1. The registration of teachers with the EMDCs for the provincial orientation workshops (see Circular 0016/2005) should now be complete. Teachers are urgently requested not to change venues as this will impact on the availability of workshop materials.
2. Copies of the National Curriculum Statements for the official languages (Home Language) are being delivered to schools. Each language teacher should be provided with a copy. Principals are requested to contact the Chief Curriculum Adviser at their EMDC immediately should there be any shortages. The National Curriculum Statements for the First and Second Additional Languages will be distributed in June 2005.
3. Three sets of the subject National Curriculum Statements (NCS) have been distributed to each school. Each subject teacher must be provided with a copy. Subject teachers are encouraged to study these documents in preparation for the subject orientation workshops.
4. Learning Programme Guidelines (LPGs) have been developed for each of the 21 approved subjects of the NCS to assist teachers and schools in planning for the introduction of the NCS in Grades 10 to 12. Copies of these LPGs will be provided to each subject teacher at the provincial orientation workshops.
5. It must be noted that the LPGs do not contain sections on assessment. The internal and external assessment requirements for each subject in the NCS will be provided in Subject Assessment Guidelines for each subject. These guidelines will reach schools in September 2005.
6. To further support the preparation and planning for the FET NCS, a conference, with the theme "A Learning Home for All – the Role of the School FET Curriculum", will be held for principals on Saturday, 11 June 2005 (see Curriculum Minute 0037/2005). At this conference the speakers, which include the provincial Minister of Education, the Head of Education and the Deputy Director-General of Education: FET from the national Department of Education, will address a number of relevant topics.
7. The above conference will provide the context for follow-up workshops run by the EMDCs with School Management Teams (SMTs) during the course of the third term to support the planning for and management of the implementation process.


SIGNED: T. SMIT
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2005:05:13