By Brian Schreuder*

This article appeared in the Cape Times of 30 June 2005

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has entered the final lap as it prepares to introduce Further Education and Training (FET) in schools in 2006.

Naledi Pandor, the national Minister of Education, confirmed in her budget speech on 17 May that schools would introduce the national curriculum for FET in Grades 10, 11 and 12 over the next three years.

More than 8 500 high school teachers will attend workshops in 134 venues across the Western Cape during the July school holidays to prepare for the introduction of FET next year, starting with Grade 10.

The introduction of the new curriculum in Grades 10 to 12 in schools marks the end of a long process of restructuring the education system in South Africa.

During the apartheid era, South Africa had 19 different education departments. The education system prepared children differently for the positions they were expected to occupy in the social, economic and political life of the country.

The new education system is designed to provide quality education for all in a coherent, integrated education system.

Our new education system in schools consists essentially of two phases. The first phase is General Education and Training (GET), which covers Grades R to 9.

The second phase is Further Education and Training (FET), covers Grades 10 to 12 in schools and equivalent levels in FET colleges, previously called technical colleges.

Learners who complete FET can progress to the world of work, higher education or other forms of education and training.

South Africa has already introduced GET in schools and has restructured our FET colleges. We will now introduce the new FET curriculum in schools.

South Africa has joined developed and developing countries around the world in recent years that have revised their curricula to ensure that their learners acquire the knowledge and skills they need to participate in a globalising, 21^st Century world.

The curriculum, which will be introduced into South African schools in the next three years, is internationally benchmarked and will require the knowledge and skills to actively participate in, and contribute to, a democratic South African society and economy.

Schools will introduce the curriculum for FET incrementally and systematically, starting with Grade 10 in 2006, Grade 11 in 2007 and Grade 12 in 2008. The FET Certificate will replace the Senior Certificate in 2008.

We are encouraging schools to focus on their existing strengths. Schools will only offer new subjects if they can demonstrate that they have the physical and human resources to do so. We are also encouraging schools to implement new content incrementally, as they develop their resources to offer this content.

The National Curriculum Statement requires all learners in Grades 10 to 12 to do seven subjects.

Two of these subjects must be South African languages. One of these must be the language of teaching and learning. In most schools this is English or Afrikaans.

In addition to two languages, all learners must offer either Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy and all learners must offer Life Orientation.

The proposed compulsory requirement of Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy aims to ensure that all learners are prepared for life and work in an increasingly technological, numerical and data-driven world.

Life Orientation aims at building civic participation and understanding.

In addition to these four compulsory subjects, learners must choose three subjects from a list of approved subjects. Learners can offer up to four languages as part of their seven-subject package.

The subjects comprising the National Curriculum Statement are updated and expanded versions of subjects currently offered in South African schools.

In many cases, the names of the subjects have not changed. However, the cognitive demand of all subjects such as Physical Science, History, Geography, Music and Dance, has increased. There is also an increased emphasis on Africa – her history, dance, music etc.

The names of some subjects have changed to reflect international trends and also to reflect the new content of the subjects. For example, Computer Application Technology replaces Typing and Computyping; Information Technology replaces Computer Studies; Life Sciences replaces Biology and Consumer Studies replaces Home Economics.

The NCS requires that learners think carefully about what they learn; that they have strong conceptual knowledge and are able to apply this in a variety of situations; that they are critical and curious learners; that they are aware of the social, moral, economic and ethical issues which face South Africans and citizens around the world.

The WCED has prepared carefully for the introduction of the FET curriculum over the past three years.

We are working closely with principals and teachers as we enter the final stages of the implementation process.

A total of 8 544 teachers have registered for five-day orientation workshops during the July school holiday. The sessions will offer 32 hours of contact time and will specialise in orientation on specific subjects.

The first workshops will take place from 27 June to 1 July in 80 venues in the four urban education districts and one rural district of the Western Cape, followed by a workshops in the two remaining rural districts in 54 venues.

The workshops will not cover all subjects. The department is organising further workshops for the September holiday to cover the other subjects involved.

The WCED and the national Department of Education have trained a Provincial Core Training Team (PCTT) of 133 subject specialists, who are responsible for facilitating the subject orientation process. Some 68 subject lead teachers and four teacher union representatives are supporting the subject specialists.

The WCED has also arranged orientation for school management teams and officials.

Meanwhile, the WCED is working hard to ensure that every high school has a computer laboratory by the end of the year, via its Khanya project, to support the implementation of the FET curriculum. Almost all FET subjects require computer-based support.

About 800 Western Cape teachers have registered for module one of the International Driver’s Licence in Computing (IDLC) training programme.

In the cases of official languages, Mathematics and Physical Science, the WCED will pay for textbooks for each subject for each learner from dedicated funds reserved for this purpose. Schools will pay for textbooks for other subjects from funds allocated by the department to schools, according to national norms and standards.

The WCED is preparing learners for the transition to FET. For example, the department introduced special assessments of Grade 8 learners last year, to establish their strengths, weaknesses and aptitudes, with a view to offering specialised career guidance in Grade 9.

The assessment of Grade 8 learners and the career guidance programme will help learners to make informed choices about subjects and learning pathways for FET.

We are enabling learners to make informed choices about whether to stay in school or to opt for studying further in FET colleges. We have also provided special training to Life Orientation teachers to provide career guidance, using the computer-based PACE and Personal Well-being programmes.

We are actively encouraging and assisting learners to choose the most appropriate learning programmes. In the long run, this will help to reduce our drop out rate and develop our human capital in ways that will benefit both our learners and society as a whole.

* Brian Schreuder is Deputy Director-General: Education Planning and Development, at the Western Cape Education Department.