Selina Banda^1,, Florence Phiri¹, Daniel L. Mpolomoka², Jack Kaale¹, Marian Mtonga¹, Rose Chikopela³, Margaret Pansho¹, Agnes Mando Banda⁴

Background: Study areas need to be handled by specialists so that they can identify specific areas that are needed to be included as required learning experiences. Curriculum development activities are continuously conducted one way or the other and academics have a vital role to play therein. Curricula have to be developed and if they are already available, they need to be reviewed. Method: A qualitative tradition of inquiry was used to conduct the study. Purposive sampling was used to select 20 participants required. A questionnaire was used to collect data from academics. Grounded theory was used because no theory existed that offered an explanation for a phenomenon studied. Results: Variations in the attainment of basic skills in curriculum development were revealed. The majority of the participants agreed to having basic skills training offered to them to enable them to perform accordingly. They also noted some implications on employability skills on students due to lack of appropriate skills in curriculum development. Conclusion: There are variations in levels of acquisition of basic skills in curriculum development. This study has shown that there are some academics that are in dire need of these basic skills. It is clear from the report that academics need the skills to enable them develop comprehensive programmes. Recommendations: There is a need to plan for an in-service training programme for academics in curriculum development. This study needs to be replicated to other higher learning institutions so that results can be generalized.

Curriculum, basic skills, higher institutions of learning, academics