The politics of curriculum review and revision in South Africa

Abstract

This paper is about the politics surrounding the review and revision of Curriculum 2005 and creation of the Revised National Curriculum Statement which became policy in South Africa in 2002. Curriculum 2005 and the Revised National Curriculum Statement were two steps in the process of curriculum revision undertaken since 1994. Curriculum revision was undertaken in three mains stages or waves: the first involved the 'cleansing' of the curriculum of its racist and sexist elements in the immediate aftermath of the election. The second involved the implementation of outcomes-based education through Curriculum 2005. And the third involved the review and revision of Curriculum 2005 in the light of recommendations made by a Ministerial Review Committee appointed in. This Review Committee recommended a major revision of the curriculum in order to make it more understandable in the classroom. The paper deals with these two main stages: the Report of the Review Committee and the creation of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (2000 - 2002).