The Council of Education Ministers (CEM) held an ordinary meeting on 1 to 2 October 2009 in Johannesburg. CEM is a regular meeting between the Minister and Deputy Minister of Basic Education, provincial education MECs, and senior management of the department. The meeting discussed a wide range of educational related issues.
CEM agreed as follows:
Review of the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS)
In July 2009, the Minister appointed a task team to investigate the nature of challenges experienced in the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). This independent panel consulted widely with teachers and other stakeholders and found that the curriculum is broadly welcomed by teachers and the education community.
The draft report does not propose giving up on the vision and intentions of our National Curriculum Statement, but aims to better align the current realities of the classroom with that vision. The broad thrust of the report is to propose changes which will create more time for learning and teaching in the curriculum, and to allow a strong focus on knowledge acquisition. The panel recommends the simplification and greater specification of the curriculum, and reducing the workload of teachers, in terms of curriculum overload, as well as administrative responsibilities.
The Department of Basic Education will now consider the recommendations, together with members of the Task Team, and Minister Motshekga will make an announcement at the end of October of measures that will bring immediate relief for teachers. Some of these will be implemented from the beginning of 2010; others will need more planning and consultation.
The following are some of the key recommendations of the panel:
- The need to reduce the amount of administrative work for teachers, which results from the planning and assessment requirements of the NCS
- The discontinuation of learner portfolios
- Reducing the number of learning programmes (subjects) in the intermediate phase (Grade 4 to 6) from eight to six
- Giving priority to English as a first additional language
- The reassertion of the importance of textbooks and their use in the curriculum
- Targeted curriculum training for teachers
- Developing a coherent, clear and simple five year plan to improve the understanding of the NCS in the system.
National norms and standards for school funding
CEM discussed two outstanding issues with regard to school funding norms. These are: the capping of school fees; and the compensation for schools that offer fee exemptions to poorer learners.
CEM approved for public comment, the granting of compensation to schools that offer fee exemption to learners. CEM did not support the capping of school fees.
National Senior Certificate Examinations
CEM received a report on the state of readiness for the 2009 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations. Over 588 000 full time learners enrolled for the NSC examinations this year. The registration of all learners is complete, and the date for the final submission of school-based assessment marks is 15 November 2009.
Examinations start on 26 October and end on 4 December 2009. Results will be released on 7 January, 2010. CEM expressed its satisfaction with the state of readiness of all provinces.
Clean audit
CEM also received the latest outcomes of audit reports of the provincial education departments and the national department's of these; we are pleased to note the following:
a. For the first time in the past three years four of our provinces received unqualified (clean) audit
b. Three provinces received qualified reports
c. One disclaimer and the other an adverse opinion.
Enquiries:
Hope Mokgatlhe (Ministerial Spokesperson)
Cell: 071 680 6849
Source: Department of Basic Education
