SADTU welcomes the minister of education’s decision to act on the recommendations of the ministerial committee that was tasked with the review of the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement.

The recommendation takes us back to the basics by placing emphasis on literacy and numeracy, provision of learner workbooks and assessments.
 We believe the implementation of the recommendations will benefit both the learners and teachers and improve the quality of teaching and learning. However, we are concerned that the recommendations are silent on teacher training.

We welcome:

• The reduction of administrative workload for teachers by reducing the number of projects for learners and doing away with portfolio files of learner assessments. We welcome the discontinuation of the Common Tasks of Assessment (CTAs) for Grade 9 learners;
• The repackaging of the National Curriculum Statement so that it is more accessible to teachers. Every subject in each grade will have a single, comprehensive and concise curriculum and assessment policy that will provide details on what teachers ought to teach and assess on a grade-by-grade and subject-by-subject basis.
• The development of learner workbooks for Grades 1-6 for 2011. This project will provide resource support to 6,5 million learners.  We hope the workbooks will be of good quality and there will be more in indigenous language.
• The continued strengthening of teaching of languages and numeracy at lower levels. The language chosen by the learner as a language of learning and teaching shall be taught as a subject or as a first additional language from Grade One and not from Grade 2 as is currently the case. This means the teaching of English will occur alongside mother tongue instruction for those learners who choose English as a language of learning and teaching. SADTU has always called for more time to be allocated to languages especially in the language of instruction. Since 1994, little has been done to promote mother tongue instruction or indigenous languages in the school system and in the universities. Indigenous languages need to be developed to the level of English and Afrikaans.
• Externally set assessments at grades 3, 6, and 9 in literacy (home language and first additional language) and numeracy/mathematics. The weighting of continuous assessment and end of year examinations is as follows. Grade R-3: 100% continuous assessment; Grades 4-6: 75% continuous assessment: 25% end of year exam; Grades 7-9: 40% continuous assessment: 60% end of year exams and Grade 10-12: 25% continuous assessment: 75% end of year exams.

• The number of subjects in the Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 to 6) from 8 to 6. This reduction of learning areas and content will enable teachers to focus on developing deeper conceptual understanding than was previously possible.  In addition, the number of assessments will also be reduced making more time available for quality teaching and learning.

• Efforts to improve communication in the system which is a stumbling block for effective curriculum delivery and school functioning.

At school level SADTU would like to see these recommendations translate into:

1. Knowledge used decisively by teacher to improve teaching and learning.
2. Learners’ diverse backgrounds taken into account in the teaching and learning situation. Learners supported to realize their potential.
3. The level of parental involvement increased in schools.
4. Assessment used appropriately to improve learners’ ability. 
 

ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat