1. The National Minister has announced a revised implementation schedule for the introduction of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) into schools in the Further Education and Training (FET) Band. According to the revised schedule, the NCS will start in Grade 10 in 2006 and be extended into Grade 11 in 2007 and Grade 12 in 2008.

2. Schools will shortly receive the following material to support their internal advocacy and development programmes:
2.1 Copy of the report of the recent FET conference
2.2 Video of conference addresses

3. FET information brochures for parents were distributed at the conference. Schools which did not attend the conference should contact the EMDC for copies of these. Parents and school governing bodies are critical role-players in this period of re-definition of curriculum and need to be kept abreast of emerging policy details and debates.

4. Schools will receive the following next term:
4.1 An FET Change Management Planning Kit based on the inputs of the conference working groups which were asked to plot the way forward for schools
4.2 Information packs about each of the NCS subjects giving an indication of the key features of the subjects, start-up costs, operational costs, qualifications of teachers and other information which would be helpful to schools as they investigate subjects for addition to their curricula
4.3 Information updates on the following:
4.3.1 The timelines in the short term (e.g. when the policy will be declared)
4.3.2 Further subjects to be developed
4.3.3 Teacher training plans
4.4 Procedures and formalities, including timelines, for schools which wish to cease offering certain subjects and to add others

5. It needs to be stressed that the extension of the transition period does not signal an opportunity for complacency. Every opportunity of the interim period needs to be used for strategic short- and medium-term planning, staff development, district planning, staff support and counselling, and advocacy.

6. One of the major opportunities now offered, because of the extra time, is for schools to refine their programmes for the development of teachers as outcomes-based education (OBE) practitioners. The extension of the interim period strengthens the opportunities for teachers who can explore the methodology of OBE while still working with familiar content and syllabi.
6.1 Principals are reminded that Circular 55/2002 announced the formal introduction of OBE into the FET Band.
6.2 Principals are further reminded of the value of the documentation supplied to schools to support the teaching of Grade 10 learners of 2003.
6.3 Similar documents and assessment guidelines will be prepared to support the teaching and support programme for the rest of the FET band until the NCS implementation in Grade 10 in 2006.

7. A strong plea from the FET Conference was for training for principals in strategic management. The WCED intends to take this plea seriously and looks forward to the joint strategic management of innovations in the FET Band which was set in motion at that time.



SIGNED: P.A. VINJEVOLD
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2003:03:24