An evaluative study of the introduction and implelementation of curriculum 2005
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Date
2000
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Abstract
This study aims at evaluating the introduction and implementation of Curriculum 2005 in Grade 1 in a sample of South African schools. The researcher felt that educators in Grade 1 were not ready to implement Curriculum 2005. This research focused on two areas. It posed the following questions:
□ To what extent were the Grade 1 teachers in the sample trained and supported to implement Curriculum 2005 effectively?
□ According to the perceptions of Grade 1 educators in the sample, what are the positive and negative effects of Curriculum 2005?
The literature focused mainly on five selected principles of Curriculum 2005, namely: outcomes based education, human resource development, learner centeredness, participatory management and non-discrimination.
The study found that very little OBE material was supplied to schools in the sample and that even that material supplied was difficult to use and that the majority of the respondents stated that the training they received on OBE was inadequate. For those and other reasons, it was not feasible to implement Curriculum 2005 in the population in which the research was conducted.
The recommendations flowing from the research included, inter alia, that a new Grade 1 syllabus should be constructed and how it should be constructed. The researcher suggests that a committee of seven to ten members comprising Grade 1 educators and Department representatives be formed to deliberate on the Grade 1 syllabus and to come up with the final syllabus, which would be used by all primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal. With regard to the provision of Grade 1 books, the researcher recommended that a committee comprising six Grade 1 educators plus one government official be formed to select books from which Grade 1 educators could choose. The distribution of books should not be left in the hands of the Department alone, but other relevant stakeholders should also participate. The researcher therefore recommends that distribution committees be formed from each district of the province, which should be made up of parents as well as staff members from the Department.
The researcher further suggests that teachers should be thoroughly prepared by the Department to implement OBE. He suggests that courses or workshops be decentralized and conducted according to circuits. The researcher recommends that School Governing Bodies (SGBs) be trained in OBE. The researcher suggests that, preferably, OBE experts should train SGBs in a vernacular language. Lastly, the researcher recommends that more classrooms be erected and that the committee involving two educators and one official from the Department should draw up the strategy to liaise with the business community to ask for assistance. By so doing, the researcher believes that implementation problems of Curriculum 2005 will be rninimised.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Planning & Administration in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2000.
Keywords
Curriculum 2005