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Mathematics

Mathematics is fundamental to national prosperity as it provides tools for understanding science, engineering, technology and economics. It is essential in public decision and in most areas of employment. It is also a basic necessity in many other aspects of everyday life. Anyone who wants to keep within a household budget, organize a holiday, wallpaper a room, or build a fence will need mathematics. A feel for mathematics helps people to appreciate symmetry and patterns and make sensible design decisions. An understanding of mathematics helps people to develop logical approaches to procedures and arguments. It involves the ability to calculate, estimate and reason logically. Mathematical problem solving involves the selection and correct application of basic skills, the discovery of patterns of shape and number, the making of models, the collection, organization and interpretation of data and the recognition and communication of related ideas.

The Curriculum will provide all children the opportunity to work with and explore mathematical problems in ways that encourage them to be enquiring, systematic, creative and resourceful. At the early grades, children will be introduced to concepts, skills and thinking strategies that are essential in everyday life and support learning across the curriculum. At this level, children will make sense of the numbers, patterns and shapes they see in the world around them.

Integrated Studies

At the early stages of the primary level, Science and Social and Environmental Studies will be fused and combined as one learning area called Integrated Studies. Integrated Studies will lean more towards science-related issues concerning the environment and personal well-being.

Sub-learning areas in Integrated Studies:

• The Human Body
• The Family
• The Environment
• Food -Health and Hygiene
• Materials and Tools
• Engineering and Design
• Gambian People
• People and settlement in the Gambia
• Administrative areas in the Gambia
• Water sources and its use
• The sun and its use to society
• Soil and use -Plants and use (including rain generation)
• River Gambia and uses
• Basic concept of environment (constitutes of environment)
• Environmental cleanliness (litter control)
• De-forestation disadvantages
• Re-forestation and advantages
  

Science

Science is essential to understanding our world. It helps people to investigate phenomena systematically, clarify ideas, ask questions, test explanations through measurement and observation and use their findings to establish the worth of ideas. Active participation in science fosters curiosity. It enables learners to develop a clearer understanding of aspects of the world around them and beyond: living things, the environment, matter, energy and industrial and technological processes. It develops their ability and confidence to approach problems systematically. Learners will develop their understanding of the changing nature of science and the values and assumptions on which it rests. They will recognize the contribution that different perspectives make to the evolution of understanding in science. Learners will learn that scientific understanding progresses through disciplined observation and careful analysis and is built on existing knowledge and experience. Although this progress is usually gradual and systematic, creative thinking also plays a major role in advancing scientific understanding. Learners will also learn about the ways in which people have used scientific knowledge and methods to meet particular needs. They will examine the influence of science on the lives of people of different gender, cultures and backgrounds. The study of Science at the primary level will focus mainly on the elements that constitute the immediate surroundings of the learner. At the Upper Basic level the teaching of Science will integrate physics, chemistry, health science and biology to form the main learning area called general science. Learners will be involved in practical and fieldwork investigation.

Social & Environmental Studies

A broad understanding of society and environment is essential if learners are to take their full place as confident, informed and responsible citizens. Learners will develop the knowledge and sense of perspective needed to understand and appraise Gambia’s changing society and economy. They will examine the ways in which people from different cultures, times and places make decisions and meet their physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs. Learners will be helped to understand and appreciate their rights, roles and responsibilities as members of a family and as citizens in a democratic society. Emphasis will be placed on learning about Gambian society. Learners will be challenged to think clearly and critically about human behaviour and explore different values and viewpoints. Such learning will help clarify learners’ values and enable to make informed judgments. Commonly held values, such as concern for social justice and the welfare of others, acceptance of cultural diversity and respect for the environment will be fostered, along with commonly valued attributes such as individual initiative, effort and responsibility. Learners will examine the events, beliefs and forces, which have shaped our world. They will explore the influences of different groups and individuals on society, including the contributions and achievements of both women and men. The curriculum will enable the learners to discuss issues such as migration and its causes, patterns effects on individuals and the societies involved. Learners will also develop understanding of their own culture and heritage and those of others. They will study Gambian history and gain an awareness of different interpretations of the past. They will be given the opportunity to explore environmental issues, which are important to their community, The Gambia, the wider world and future generations. They will learn how and why people conserve and modify their environment. They will discuss, develop and appreciate the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to make responsible decisions about the protection and wise use of local, national and global resources in the environment with the view to fostering and pursuing education for sustainable development. Learners will further gain an understanding of how people in different places have interacted with the environment and how they make decisions and manage or mismanage resources. Learners will learn about economic processes, such as how people produce, exchange and use goods. They will develop an awareness of the present and future role of work in their lives. They will gain an understanding of economic activities, including those important to The Gambia, such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism and an awareness of the country’s dependence on marketing and trade. The study of Social and Environmental Studies will also stimulate an interest and a sense of wonder about places including the Gambia. It will help young people make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world. It will explain where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected. It will builds on learners’ own experiences to investigate places on all scales, from the personal to the global. Because of the above, fieldwork is an essential element of Social and Environmental Studies. Children learn to think spatially and use maps, visual images and new technologies.

Agriculture

Agriculture has been cited as one of the areas with optimum potential for diversifying and improving the Gambian economy. Children in our education system therefore, must be prepared and equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the demands envisaged by the further growth and development of the agriculture industry. Cognizant of this fact, the education policy 2005-2015 placed much emphasis on agriculture and school gardens. Hence, our schools must teach for Agricultural Science. 

Agricultural Science is the study of the science and technology underlying the principles and practices of agriculture. It aims to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes concerning factors that affect the long-term well being of agricultural resources and places emphasis on the managed use of these resources. Agriculture provides people with food, fibre, shelter and the possibility of diverse lifestyles. It is a composite of rural and urban industries that are structured to produce both raw and value-added materials from plants and animals to meet identified consumer needs. Agriculture has a unique place in the history of human society. It underpins social structures and provides for basic human needs. It is fundamental to human progress.

The Curriculum will provide learners with opportunities to understand and appreciate these essential aspects of agriculture. Agriculture’s dynamic nature results from the increase in knowledge and the application of technology to the production, processing and marketing of products in complex national and international marketplaces. This complexity has political, social, ethical, economic and environmental implications for The Gambia. Furthermore, the majority of consumers are isolated from the production and processing of food and fibre. This course provides learners with an understanding of the relationships between production, processing and consumption to enable them to participate in debate on the impact of each upon society and the environment. The curriculum will include crop production, animal husbandry, ornamental horticulture, landscaping and lawn maintenance. It will also put emphasis on the production, processing and marketing of produce and products. It will further allow learners to develop knowledge and understanding of the interaction between the component parts of agriculture and the scientific principles that explain the processes that take place when inputs are transformed into outputs. It caters for a diverse range of learners and ability levels. It has the facility to challenge learners academically as well as provide them with a wide range of practical skills and an awareness of technologies associated with agriculture. It will also provide opportunities for learners to develop awareness of the welfare, ethical and legal issues relating to animal research. Lastly, the curriculum will be designed to increase learner understanding and capabilities in a continuum from the farm level through to the international markets in which agricultural commodities are traded. Because it includes the study of a farm and agricultural products of particular interest to the learner, the relevance of the course is enhanced. It is important that learners realize that long-term benefits of agriculture can only accrue if systems can be sustained environmentally, economically and socially. Sustainability is critical if agriculture is to meet the food and fibre needs of society.