TEACHERS should insist that they get help from provincial
education departments on outcomes-based education (OBE), Education
Minister Kader Asmal said on Monday.
”Teachers must be much more assertive about the quality of
service they get from their departments,” he told reporters in
Pretoria after a meeting of the Council of Education Ministers
(CEM), which consists of Asmal and the nine education MECs.
”They must be much more pushy about inadequate training and late
delivery of books… They must push for the kind of changes we
want.”
Parents should also make greater demands on behalf of their
children, he said.
Asmal said 40% of administrative posts in the provincial
departments were vacant.
”This is unconscionable.”
The minister was asked what he would say to teachers who did not
know what they should be teaching their pupils from day to day, and
who complained about a lack of OBE training.
”They must hang in there,” Asmal said.
This was a period of transition, he said.
”There is no return… OBE is central government policy.”
Some teachers were in the meantime combining the old method of
teaching with OBE, he said.
”We can’t wait for provinces to get their act together.”
He hoped that universities would also take account of OBE, for
which he said there was no alternative.
The CEM on Monday approved the final version of the Revised
National Curriculum statement for grades 0 to 9.
That presented a simplified version of Curriculum 2005 which was
more accessible to teachers, said deputy director-general of
education, Duncan Hindle.
According to Asmal it was of enormous social and political
importance.
”The statement describes what should take place in schools, and
with what purpose. In doing so, it therefore pre-figures the kind
of citizen we would expect to exit from the GET (general education
and training) phase (grades 0 to 9).”
The minister said people should not be ”misled by the absurd
allegations being made by various individuals and political
parties”.
”There is no sex education, although we encourage an awareness
of sexuality, which in the context of sexual abuse and HIV/Aids is
essential.
”There is no religious indoctrination, but we encourage children
to be aware of the full diversity of South African society: the
rich array of races, ethnic and language groups, and the many
religious belief systems which make up this country,” he said.
”…We do not in fact prescribe any content; our aim is just to
ensure that children are well prepared for further education,
imbued with the values which we as a nation treasure, and
respectful towards other people.”
Teachers would determine the content.
”If any of this content is offensive to parents, they should
take this up with the school itself, which has the full authority
to revise a particular programme.”
The revised curriculum would be phased in, starting with grades
R to 3 in 2002, and would be fully implemented up to grade 9 in
2008, Hindle said.
It would be tested in the field first at a variety of schools to
determine the requirements regarding teacher training and learning
support materials.
Asmal said the CEM had approved a plan whereby the Grade 12
pupils of 2006 would be the first to write final examinations on
the basis of OBE. That means that OBE would be introduced in Grade
10 for the first time in 2004.
Director-General Thami Mseleku said teachers should in the
meantime ”inject” the approach and methodology of Curriculum 2005
in the teaching of grade 10 to 12 classes (the further education
and training or FET band).
The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa)
and the SA Teachers’ Union (Satu) welcomed the new curriculum
statement.
”Naptosa believes that the new C2005 will be implementable…”
said president Eliam Biyela.
Satu welcomed the emphasis placed on language, mother tongue
education and multilingualism.
Both organisations expressed the hope that teachers would be
adequately trained and that the necessary learning materials would
be available.
Satu also asked that the Education Department should immediately
address the transition from grade 9 to 10 in 2003.
There was uncertainty regarding bridging of the curriculum from
the GET to the FET phase, it said in a statement. – Sapa