Department of Education well positioned to offer holistic curricula: Kivunja
The Department of Education at UniFiji is very well positioned to offer holistic curricula, which provide experiences that empower students to graduate with skills relevant to the needs of Fiji, says Associate Professor Charles Kivunja of The University of New England.
In a letter to the Vice Chancellor Professor Prem Misir, Dr Kivunja said, “The curricula align well with the accreditation of the Fiji Higher Education Commission, where relevant, and fully meet the Fiji Qualifications Framework and requirements specified by the University of Fiji.”
He also said that he was pleased to see some essential skills such as ICT literacy as part of the program because these were essential skills for successful work in the 21st century.
“I was pleased to see a number of programs include units that teach critical thinking and problem solving skills, interpersonal skills, ICT literacy, entrepreneurial skills, awareness of global issues and consciousness to environmental issues, as these graduate attributes are part of the skills essential for successful work and cohabitation of the 21st century,” explained Dr Kivunja.
Dr Wahab Ali, the Dean of The School of Humanities and Arts, said that the external reviews were done to see the validity of the programmes in the Fiji context and he was very pleased with the results.
“I am really pleased with the comments as we always ensure that our students get the best in content and learning experiences,” he said.
He encouraged students aspiring and current educational leaders to enrol in the program and become better and well qualified leaders.
“The Master of Educational Leadership is an innovative, practice-focused and research –based postgraduate degree that prepares teachers and school administrators for leadership positions in schools and other educational institutions. It provides practising teachers with the theoretical understandings and practical skills needed to make a difference to the quality of education in their current and future workplaces,” said Dr Ali.
Associate Professor Charles Kivunja is a member of the Learning and Teaching team. He is Course Coordinator of the Master of Teaching (Primary) Award and Leader of the Learning and Research Network.
His research interests lie in foundational theories of learning, teaching and assessment (pedagogy), including multigrade pedagogy, and educational leadership, and he has supervised several doctoral theses to successful completion in these areas.
