The 1989 National Education System Law was a landmark of change. First, it
extended basic education from six to nine years of schooling at the primary and lower
secondary schools. Second, it delegated from central government to regional offices
the design of the local curriculum content. Third, it allowed teachers to have a more
flexible adjustment of the national curriculum to the local situations and contexts.
Fourth, the head teachers have been given more options to select supplementary
textbooks for their schools. Fifth, local cultural preservation and development have
been highly encouraged. Moreover, the teaching of English at the primary education
level was introduced, particularly for schools in the tourism and urban areas. In terms
of the National Education Law of 2003, curriculum means “a set of plans and
regulations about the aims, content and material of lessons and the method employed
as the guidelines for the implementation of learning activities to achieve given
education objectives.”