Teachers in Stellenbosch have expressed differing sentiments towards the newly proposed Grade 4 to 12 history Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). Concerns about the curriculum’s content and the practicality of implementing it in their classrooms have been raised.
Leticia Smith-Simmerey, the head of history at Lückhoff High School, sits in her classroom. Smith-Simmerey is “excited about the proposed changes” in the drafted Grade 4 to 12 history CAPS curriculum. PHOTO: Supplied/Janco Botes
The new curriculum is open for public comment through the Department of Basic Education (DBE) until 19 May, after an extension from the original deadline of 19 April.
According to the newly proposed curriculum for Grade 10-12, it takes an “African-centred approach” that uses “African archives and sources” to investigate “historical questions about Africa and its interactions with the rest of the world”. However, history academics in Stellenbosch and beyond are concerned about the curriculum isolating South Africa from the rest of the world.
Major changes include shifting the focus from the US civil rights movement to the Cold War and the rise of anti-colonial struggles in Southern Africa. Steve Biko and Black Consciousness is reduced to two hours and the Russian revolution has been reduced to an hour, said Dr Tarryn Halsall, a lecturer at the Department of Curriculum Studies in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University (SU) whose focus is history education.
Content
SMF News asked history teachers in Stellenbosch for their perspectives on the proposed Afrocentric approach.
“We are moving towards a very one-sided biased perspective of history,” said Paul Deetlefs, the head of history at Paul Roos Gymnasium. While he likes the proposed addition of African empires, he is concerned about how learners will understand South Africa’s position in the broader global context.
“We are supposed to be a country and a schooling system that tells learners, listen, we are all global citizens,” he said. He believes in balancing perspectives and not “reinventing the wheel”.
Ben Malan, a history teacher at Stellenbosch High School stands in the passageway at the school next to a photograph of Desmond Tutu. PHOTO: Supplied/Janco Botes
According to Ben Malan, a history teacher at Stellenbosch High school, South Africa’s learners are often more informed than international students about “world history and the implications of the past”. He said that this, as well as the country’s cultural diversity, “advanced their ability to adapt to, understand, work along, manage and excel in diverse communities and situations”.
However, Leticia Smith-Simmery, the head of history at Lückhoff High School, believes that the changes have been proposed to cater to a South African context. She would often hear students showing interest in learning more about South African history. “This context is more applicable to their lived experiences,” she said.
The political intentions of the new curriculum have also been a point of contention, as it portrays the African National Congress (ANC) as “the only liberator of South Africa”, said Deetlefs. Currently, the curriculum is “relatively broad” and portrays a spectrum of individuals involved in the liberation, including the ANC, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), said Deetlefs.
Paul Deetlefs, the head of history at Paul Roos Gymnasium, in his classroom. He is concerned about the proposed Grade 4 to 12 history CAPS curriculum as it isolates South Africa from an international context, he said. PHOTO: Emma Giles
However, Smith-Simmerey does not agree. “The purpose of this change was not politically driven,” she said.
Another concern, raised by Dr Halsall, is that the topics in the new curriculum are not chronological nor connected. According to Deetlefs, the current curriculum “is relatively well structured chronologically” and one can “follow a timeline”. However, the new curriculum “feels like it’s a little bit all over the place”, he said.
Sourcing information
With a strong focus on oral and archaeological history, availability of sources for teachers to gather information on the new topics becomes a possible challenge. The “longevity of the topic and resource availability for the classroom but also sources for assessment” is something that definitely needs to be addressed, said Dr Halsall.
A major problem is finding sources that can act as evidence for what is being taught in the classroom and that can be used in past papers, said Deetlefs.
This was echoed by Malan who said having an Afrocentric focus will be difficult “as very little sources and material exists compared to many other area-centred histories”. His concern is that this might move history towards a more philosophical subject where individual interpretation and feelings are prioritised over the facts.
Ben Malan, a history teacher at Stellenbosch High School, is concerned about the accessibility of sources that align with the proposed Grade 4 to 12 history CAPS curriculum, considering its focus on oral sources. PHOTO: Supplied/Janco Botes
Smith-Simmerey is not as concerned about the focus on oral sources as “oral history and research will also expose our learners to a broader audience”. The new topics “can heavily depend on a learner-teacher interactive approach” and “more debates will open the door to more extensive learning”, she said.
According to a statement published on the South African government website on 9 April, “the draft itself states that oral history is included to broaden the evidentiary base and recover perspectives that were previously marginalised […]”.
Access to resources and empowering teachers
Another concern about the implementation of the new curriculum is access to new textbooks. “Your well-resourced schools will be fine, it’s your under-resourced schools that will be problematic,” said Dr Halsall.
According to Deetlefs, Paul Roos will be able to make the adjustment. However, he is worried that the vast majority of South African schools will not be ready. Old textbooks and past papers serve as a record that can be revisited, but that would now be “redundant” as teachers would have to “start from scratch”, said Deetlefs.
“Training will need to be conducted by the DBE, just to kind of give us the foundation of what they want exactly in practice,” said Deetlefs. We need to consider how to empower teachers who are specialist history teachers, he said.
Leticia Smith-Simmerey, the head of history at Lückhoff High School, in her classroom. Based on her experience, she feels “there is a need for learners to be exposed to a more African centred approach”. PHOTO: Supplied/Janco Botes
According to Smith-Simmerey, “Lückhoff High School will be prepared” as the new curriculum is “not something that happened overnight” and their teaching staff have stayed up to date and had sufficient training on these changes.
Open for debate
According to the South African government website, the DBE encourages educators and subject specialists to engage with the drafted curriculum and “submit focused, evidence-based comments”.
SMF News contacted the DBE, Rhenish Girls’ High School, Kayamandi Primary School, Bloemhof Girls’ High School, Makapula Secondary School, Cloetesville High School and Stellenzicht Secondary School but did not receive comment by time of publication.
All views expressed in this article are those of the individuals and do not represent the views of the schools/institutions they are a part of.