Curriculum Reform in South Africa: a critical analysis of outcomes‐based education

Abstract

Since South Africa's first national democratic elections in 1994, the Government of National Unity has issued several curriculum-related reforms intended to democratise education and eliminate inequalities in the post-apartheid education system. The most comprehensive of these reforms has been labelled outcomes-based education (OBE), an approach to education which underpins the new Curriculum 2005. While the anticipated positive effects of the new curriculum have been widely heralded, there has been little criticism of these proposals given the social and educational context of South African schools. In this article the philosophical, political and implementational dilemmas of OBE are systematically analysed and assessed.

The impact of the transition to outcomes-based teaching on university preparedness in mathematics in South Africa

“…Jansen, 1998). Yet, as far as university preparedness is concerned, our results do not agree with this dismal portrayal.…”

“…The transition to the OBE system has been fraught with criticism (e.g. Jansen, 1998) and necessitated revisions and modifications along the way, discussed in a later section. The question addressed in this paper is how such a radical change affects the mathematical preparedness of students entering university.…”

The Early Grade Reading Assessment: Applications and Interventions to Improve Basic Literacy

“…Reforms were introduced and implemented almost immediately after democracy, and the subsequent discussions have been intense and convoluted (for example, see Cross et al, 2002;Jansen, 1998;Muller, 2000;Rogan, 2007;Taylor et al, 2003). That these reforms are responsible for the low quality of South African education seems extremely improbable, however, because most evidence suggests that quality, at least for the majority, has always been extremely poor.…”

Widening student access and participation in Allied Health Sciences: A critical reflection

“…These include fiscal constraints with attendant demands for cost containment and accountability (Akooje and Nkomo 2007;Wilson-Strydom 2011), trying to understand the implications of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) for students' preparedness for tertiary level studies, academic restructuring, reviewing academic programmes for contextual relevance to the changing national and provincial health system, and consolidation of educational programmes. The implementation of OBE in 1998 was intended to democratise school education (Grades 1-12) and eliminate inequalities in the post-apartheid education system (Jansen 1998;Soudien and Baxen 1997;Todd and Mason 2005;Mouton, Louw and Strydom 2012). It was designed to uplift learners and teachers from previously disadvantaged communities by opening up 'the curriculum to all children and integrate it with their experience' (Mouton, Louw and Strydom 2012).…”