Pretoria- While Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, admits that the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) requires ongoing research and development, she says the department has started to make improvements on the curriculum, as per recommendations by the NCS task team, writes Gabi Khumalo.
In July 2009, Motshekga appointed a task team to investigate the nature of challenges experienced in the implementation of the NCS with the intention of better aligning the current realities of the classroom.
The team consulted widely with teachers and other stakeholders from all nine provinces and found that the curriculum was broadly welcomed.
The task team recommended the need to reduce the amount of administrative work for teachers, which results from the planning and assessment requirements of the NCS as well as the discontinuation of learner portfolios.
Since then, a number of changes have been made to the curriculum, including the reduction in the number of projects for learners. The department has also done away with the need for portfolio files of learner assessments and continuous tasks of assessment for Grade 9 learners.
The tests for Grades 3, 6 and 9 will now be set nationally, administered by schools and externally moderated. Exemplar question papers will be made available by the department.
The department has since established three committees to enable a smooth implementation of the NCS streamlining.
Motshekga said the committees are led by three people with the experience and the qualifications.
She said the first Committee's task is to provide clear guidelines of what teachers ought to teach on a grade-by-grade and subject-by-subject basis. The Committee will have two years rather than one to enable smooth implementation of curriculum streamlining.
Motshekga said its work will be supported by two other Committees, one to plan for implementation of the recommended reduction of learning areas in the intermediate phase from eight to six and the other to consider recommendations on improving the distribution and use of Learning and Teaching Support (LTSM) Materials in schools.
"The Committee making recommendations on the reduction of learning areas in the Intermediate Phase is considering all possible implications of the intended changes, including time-tabling, human resource and legal implications as well as models and time-lines for implementation.
"It will report by the end of April and its recommendations will inform the longer-term work on the curriculum," Motshekga explained.
A Ministerial Committee on LTSM will report mid-year and the department expects recommendations on guidelines for a national catalogue of LTSMs with price guidelines.
Their recommendations will take account of matters related to teacher choice, quality and cost effectiveness.
Motshekga said the department will continue to build capacity for curriculum research and review within the national department to ensure that they strengthen the implementation of the curriculum.
She however, emphasised that the department will not rush change and risk confusion and failure.
"Change fatigue is something that we need to counter to restore the confidence and enthusiasm amongst all our stakeholders, at the same time we need to iron out the difficulties that do exist quickly and efficiently.
"We will proceed with due deliberation and decisiveness to effect the broad recommendations of the Ministerial Committee," Motshekga said.
She added that changes will be made on an ongoing basis, where they can be made with minimal disruption in order to create relief and improve systems.
"We accept that South Africa's learning outcomes continue to be unsatisfactory, all local and international assessments agreed that too many of our learners, especially African learners do not perform at the required level. We have identified the underlying factors and we are determined to work systematically to resolve them.
"We need to turn the system around with bold targets and initiatives that are carefully crafted and executed and pay due attention to the already-fragile nature of the system and people who work in it," Motshekga said.
The allocation for the 2010/2011 financial year for department has increased by R2.23 billion to R6.166 billion.
Head of School of Education at Wits University, Professor Ruksana Osman, said establishing committees may assist in improving stakeholders' understanding of the NCS.
"It is the recommendations of these committees and the will to implement these recommendations that remain crucial to actual improvement of the NCS.
"Whether the committees will succeed at understanding and capturing the problems and the issues facing schools, teachers, parents and learners is another matter," Osman said.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) said the committees can play a significant role in giving priority on gateway subjects, English and Mathematics as well as reduction in content in Grade 4-6.
"LTSM obviously has to be aligned to the reduced learning areas and the coherent document stipulating the content making the textbook a more useful teaching device.
"The process needs to be accompanied by adequate teacher support as well, if the processes succeed in making NCS delivery focused, then it will help improve delivery," SADTU spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said.
