A range of electronic services set to improve communication
The Western Cape Education Department launched a new website, WCED Online, last month, in time for the start of the fourth term.
“Electronic communication has opened a window to whole, new world in education,” said the Western Cape’s MEC for Education, Helen Zille.
“The WCED is doing its utmost to harness this powerful medium to improve education in the province.
“The most exciting feature of electronic communication is the potential it offers for delivering curriculum to our most disadvantaged schools.”
WCED Online is designed primarily with end users in mind, in line with best practice for education websites internationally. The target audiences are learners, parents, educators, administrators and partners in education.
The site is designed to make it as easy as possible to change important opening pages to match usage patterns and end user requirements. The opening pages provide customised links for target groups; quick links to the most popular destinations; and a feedback facility. Other opening pages include links to current projects, news, information on “who does what”, and an A-Z index. The WCED web team has sought to keep the design as simple as possible, to facilitate easy access to relevant information and services.
Special features of the content include all outcomes and assessment standards for every grade and subject proposed in the Draft Revised National Curriculum Statement released by the national Department of Education on July 30 this year.
Zille asked the WCED’s web team to include the outcomes and assessment standards to draw attention to the importance of benchmarks in education. “We cannot improve the quality of education unless we have clear benchmarks against which we can measure progress,” she said.
“While the content of the statement is still in a draft form, the outcomes and assessment standards are definitely a step in the right direction. They flag the importance of setting clear guidelines on standards we must achieve in education.
“It is essential that we align everything we do, from teacher training to curriculum development and delivery, learner assessment and school performance evaluation, to clear, well-understood benchmarks. Only then can we improve the quality of education.” Zille urged educators, parents and all those interested in education to study the outcomes and assessment standards so that all can understand what is expected of learners and teachers in each grade and learning area.
She added that WCED would always be work in progress. “As a learning organisation, we will listen to our end users and will develop the site continuously to meet their requirements.”
The web address is http://wced.wcape.gov.za
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, November 2001.