groups existing and living together in peace. The
acceptance of and appreciation by each group for the other cultures is remarkable.
During the past years, moreover, there has also been a clearly noticeable integration of
the different cultures in many areas.
Composition of the population
The original inhabitants of Suriname are Amerindians. Following the seizure of the land
by European powers, the indigenous people were driven into the hinterland when it
appeared that they were unable to do the heavy work at the plantations. Negro slaves
from Africa were then brought in to do the work. After slavery was abolished, Chinese,
Indians and Javanese were brought in from Asia as indentured labourers. In the course
of time, colonists from nearly all parts of the world (among them Lebanese, Portuguese
and Jews) have settled in Suriname.
The different population groups brought not only their culture, but also their language.
In addition to Dutch, as the official medium of instruction, numerous native languages
are spoken in Suriname. The standard speech used by nearly all population groups is
Sranantongo.
Most population groups are multilingual, speaking 2-3 languages. Throughout the years,
however, the different languages have been subject to the influences of the other
languages. In consequence, none of these languages has retained its authentic, standard
form. The languages have become Surinamese. Well-known examples are Surinamese
Dutch and Sarnami Hindi.
In addition to the variety of languages, Suriname is also rich in cultural expressions that
are typical of the different population groups: customs and traditions, rituals and
ceremonies, religions, music, cultural dances, and last but not least, different eating
habits. This colourful diversity of cultures and cultural expressions and the harmonious
relationship between groups makes a profound impression on foreigners visiting the
country.
A significant contribution to the process of nation building is made by the educational
sector. The public schools are generally open to all population groups, irrespective of
religion, race, sex and social background. Only in denominational schools which
support a specific persuasion, is religion a specific entrance requirement. During recent
years, however, this condition of admission is increasingly less imposed, so that this
group of schools as well is attended by members of nearly all sections of the population.
1.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN SURINAME
In Suriname, curriculum development for the school levels of pre-primary education,
primary education, secondary education at junior level (VOJ) and secondary education
at senior level (VOS) is, in principle, a task of the Department Curriculum
Development.
The development of curricula for specific vocational training, including technical and
domestic science education, for nursing courses and higher professional education is the
responsibility of the relevant institutions which are accountable to the Ministry of
Education. The methods for pre-primary and primary education are Surinamese
methods which, since 1980, are developed by the Department Curriculum Development.
The methods for VOJ and VOS schools are for the time being still "imported" methods,
primarily originating from the Netherlands (because of the medium of instruction). The
necessary adaptation of things typically Dutch or European is carried out by subject
teachers and instructors. Recently, efforts have been made to introduce methods
developed outside the Ministry of Education into the schools. Such methods are then
offered for sale to the Ministry of Education by those engineering them.
2. PRINCIPLES OF CURRICULUM DESIGN AND REFORM PROCESS IN
SURINAME
The main principles underlying the process of curriculum development in Suriname are:
1. The primary school curriculum must relate to the problems, needs and interests of
Surinamese children;
2. The emphasis in the educational process must be to promote insight;
3. The school must apply the principle that children learn best by doing, that is by
being involved in the classes both physically and mentally;
4. The primary school curriculum must be balanced as regards the aspects of
education;
5. The school must enable children to learn at a different pace;
6. The dimensions and depth of the primary school curriculum must be determined by
the pupils' capacity to absorb and their level of language development;
7. The school must be staffed with teachers who are able to create teaching-learning
situations appropriate to the needs of all students;
8. Primary schools, as educational centres, must make conscious use of the advantages
of organized contact with the parents;
9. Primary schools must give special attention to the development of communication
skills in Dutch with regard to children who learn this as a second language.
The strategies applied in developing and introducing new curricula have as an important
point of departure as great as possible involvement of the educational sector in the
innovation process. Furthermore, the present situation and the needs of society and the
labour market must be taken into consideration. Society desires to see topical subjects,
such as gender, human rights, child's rights, basic life skills, crime related issues, drug
and alcohol prevention, included in the curriculum. It goes without saying that the
pressure which society exerts on curriculum developers is strong and necessitates that
the curriculum is regularly evaluated and revised.
3. QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL, LIVING TOGETHER, DEMOCRACY
AND SOCIAL COHESION
Citizenship education: learning at school and in society
One of the most important points of departure for the development of new curricula is to
have them fit in with the children's perception of their environment. Children come to
school with much prior knowledge about all kinds of matters. The school's task is to
adequately take advantage of such prior knowledge, build on it and expand it in such a
manner that the child can use the knowledge and skills gained at school to apply these
in turn to its other contacts with society. In this light, the school must not only pay
attention to cognitive skills but also in like proportion to emotional, affective, social,
motor and creative skills. All these aspects should be developed in the child, so that
she/he may grow into a balanced adult. The curriculum must as much as possible
integrate all these matters as well as the pedagogical methodologies to be used.
In Suriname, the Department of Curriculum Development endeavours to
conscientiously keep abreast of the changes in society. On the other hand, interest
groups within the community also meticulously follow the process of curriculum
development. The pressure from society for regular adjustment of the methods is
therefore ever increasing. The Department of Curriculum Development is willing to
comply with such requests, but mainly because of a lack of personnel and resources, it
is not always possible to react to the needs of society within an acceptable timeframe.
Furthermore, producing textbooks to meet new curricular demands is expensive. A
compromise would be to present complementary information to schools by means of
handouts or via school television, for instance.
Social exclusion and violence education for social cohesion
In Suriname, education is available for all citizens. This implies that, in principle, all
population groups - whatever their place of residence - have free access to primary
education. The Ministry of Education must ensure that there are sufficient schools
everywhere and, except for a minimal contribution by the parents, primary education is
completely free of charge.
In consequence, the percentage of children attending primary school was very high until
recently. As a result of the domestic war (1984-1987) which was primarily fought in the
interior of Suriname, practically all schools in that area had to be closed. Some of the
schools were destroyed, moreover. Since the population moved away (refugees) to
Paramaribo and French Guiana mostly, education in that area was nearly suspended.
During recent years, the Ministry of Education has succeeded in revitalizing education
in the interior. The effects of the domestic war are clearly noticeable, however. During
the years of strife a vast number of children was unable to attend school, so that this
group of children can now hardly read or write, with some being completely illiterate.
Others were forced to drop out of school, as a result of which their chances on the
labour market are very slight. In addition, on account of the inadequate arrangements
for the evacuated families to which they belong, they find themselves at the fringes of
society.
These are all ingredients for an important breeding ground of criminal behaviour which
of late is becoming manifest among the youth of this group of inhabitants of the interior.
The result is that this entire group is stigmatized as criminal by the other sections of the
population which, in turn, leads to social exclusion (isolation).
Of course this is a dangerous, even explosive situation. Fortunately, there is a growing
body of opinion that this group should be supported in its rehabilitation process. To deal
with matters effectively, an inter-ministerial approach will be needed from the Ministries
of Social Affairs, Health, Justice and Police, and the Ministry of Education. The Ministry
of Education could make an important contribution in this by promoting the education,
counseling and acceptance of these children at the schools. This would involve training
the teachers, if necessary, adjusting learning programmes for the first period of
reception, and providing counseling by the school social worker and psychologist.
With regard to the remaining population groups, the process of social unification has
started much earlier and the positive results thereof are clearly noticeable. Our education
does not generally distinguish between race, sex and creed. Efforts are made to highlight
the specific characteristics and expressions of the different population groups as much as
possible to simultaneously promote the appreciation of, respect for and acceptance of
each culture.
Shared values, cultural diversity and education: what to learn and how?
Suriname has a wide variety of population groups which, as already stated, have
preserved their own authentic forms and expression of culture. Suriname is one of the
few former European colonies in which descendants from slaves and indentured
labourers have succeeded in preserving in largely original form the culture their
ancestors brought with them. Western influences have hardly affected these forms and
expressions of culture. Moreover, all population groups - mindful of the principles of
democracy - are free to practise their own culture without any restriction.
Despite the variety, all groups have a feeling of solidarity as Surinamese nationals. The
love of the native soil, the Sranantongo as a common language and the Dutch language
as the medium of instruction at school make a significant contribution to this feeling of
solidarity. The latter-mentioned element provides the school with an important
instrument to foster nationalistic feelings among young Surinamese and to work on
cultural education.
The curricula have as their starting point the pupils' environment and world of
experience and give broad attention to the cultural backgrounds and forms of expression
of the various population groups. As stated earlier, original forms of cultural expression
have been preserved. Yet we observe that certain forms of expression, more in particular
language and music, have not been free from the influences of the other cultures.
The Directorate of Education has undertaken several activities throughout the years, in
conjunction with NGOs, to promote cultural expression and/or integration.
Examples of such activities are the following:
1. The Project Pencil and Brush: to stimulate young Surinamese to make drawings and
paintings about a variety of themes. The aim is to detect and stimulate talents for
drawing in children from an early phase;
2. The Banya Project: to have young Surinamese (6-24 years) produce all types of art
work on the theme: How do children and youth envisage their future;
3. The Project Bigi Brasa*: to train young Surinamese to practise cultural skills for the
purpose of transferring these to other young people. The Project Bigi Brasa also has a
"theater dimension", which is to enable young Surinamese to write and perform a
play based on a self-selected theme from their experience. They are also responsible
for the costumes, music and settings;
4. The Project Adyida*: to teach young Surinamese to play authentic percussion
instruments and put on a performance.1
The national holidays of Suriname, more in particular 1st of July (Day of National Unity)
and 25th of November (Independence Day) are used by schools and other organizations to
promote patriotic feelings and also to present the various forms of cultural expression,
including traditional costumes, music and dance styles, and dishes. In Suriname,
religious feast days have also been proclaimed as national holidays, for instance Good
Friday, Easter, Phagwa and Id Ui Fitre. These holy days are celebrated by all population
groups. Nowadays, national religious holidays are not only celebrated at the relevant
denominational schools, but also at the other schools.
4. THE MAIN PROBLEMS FACED BY CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN
SURINAME
Linguistic diversity
In Suriname over a dozen different native tongues are spoken. None of these is the
official medium of instruction. This causes problems, especially in the initial school
years, because the medium of instruction, Dutch, is in fact a foreign language. Teachers
are insufficiently prepared for this, especially when they are transferred to regions where
they do not speak the native tongue. In fact, pupils from these regions start the learning
process at a disadvantage in comparison with children from a Dutch-speaking
environment. Up to now, the curriculum has not adequately dealt with this, with no
specific curricula having been written for the different native tongues because of a lack
of resources. In recent years, however, the native tongue approach is advocated
especially for children in the interior. Preliminary studies on this subject have been
conducted by education experts of several NGOs.
Opposition in the education sector against reforms
Every reform goes accompanied by teething troubles. In the eighties, the methods for
primary schools were reformed (became Surinamese) all at once, which made the
teacher's tasks considerably more arduous. The teachers had to master some twelve new
methods at the same time. This aroused opposition, particularly as regards methods that
were entirely new in terms of design. The opposition did not foster willingness to
implement the new curricula according to the recommended methods.
These projects are an initiative of the NGO, NAKS (Na Arbeid Komt Sport -after work
comes sports)
1
Current procedure is to prepare and implement reforms in cooperation with the
educational sector. In every phase (needs assessment, development, pilot and
implementation) the educational sector is closely involved. Experience teaches that this
innovation strategy increases teacher involvement, resulting in the promotion of the
willingness to carry out reforms.
Problems during the development process
In Suriname, it is only recently that curriculum development was introduced as a main
subject at the University. For the development of curricula, the Department of
Curriculum Development has until now had to deploy subject teachers who received onthe-job training, and who gradually acquired a certain professional skill. The problem
with this procedure was that if such experienced staff left, the vacancy had to be filled
again with persons without experience in curriculum development. This caused
stagnation in the development process.
Supply of materials for new curricula (continuity)
Because of the lack of resources, the continuity of the supply of teaching-learning
materials and equipment for new curricula is not always guaranteed. As a consequence
the new approaches are not applied correctly, which has a negative impact on the results.
Curriculum developers then endeavour to include as few additional materials as possible
in the designed package which, in turn, affects the quality of education.
Ignorance of and inexperience with new didactic arts among the teachers
In Suriname there is a long tradition of whole class teaching. Hence, many teachers have
difficulty with dropping this system and apply more pupil-oriented methods. One of the
complaints is that the class becomes too noisy. In consequence, the methods are not
applied in the correct manner.
Training for practising teachers in the use and handling of new methods appeared to be
required. In addition, at teachers' colleges prospective teachers have be prepared to
effectively deal with the methods. The Department of Curriculum Development and the
teachers' colleges are working together in this respect. Furthermore, there are proposals
to regularly give refresher courses for teachers in the field.
Curriculum development in a globalizing world
Curricula must be directed at and respond to developments in the world and hence be
geared to demand on the labour market. Computers and the Internet play an important
role in this respect. For curriculum developers to be able to exploit these technologies,
they must regularly attend refresher courses in order to keep abreast of such
developments.