MINISTER of Education, Youth and Information Senator Ruel Reid says the new National Standards Curriculum (NSC) will improve methods of teaching, particularly for boys.

Reid was responding to a question on ways to improve the performance of boys in schools, during the Rotary Club of St Andrew luncheon meeting at the Hotel Four Seasons in St Andrew on Tuesday.

“Part of the reform we are implementing is the National Standards Curriculum, which tries to customise and meet the needs of the different learners,” he said.

The goal of the NSC is to improve the general academic performance, attitude and behaviour of students, which should redound to the positive shaping of the national social and economic fabric.

Under the new system, emphasis will be placed on project-based and problem-solving learning, with science, technology, engineering and mathematics/science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEM/STEAM) integrated at all levels.

The approaches will allow the learners to have hands-on experiences that are similar to real-world situations, making the learning experience less abstract and more concrete.

Senator Reid said educators should be more cognisant of the differences of each learner and incorporate teaching methods such as technology, which will assist in that regard.

In the meantime, he said the ministry was exploring ways in which students are assessed. “For example, in maths we are moving away from simply just finding the answers to the questions to the process, so you can demonstrate the pathways to achieve the particular objective,” he said.

This will form part of the strategies being pursued by the Government to transform the sector.

In September last year, the ministry started implementing the NSC at Grades 1, 4, 7, and 9. The programme will be introduced at Grades 2, 3, 5, and 6 in September.