The curriculum of the primary school : a historical account

Abstract

In a world ever more instant, history takes an increasingly important role, that of telling it how it was as recently as yesterday. Among other things, history reveals the choices that were made and why they were made. It was for these reasons that study of the evolution of the Primary School Curriculum was conducted historically. This dissertation only tells the recent history of the Primary Curriculum since the development of the Maltese Primary Curriculum is too vast a subject for one volume. In recognising this fact, this study presents a chronological account of the curriculum changes, which have taken place at the national level in the second half of the twentieth century. Ultimately such a detailed study of the Curriculum of Primary Schools from 1946 till the revision of the Primary Syllabus in 1997, has been concluded by taking a look at the future. Since the National Minimum Curriculum is currently being revised, there is an attempt to look at possible changes that might be introduced so to make the curriculum more consonant with the needs of the children. Finally, this is a dissertation not only for the educational historian but also for Primary School teachers. Getting to know about the Primary Curriculum, being influenced by the elementary, preparatory and developmental traditions, can give a better understanding of the National Minimum Curriculum which is currently in operation. For each of them, then, primary education will be seen in all its fullness.