If South Africans made use of the Department of Education’s Tirisano (“working together”) programme — which is aimed at encouraging interaction between the department and the public for a better education system — there would be greater understanding of the curriculum and the educational transformation the department has embarked on [See “Schools curriculum plan crisis”].
There are three elements that are vital for a successful curriculum transformation: the curriculum framework, learner support materials and teacher development. However, there is also a particular logic to how these elements are put in place. You have to know the kind of curriculum being proposed before you can put forward a teacher development plan and stipulate what learner support materials will be needed. All you can have is a broad plan. The department’s plan, which has been made public, is as follows:
The provisional date for implementation of the curriculum is January 2004. The department is currently engaging with the National Curriculum Statements to reflect on the issues being raised.
Part of this plan is to make an announcement in February next year, after comments received from the public have been integrated with the department’s internal analysis on whether it thinks it should stick with 2004 as the implementation date. The question of how the process is funded is central to this reflection.
There are those who would have liked the department to have this policy framework before it embarked on teacher development activities. The department believes it would have been impossible to put in place a permanent policy framework without a thorough understanding of what it is developing the teachers for. Much of that understanding is now in place — with the National Curriculum Statements or the Further Education and Training band just released.
The department has over the past seven years focused on strategic interventions targeting particular areas of teacher development:
The department is now ready for a coherent teacher education policy framework. Some of the work has already been done, including:
The department remains resolute in its commitment to transforming the education system of this country so that the majority of our people gain access to education of high quality. It would never compromise this by acting irresponsibly. The department will continue to put in place the various elements necessary for educational transformation and hopes the South African public will continue to guide it through their considered responses to its public documents.
Thami Mseleku is director general at the Department of Education
