School principals in the Grahamstown area have welcomed the implementation of the new curriculum, saying it takes teaching and learning back to the basics and cuts down on administrative paperwork.
School principals in the Grahamstown area have welcomed the implementation of the new curriculum, saying it takes teaching and learning back to the basics and cuts down on administrative paperwork.
The education department's new Curriculum and Policy Statement (CAPS) replaces the old National Curriculum Statement (NCS), which principals said was complicated for both teachers and pupils. Kutliso Daniels principal, Radio Mcuba, said because it was so new, he couldn't judge whether it was good or bad, but it looked promising. "CAPS makes things simpler for the learners because it gives them the basics," he told Grocott's Mail at the end of the first week back at school.
"It reminds me of the old education system of our times. At that time we had quality," said Mcuba, quickly adding, "not to say these days there is no quality." He was especially impressed by the fact that there was minimum paperwork for teachers, compared to NCS. Nombulelo Secondary principal, Mthuthuzeli Koliti, said, " I cannot comment that much on this new curriculum, because I have not gone through the documents, but there was a need for a change in organisation of content of the NCS."
He echoed Mcuba's opinion that there was a lot of paperwork in the NCS, but said teachers were under no less obligation to plan their work properly. TEM Mrwetyana Secondary School principal, Lindelo Ramokolo, said he was happy with the change, saying teachers would now be more effective in the classroom. "CAPS now forces teachers to come to work well prepared.
What I also like is that they have been trained – unlike when Outcomes Based Education was implemented and they were thrown in the deep end." He said he expected much better results now that the new curriculum had finally been introduced. The CAPS curriculum came about after a ministerial review committee appointed by the department of basic education found the NCS to be confusing for teachers and pupils.
The aim of the new curriculum was to offer clear guidelines on what must be taught in each grade. Another difference, according to Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani, was that the new curriculum required assessing and evaluating pupils throughout the year – unlike the NCS, in which assessments were done only at the end of the year.
"We want to make sure we diagnose problems facing each learner as early as possible this time," he said. Asked whether introducing the new curriculum would disadvantage future matric students, he said there would be no problem. "This is a continuation of the previous curriculum, the NCS, and its just an addition to strengthen delivery."
For now, CAPS starts from Grade 1 to Grade 3 and then jumps to Grade 10. Next year it will be introduced to Grade4-9 and Grade 11. In 2013 it will finally be implemented in Grade 12.
