A SOUTH AFRICAN CURRICULUM FOR THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY - REPORT OF THE REVIEW COMMITTEE ON CIRRICULUM 2005

A SOUTH AFRICAN CURRICULUM

for

THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY

REPORT OF THE REVIEW COMMITTEE
ON CURRICULUM 2005

Presented to the Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal

PRETORIA 31 MAY 2000

MEMBERS OF CURRICULUM 2005 REVIEW COMMITTEE

Prof Linda Chisholm - Chairperson
Prof John Volmink Themba Ndhlovu
Emilia Potenza Haroon Mahomed

Prof Johan Muller Cass Lubisi
Penny Vinjevold Leonor Ngozi
Bev Malan Lebs Mphahlele - Head of Secretariat

Summary And Principal Recommendations
List of Tables and Figures
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1 Background and overview

CHAPTER 2 - Critical factors for curriculum change and implementation

CHAPTER 3 - Structure & design of the curriculum

CHAPTER 4 - Teacher Orientation, Training and Support Processes

CHAPTER 5 - Learning Support Materials

CHAPTER 6 - Teachers´ Understandings of C2005

CHAPTER 7 - National, Provincial, And District-Level Support

CHAPTER 8 - What Is To Be Done?

CHAPTER 9 - Conclusion

APPENDIX 1 - Steps Involved in the Procurement of Materials

APPENDIX 2 - Proposed Scope of New Learning Areas

APPENDIX 3 - Illustrative Example of a Learning Area Statement

APPENDIX 4 - Illustrative example of learning outcomes

APPENDIX 5 - Norms and Standards for Expenditure on Textbooks and Stationery

Summary and Principal Recommendations

The Review Committee on Curriculum 2005 was appointed in February 2000 to provide recommendations on:

Steps to be taken in respect of the implementation of the new curriculum in Grades 4 and 8 in 2001
Key success factors and strategies for a strengthened implementation of the new curriculum
The structure of the new curriculum
The level of understanding of outcomes-based education.

The Report of the Review Committee was prepared on the basis of an exhaustive review of existing research reports and papers, interviews with teachers, principals, managers, trainers, publishers and departmental officials as well as public submissions made by a range of individuals, organisations and institutions.

The Report is based on the view that curriculum should be clearly steered by principles that promote personal and social development and transformation for the 21st Century. The social goals of social justice, equity and development are pursued by confronting a dual challenge:

the challenge of the past and moving beyond the legacy of apartheid
the challenge of the future and developing a curriculum that will provide a platform for the knowledge, skills and values for innovation and growth, and cultural creativity and tolerance for an African Renaissance.

The Report shows that while there is overwhelming support for the principles of outcomes-based education and Curriculum 2005, which has generated a new focus on teaching and learning, implementation has been confounded by:

a skewed curriculum structure and design
lack of alignment between curriculum and assessment policy
inadequate orientation, training and development of teachers
learning support materials that are variable in quality, often unavailable and not sufficiently used in classrooms
policy overload and limited transfer of learning into classrooms
shortages of personnel and resources to implement and support C2005
inadequate recognition of curriculum as the core business of education departments.

All these areas require attention. Their weaknesses are underpinned by and require adequate resourcing, manageable time-frames for implementation and regular monitoring and review.

In order to address these issues the Review Committee proposes the introduction of a revised curriculum structure supported by changes in teacher orientation and training, learning support materials and the organisation, resourcing and staffing of curriculum structures and functions in national and provincial education departments.

In order to address overcrowding of the curriculum in the GET band, it is proposed that learning areas in this band be reduced from eight to six and that more time be allocated to languages and mathematics. These rationalised learning areas should include languages, mathematics, science and technology, social sciences (history and geography), arts and culture and life orientation.
In order to address problems related to the complexity of the curriculum design and terminology, the Review Committee proposes that a revised, streamlined National Curriculum Statement be produced for ECD, GET, FET and ABET.
The National Curriculum Statement has two main features: critical outcomes, and learning area statements which specify outcomes and assessment standards. These features should promote both conceptual coherence and integration. The National Curriculum Statement should be written in clear language.
The implications of this proposal are that the existing twelve critical outcomes should be retained, the sixty six specific outcomes should be dropped and that Assessment Criteria, Phase and Programme Organisers, Range statements, Performance Indicators, Expected Levels of Performance are unnecessary and should therefore also be dropped. In addition, there will be more time for languages and mathematics; history and geography will form the core of a social sciences learning area and arts and culture will have a place in the curriculum.
The values of a society striving towards social justice, equity and development through the development of creative, critical and problem-solving individuals lie at the heart of this curriculum.

Critical to a strengthened implementation process are:

A revised and streamlined outcomes-based curriculum framework which promotes integration and conceptual coherence within a human rights approach which pays special attention to anti-discriminatory, anti-racist, anti-sexist and special needs issues
a national teacher education strategy which locates teacher preparation and development for the new curriculum in higher education and identifies, selects and trains a special cadre of regional and district curriculum trainers working with NGOs and higher education for short-term orientation
the production of learner support materials – especially textbooks – which should become the responsibility of publishers and dedicated units or institutes as proposed in the White Paper on Education and Training (1995)
ring-fenced budgeting for the curriculum
reorganisation and reinforcement of curriculum functions both in the DOE and in the provinces
relaxation of the pace of implementation
a managed process of phasing out the current C2005 and phasing in C21
the establishment of a task team to manage the phase out and phase in process.

List of Tables and Figures

Table1: Composition and Functions of Structures that Developed C2005

Table 2: Guidelines for the Weighting of Learning Programmes in C2005

Table 3: Recommendations for the Structure of the Curriculum

Table 4: Rationalised Learning Areas

Table 5: Suggested Learning Programmes in the GET

Table 6: Suggested Teaching Time of Learning Areas in the GET

Table 7: Features of the National Curriculum Statement

Table 8: Differences between C2005 and the revised Curriculum 21

List of Abbreviations

ABET	Adult Basic Education and Training
AC	Assessment Criteria
A&C	Arts and Culture
ANC	African National Congress
C2005	Curriculum 2005
DOE	Department of Education
ELSEN	Education of Learners with Special Needs
ECD	Early Childhood Development
EMS	Economic and Management Sciences
FET	Further Education and Training
GET	General Education and Training
GETC	General Education and Training Certificate
HSRC	Human Sciences Research Council
HSS	Human and Social Sciences
ILP	Illustrated Learning Programme
IPET	Implementation Plan for Education and Training
LLC	Language, Literacy and Communication
LO	Life Orientation
LSM	Learning Support Materials
MLMMS	Mathematical Literacy, Mathematics and Mathematical Sciences
NAPTOSA	National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa
NEPI	National Education Policy Investigation
NQF	National Qualifications Framework
NS	Natural Sciences
OBE	Outcomes-Based Education
PEI	President´s Educational Initiative
PI	Performance Indicator
SADTU	South African Democratic Teachers´ Union
SAOU	Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysers Unie
SAQA	South African Qualifications Authority

Acknowledgements

The Review Committee wishes to acknowledge and thank all structures of the national and provincial Departments of Education and in particular the Curriculum Management Committee and Teacher Development Committee for their support of this review process; the Secretariat of the Review Committee, Lebs Mphahlele and Khusi Madumo; Bianca Tau, who was released by the Department to provide administrative assistance; all those who made the time to meet with the Committee during site visits and in particular teachers, principals, heads of department and departmental officials; members of the public who made submissions and/or provided information and research reports to the Committee; universities and Departments who released members of the Review Committee to participate in this task and Lesley Hudson who designed the lay-out of the report.

Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Appendicies