Thandi Chaane

The hidden curriculum is in most cases overlooked in the process of teaching and learning. It is a fact that, as educators are pressured to finish the curriculum, the skills presented by the hidden curriculum are ignored. This month I am choosing the theme of giving because this is a religious period, with Muslims observing […]

Comment on the draft National Curriculum Statement (NCS) culminated with public hearings in Cape Town on November 13. Through learning outcomes and assessment standards, the draft NCS stipulates minimum requirements for each learning area from grade R to grade nine. The draft NCS has been hailed by many as a positive step in the direction […]

‘Bigotry, hatred, predudice – these are the ugly symptoms of a sickness that humanity has always and everywhere suffered. Racism can, will and must be defeated,” United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said. Schools, which are institutions that should be upholding a human rights culture, recently experienced incidents of racial intolerance. There is a need […]

There is an inconsistency in the National Curriculum Statement. It has to do with the number of learning programmes proposed for the Intermediate and Senior Phases. What is clear is that there will continue to be three learning programmes in the Foundation Phase. These are Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills. Whereas before there was considerable […]

What makes a good teacher is a question that people in education grapple with regularly. I spoke to Matlodi Sekoto, a grade two teacher from the Paul Mosaka School in Soweto. Matlodi has been nominated for a good-teaching award by the staff at the school. What makes you a good teacher? I love teaching. I […]

It’s not always possible to anticipate exactly how national processes will unfold. Although there had been every indication that the release of the draft National Curriculum Statement would be delayed, it was released for public comment and posted on the government website at the end of July. Any confusion I may have caused in my […]

Taking issue As promised, I will be talking to some special people. My guest this month is Linda Chisholm, chair of the review committee on Curriculum 2005 and the ministerial project committee on curriculum implementation. How far have we come since the review of Curriculum 2005? Following the release of the review committee report in […]

There has been a delay of a few weeks in making the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) available for public comment. This is due to the fact that the NCS has to be considered by both the Committee of Education Ministers (CEM) and the cabinet before it can go into the public domain. These meetings will […]

Welcome to Talk/Bua, a new forum for all in education. What can you expect from this column? I will talk to different stakeholders in education, raise topical educational issues and create a forum to raise issues and find solutions. I am an educator and parent. I am the ex-deputy director general of education in Gauteng, […]

In the confusion of the process of transforming the school curriculum, we are inclined to overlook what we have achieved since 1994. It is worth remembering where we have come from and where we are headed as we await the draft National Curriculum Statement at the end of this month. The timeline that on the […]

A teacher is a mentor, a supporter, a guide, a creator, a friend, and an enemy to what affects learners negatively. A mentor has travelled along the road of life and therefore has experience. The value of experience we as teachers bring to the classroom. It is to look at a learner as a tree […]