WCED & Umalusi on the new CAPS curriculum

Meeting report

Opening Remarks

Dr John Volmink, Chairperson, Umalusi, said that the new CAPS curriculum was developed for the Schools of Skills, and it underpins the General Education Certificate (GEC), which is an NQF level 1 qualification worth 120 credits.

He said it is aimed at equipping school learners with foundational skills. Learners will receive a certificate of achievement. The qualification is designed to enable articulation with other qualifications on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-framework.

He said Umalusi welcomes the introduction of the General Education Certificate (GEC). They hope the planned external examinations will be able to shed light on the standard of education at the Grade 9 level. The data collected from the examinations will help Umalusi make a meaningful contribution towards the improvement of education standards in our country.

He said Umalusi appreciates the collaboration among the different stakeholders to ensure that the quality of education in South Africa is enhanced.

Briefing on the CAPS curriculum for the Schools of Skills

Mr Mafu Rakumetsi, Chief Executive Officer, Umalusi, said that Umalusi takes its mandate principally from two pieces of legislation: the National Qualification Framework Act and the General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Act.

Some of the roles played by Umalusi include quality assuring qualifications and curricula as well as exit point assessments of these qualifications; certifying learner attainments for these qualifications; conducting research on matters pertaining to the General and Further Education and Training Qualification Sub-framework.

Dr Eva Sujee, Senior Manager: Qualifications, Curriculum and Certification Unit, Umalusi, said that the GEC is a one-year qualification that will be registered at NQF level 1 and was worth 120 credits. A minimum of nine subjects are required for successful completion of the qualification.

She said the curriculum is aimed at learners in school. It provides a foundation certificate for learners in General Education and Training (GCET) and aims to prepare learners for life after school and enable them to access occupational workplace-based learning.

She said the qualification is designed to enable articulation with other qualifications on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-framework (GFETQS) as well as on the Occupation Qualifications Sub-framework at the NQF.

She said the attainment of the GEC marked the end of the General Education and Training aspect of formal schooling. A learner who has obtained the GEC is advised to continue with their learning in three different ways: 1. the academic route – through the completion of the National Curriculum Statement (NSC) in schools, culminating in the achievement of the NSC at NQF level 4 (Umalusi); 2. A vocational route - through the National Certificate (Vocational) qualification at NQF levels 2, 3 and 4, which contains vocational specialisations (Umalusi); and 3. Occupational-specific qualification – through specific qualifications at NQF levels 2, 3 and 4 which consists of knowledge, skills and workplace experience and learning (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations).

Appraisal of GEC Curriculum

So far, Umalusi has apprised the 21 subjects that form part of the GEC occupational stream: Year 1 – 4 Schools of Skills CAPS Curriculum. The purpose of the appraisal was to determine the relevant depth and breadth of the content covered; the overall design, structure, and coherence of the curriculum in terms of broad curriculum design, curriculum objectives, the content/skill coverage, and the sequence, progression and pacing of the curriculum.

General Findings

She said the general findings indicate that there is greater depth in the procedural (practical) content than in the conceptual (theoretical) content. It was also found that the subjects are mostly aligned to the SAQA level 1 descriptors. Therefore, it can be said that the Schools of Skills curricula is pitched at NQF level 1.

Learners exiting the Schools of Skills would be competent in the relevant trades when they enter the world of work due to their exposure to the necessary practical competencies in sufficient depth.

She said occupational courses are narrow in focus but develop a meaningful depth of competency in a particular occupational field. Reliable practical assessments are essential for occupational courses; therefore Umalusi is yet to embark on an appraisal of the assessed curricula for the Schools of Skills.

The question of articulation remains open at this stage until the essential learning in fundamental subjects has been interrogated.

Articulation of the Schools of Skills CAPS Curriculum

Mr Rakumetsi said the new CAPS 1-4 years form part of the occupationally oriented stream of curricula underpinning the GEC qualification. A learner needs to satisfy the promotion requirements to obtain a GEC qualification at NQF Level 1.

He said the NSC is an NQF level 4 qualifications, therefore learners who complete the Schools of Skills curricula pitched at NQF level 1 and who satisfy the promotional requirements will receive a GEC certificate and not the NSC.

Concluding Remarks

He said the GEC qualification will provide a standardised benchmark against which schools can compare their internal assessment standards.

Learners who have achieved the GEC qualification should be able to access opportunities for further learning and be considered for access to qualifications beyond NQF level 1.  A learner from the School of Skills who obtains the GEC is advised to continue with their learning in the occupational pathway.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) still needs to finalise the National Assessment Framework and are required to submit the documents related to the assessed curricula for Umalusi to be able to determine articulation of these occupationally oriented curricula.

Umalusi will continue to quality assure curricula underpinning qualifications on the GFETQSF and assist the DBE to evaluate and strengthen the GEC curriculum.

Briefing on the Schools of Skills by the Western Cape Education Department

Ms Berenice Daniels, Director: Specialised Education, Western Cape Education Department (WCED), said that there are 21 registered Schools of Skills in the Western Cape. There are three special schools that have predominantly Schools of Skills (SoS) learners. There is one collaboration school and one secondary school with a skills stream.

She said learners who have barriers to learning and are unable to cope with the academic curriculum at public ordinary school are prioritised. The schools offer a four-year programme. Learners start at the age of 14 years and exit at the age of 18 years.

She said the schools are in all the province’s districts.

{The list of Schools of Skills was shown as part of the presentation}

Possible Schools of Skills Learner Pathway at present

She said the Schools of Skills offer a learning pathway that equips learners with the relevant skills to join the world of work. Schools are encouraged to have a 4th-year school-to-work programme and exit plans for their Year 4 learners.

The schools have networked and partnered with local companies. Learners that are placed with companies for job shadowing in their fourth year are often employed by these companies when they complete their Schools of Skills programme. Learners who excel academically have the option of further studies at TVET colleges through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process.

Some learners have enrolled successfully at False Bay College, Cape Town College and Northlink College. She said this is the exception currently.

Discussion

Mr G Brinkhuis (Al Jama-ah) wanted to know how extensively Agricultural education is structured into the Schools of Skills curriculum. ‘Do the graduates from the Schools of Skills find work in the agricultural industry’?

Mr R Allen (DA) wanted to know if the Department would be able to indicate the number of learners that have enrolled at TVET colleges via the RPL process. ‘What is the Department’s role in helping and guiding the students through that process’? ‘Is there a cost involved with the RPL processes? ‘Does the cost fall on the learner or the Department’?

Mr M Kama (ANC) requested an update about the school in Graafwater. He wanted to know if the Schools of Skills are accessible in rural areas. He also requested a breakdown of the learners that are at the schools.

Mr F Christians (ACDP) wanted to know whether the school in Graafwater is a School of Skills or not. He asked because there was court action where the WCED was taken to court. ‘Is the court matter resolved or still pending’?

Responses

Ms Daniels said there is a subject called Agricultural Studies, which includes plant production, animal husbandry and gardening.

Regarding RPL, she said the numbers will be provided to the Committee. The same will be done regarding the cost, if any, of the RPL process.

She said Graafwater is the newest School of Skills. It has been registered as such. She said the Department does create access to the Schools of Skills. She said that she was not clear about the requested breakdown.

Ms Rhoda Manuel, Programme Manager: Schools of Skills), WCED, said the Graafwater has a huge Schools of Skills stream as well as a stream for learners with severe learning disabilities. She said that schools in rural districts usually opt for agricultural studies.

Dr Moses Simelane, Acting DDG: Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring, Department of Basic Education, said that the majority of learners that are at the Schools of Skills start off at mainstream schools. While at these schools, they might find themselves repeating grades partly due to the unsuitability of the curriculum for the learner. The learners are then referred to the Schools of Skills.

Regarding guidance provided to learners who want to study beyond grade 9, he said they are reliant on the observation and guidance that is given at the school level. She said part of the value-add of the GEC is that it will provide an indication of learners’ inclination so that they can be streamed accordingly.

Mr Christians wanted to know if there is still pending court action, or has it been finalised?

Ms Daniels said they would have to go back to their colleagues in management and governance regarding the court case question.

The Chairperson wanted to know how the Western Cape compares with other provinces.

Mr Simelane said the Western Cape is actually one of the leading provinces when it comes to implementing the Schools of Skills programme.

The Chairperson asked if the parents have been informed about the CAPS curriculum for this stream of education. If not, why not.

Ms Manuel said it was important to note the context of the new curriculum. She said there is a similar curriculum that was written by teachers within the Western Cape for the Schools of Schools that was implemented from 2012 to 2016. The curriculum comprised of inputs from the entire country.

She said the Department has been running a pilot since 2017 up until 2020. This year (2021), the Department is doing the curriculum as full implementation. She said there has been a lot of advocating and work done with parents and they are aware of developments at the schools.

The Chairperson wanted to know what the waiting list looks like for the 2022 academic year.

Ms Manuel said that they were in the process of doing a sifting placement meeting for admission to the Schools of Skills. The exact number of applicants will be finalised by the end of the fourth school term.

The Chairperson wanted to know how far industry has been involved in developing the curriculum.

Mr Simelane said the Department extended the invitation widely. It was not only limited to curriculum writers from the Department, but also from TVET colleges. He said he does not recall the involvement of specific officials from industry.

The Chairperson excused the delegation.

Committee resolution

The Committee requested an update on Graafwater.

Members also requested the breakdown of those learners who qualify for further studies due to academic excellence.

They wanted clarity on who carried the cost of RPL - the learner or the Department

Members requested a breakdown of learners who have completed the Schools of Skills programme over the last four years.

They wanted to know if the Graafwater School was fully equipped.

The Chairperson recommended visiting some of the schools that did not make the 60% pass rate threshold.

The Chairperson thanked everyone and the meeting was adjourned.