Curriculum 1991

Abstract

The year 1991 was one in which the form of new curricula structures and developmental processes began to take shape in every educational sector from pre-school to tertiary. We can say this because it is the first complete year in which the 1989 reforms were operational. We can say no more because the first few years of any new way of doing things represent a shake-down period wherein operational refinements take place, major problems are identified and dealt with, and the real – as opposed to formally defined – power relationships begin to manifest themselves. To a greater or lesser extent the period 1877-1989 saw steady centralisation and bureaucratisation of curriculum development in every part of the education system. In particular the 1962 Commission on Education led to the establishment of a significant Curriculum Division in the Department of Education to work in the school and pre-school sectors. The 1989 Act dismantled these structures. Although they had been the subject of considerable criticism on account of their perceived bureaucratic nature, nevertheless the future of curriculum development at the national level was unclear...