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The Department of Basic Education has published its annual performance plans for 2020/2021, describing a series of changes that it plans to introduce into the school system in the coming years.
The department recognized that the coronavirus has had a significant impact on the country’s schools and that it would need to obtain a legal opinion on the adoption of its Annual Performance Plan (APP) due to unexpected changes.
The Department had previously indicated that children could return to school as early as next week, but Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga later said that no date has been set for the return of students to schools and that only the “sector school “will be open from May 4.
The department has made it clear that although it did present the APP, it will have to be modified as it was developed prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and plans have now changed considerably.
The APP was presented in Parliament in March, before the declaration of the blockade and its implications. However, the department presented the APP presented to the committee, since it is required by law to do so and could not deviate from the plan, as presented.
DBE said that when plans for the year were drawn up, the pandemic was not expected. Funds will now have to be moved and redirected from infrastructure for schools to comply with Covid-19, including in water and sanitation.
Motshekga agreed with the committee’s decision to take legal advice, as he said that the DBE is already spending funds that have not been approved by Parliament, due to new activities it must undertake to ensure that schools comply with Covid- 19.
Despite these problems, the department indicated that it was committed to a number of changes, including the introduction of new topics.
These changes are detailed below.
New topics
The department said it will begin filing coding and robotics as subjects in South African schools this year.
Courses will initially be available in grade R – grade three at 200 schools, with the goal of equipping students with the skills required for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
In his State of the Nation address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that the country’s schools and universities will continue to focus on science and technology in the future.
This will include the establishment of a new University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni, he said.
“Ekurhuleni is the only metro in our country that does not have a university. This will allow youth on that subway to receive training in cutting-edge, high-impact technological innovation for current and future industries, “said Ramaphosa.
Tablets
The department said it will also continue its plan to issue tablets to students at the school.
He added that this process is currently underway with the department with the aim of providing each student and teacher with an ICT device with access to digital support materials for learning and teaching (LTSM).
In March 2019, the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, said that the tablets would be provided to students who need it most, and that schools would receive tablets according to their quintile.
South African schools are divided into five quintiles, with quintile 1 being the poorest quintile and quintile 5 the least poor.
“The plan will be implemented in three phases beginning with phase 1 which will focus on selected multi-grade, multiphase, farm and select rural schools (2020-2021),” Motshekga said at the time.
“The second phase will target schools in quintile 1 to 3 (2022 – 2023), and phase 3 will target schools in quintile 4 and 5 (2024 – 2025).”
Three Stream Curriculum
The department said it is making progress with the introduction of a three-stream curricular model, which “will herald a fundamental shift in focus toward more professional and technical education.”
The model offers students three different paths, namely academic, professional and professional.
This recognizes that students have a different talent and that opportunities must be created “for each type of gift.”
The model will also allow for a smooth transition between the school sector, the world of work and higher education institutions, as well as offering students the opportunity to complete the ninth grade.
Although it was not specified in the presentation, the government has previously indicated that students who complete Grade 9 could receive a certificate of qualification acknowledging completion of the General Education and Training Band (GET Band) under this new model.
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