Synopsis Building an educational programme around the persistent life situations faced by learners requires that curriculum development be a central function of all who guide the learning experiences of children and youth. Because the curriculum for each group of learners develops as they and their teacher work together on the everyday situations with which they are dealing, and on the persistent life problems which are a part of these everyday concerns, improving the quality of this curriculum requires that attention be given to the various forces and factors which affect learning. The process of curriculum improvement cannot be thought of in terms of the production of typical courses of study or printed guides, the pre-selection of subject content, or the adoption of uniform textbooks.