The Western Cape Ministry for Education largely welcomes today's announcement on changes to the education curriculum by Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga.

The proposed changes will contribute to the streamlining of the national curriculum and, if properly implemented, will hopefully lead to an improvement in education outcomes throughout South Africa.

Teachers have, for years, complained about being overburdened by additional administrative duties, therefore we welcome the proposal to reduce the administrative load on teachers, giving them more time to plan their classroom schedules and to support individual learner needs. We are also especially pleased that the changes will bring back a far greater focus on the use of textbooks and on content knowledge - two aspects we are already focusing on strongly in the Western Cape.

It is widely believed that Outcomes Based Education undermined the quality of education in South Africa by ignoring the centrality of textbooks and the importance of content knowledge. The changes announced by Minister Motshekga will go a long way to restoring a reasonable balance in the delivery of the curriculum.

In discussions on the proposed changes, the Western Cape has always insisted (and will continue to do so) on the phased implementation of the new policy. We are acutely aware of the stress that change brings to the system and we will therefore do everything possible to help ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

For enquiries, contact Bronagh Casey:  072 724 1422 or brcasey@pgwc.gov.za.

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za