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2020
DRAFTFRAMEWORKFORCURICULUM
RECOVERYPOSTCOVID19.
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NATIONALFRAMEWORKFORCURRICULUMRECOVERYPOSTCOVID19
1.INTRODUCTIONANDBACKGROUND
InDecemberof2019theworldwasinvadedbyadeadlyvirus(Coronavirus)thatgot
peoplesickleadingtoquickdeathsinEastAsia,inparticularinChina,inthecityof
Wuhan.Thespeedatwhichpeoplecontractedthediseaseanddiedeliciteddrasticand
radicalmeasuresfromtheChinesegovernmentofshuttingdownthecityinanattempt
tostopthespreadofthisdiseasetoothercitiesinChinaandeventuallytotherestof
theworld.
Onthe16thMarch,thePresidentannounceddrasticmeasurestocurbthespreadofthe
virusthatincludeexercisinghealthylivingpracticesaswellassocialdistancing.
Schoolswereseenashighriskcentresandhadpotentialofexposingbothlearnersand
teacherstoopportunitiesofspreadingthevirus.ThePresidentthenannouncedthat
schoolswouldclosefromWednesdaythe18March2020andthattheywouldremain
closeduntilaftertheEasterweekendandwillonlyreopenonthe14thApril2020to
protectthelearnersfromcontractingthevirus.Initiallythisclosureresultedin9daysof
teachingbeinglost.
OnMondaythe23rdMarch2020thePresidentannouncedtheNationalLockdown
startingMidnightof26thMarch2020foraperiodof21daysending17thApril2020.
Thelossofteachingandassessmenttimewillhaveadevastatingeffectoncurriculum
coverageunlessmeasuresareputinplacetocircumventthis.
ItisthereforeessentialfortheDBEtoplanarecoveryprogrammethatwillensurethat
essentialcomponentsofthecurriculumthathavenotbeencoveredarecoveredwhen
schoolsre-open.
Theschoolcurriculumisdesignedtakingintotheaccountthenumberofschooldays
availableforteachingandlearning.Therefore,anydisruptiontotheschoolcalendar,
hasadirectimpactonteachingandlearning.
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Thereisuncertainty,atthemoment,intermsofthedateonwhichschoolswillresume
astheresumptionofschoolingwilldependontherateofCovid19infectionsoverthe
next21days.However,theDepartmentofBasicEducationneedstoplanto
accommodatethedisruptionbasedonpossiblescenariosrelatingtothedateforthe
openingofschools.
Besidesfocusingoncurriculum coverage,theprolongedschoolclosureandhome
confinementduringthediseaseoutbreakmighthavenegativeeffectsonlearners’
psychosocialhealth.Factorssuchasprolongedisolation,fearsofinfection,frustration
andboredom,inadequateinformation,lackofin-personcontactwithclassmates,friends,
andteachers,lackofpersonalspaceathome,andfamilyfinancialloss,canhaveeven
moreproblematicandenduringeffectsonlearners.Thereis,therefore,aneedto
exploremodalitiesofprovidingpsychosocialsupportservicestolearnerstoassistthem
tocopewithmentalhealthissueswhichmayhavebeencausedbyresultantdomestic
conflicts,tensionswithparents,anxietyfrombecominginfectedandaffected,andother
variables.Thisplanwillfocusoncurriculum andassessmentrecoveryandthe
psychosocialsupportwillbeaddressedinaseparateplan.
Thereistheneedtodeveloprobustmechanismstosupportlearnerstocopewiththe
unusuallyhugeworkloadsthatmayresultfromourattemptstorecovertheteachingand
learningtimelost.Thereisalsoaneedtosupportteacherstocopewiththecurriculum
andassessmentdemandswhichwilldefinitelyresultinunusuallyhugeworkloads.This
mayrequire,interalia,theintroductionofaspecialdeviationfrom curriculum and
assessmentrequirements.
Thesectorcannotdothisalone.Therefore,thereisaneedtomobiliseexisting
resources,involvingnon-governmentalorganisations,teacherunions,SGBs,RCLsand
otherkeystakeholdersandpartnerstocreateaplatformforgatheringandorganising
thebestonlineeducationresourcesaboutlearningmaterials,healthylifestylesand
psychosocialsupportoptionsavailableforschools,learnersandteachers.
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2. PROBLEMSTATEMENT
Thecurriculum constitutesthecoreofteachingandlearningandthereforewhen
teachingandlearningcannottakeplace,theessenceofschoolingisnotachievedand
everyattemptmustbe made to complete the curriculum and the assessment
programmefortheGrade.
Itisimperative,giventhesequentialorderingofthecurriculum,thatlearnerscomplete
therequirementsofthecurriculumofthecurrentgradebeforetheycanbeconsidered
tobereadyforthenextgrade.Anydeficitsinthecurrentgradewillhaveacompounding
effectinthenextgradeandinsubsequentgrades.Therefore,thecorerequirementsof
thecurrentgrademustbecompletedtoensurethatleanersarereadyforthenextgrade.
Learningcannotbeconcertinaedormicrowavedintheschoolingcontextgiventhe
buildingblocknatureofteachingandlearning.Therefore,inrecoveringlosttime,every
effortmustbemadetomake-upthelosttimebyaddingadditionalhourstotheschool
dayorextendingthenumberofschooldays.Ifthetimecannotberecoveredthen,an
identificationofthecorecontentmustbemade,bysubjectspecialists.Thisidentification
mustbedonejudiciouslytoensurethatthecontentthatisexcludeddoesnotcontribute
tothefoundationalknowledgeofthenextgrade.
ThequestionthatneedtobeaddressedthoughthisFrameworkPlanis:Howdowe
ensurethatalllearnersthathavebeenpartoftheextendedschoolclosurearenot
disadvantagedintermsofthelearningrequiredforthecurrentgradeorforthefuture
learningrequiredforthesubsequentgrade/s?Thiswilltranslateintothreesub-
questions:
a)Whatistheextentofthetimelossandthecurriculumcontentthatcouldnotbe
covered?
b)Whataretheimplicationsofthelosttimeforteachingandlearning,curriculum,
assessmentandtheeducationaloutcomes?
c)Howcanthetimelostberecoveredorcanthecurriculumbereviewedtoensurethat
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theessenceofthecurriculumiscompletedintheremainingtimeavailable.
3. PURPOSEANDSCOPEOFTHEFRAMEWORKFORTHECURRICULUM
RECOVERYPLAN.
TheSouthAfricanschoolingsystemisdiverseandthereforethisdocumentisprovided
asaframeworkwhichwillserveasaguidelinetoPEDsandschoolsastohowthelost
timecouldberecoveredandwhataretherecommendationsrelatingtoensuingthatthe
curriculumisappropriatelycovered.Provincesmustcustomisetheguidelinetosuittheir
provincialcontexts.Thisframeworkwillprovidetheminimumofwhatneedstobedone
andPEDscangobeyondtheminimumthatisoutlinedinthisFramework.
ThisRecoveryPlan willfocusoncurriculumandassessmentrecoveryandtheother
aspectsrelatingtopostCovid19,willbeaddressedinseparatedocuments.This
Curriculum RecoveryPlanaddressestheentireschoolingsectorwhichincludesthe
DepartmentofBasicEducation,thenineprovincialeducationdepartments,their
districts,circuitofficesandtheschoolsundertheirjurisdiction.TheFrameworkwill
coverallaspectsoftheschoolcurriculumfromgradestograde12.
4. SUPPORTPROVIDEDTOLEARNERSDURINGTHECOVID19DISRUPTION
Thedisruptionofschoolingandlossofteachingandlearningtimeisnotnewtothe
SouthAfricanschoolingsystempostdemocracy.Differentpartsofthecountryareoften
plaguedbyservicedeliveryproteststhatvaryfromthecitizens’angeroverthechanging
ofprovincialboundaries,todemandsforbetterroads,andtheseinevitablyaffect
learning.Unlike service delivery protests which mostly affectpoverty-stricken
communitiesandultimatelydisrupteducationandresultininadequatecurriculum
coverage,Covid-19isaffectingtheentirecountry–alllearners,despitetheirsocio-
economicbackground,willbeadverselyaffectedbythelockdown,whichisaimedat
curbingthespreadofthecoronavirus.Lessonslearnedfromdisruptedteachingand
learningincludethefollowing:
Theneedtohaveeducationresourcesavailableindifferentformats–electronic
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andhardcopiesandtohavemeasuresinplacetomonitortheirutilisation;
DedicatedprogrammesforLearnerswithSpecialEducationalNeedsandlearners
inruralareas;
CollaborationbetweentheBasicEducationsector,educationstakeholders,social
partnersandbigbusiness;
Theimportanceofacoordinatedcommunicationstrategytoavoidcontradictions
whenspeakingtoparents,teachersandlearners;
Dedicatedprogrammeforlearnerswithspecialneedsandlearnersfrom rural
areas.
Extralessonstomakeupforlostteachingtimeduringdisruptions,althoughthese
havealwaysexclusivelytargetedlearnersintheFETphase;and
Theneedforparentalsupportandguidancesothattheyarebetterplacedto
supporttheirchildren.
SupportProgrammesforlearners:
OnlineProgrammes:
TheDBE,incollaborationwithProvincialEducationDepartmentsPEDs)andvarious
organisationhascoordinatededucationresourcesandsupportprogrammes.The
resourcesareavailableon-line,throughvariousportals,applications,andradioand
televisionbroadcastlessonsandtheytargetlearnersandteachers,acrossallthe
grades.Variousonlinesupportprogrammesweredeployedtoprovideorguidelearners,
teachers,educationofficialsaswellasparentsandcaregiversandtheyareavailable
fordifferentsubjectsacrossthegrades.SomepublishingcompaniessuchasViaAfrika
andShutershaveavailedtheire-booksforfree.
Guidelinedocumentsprovidedtolearnerspriortothelockdown:
SomePEDssuchasGautenghad,priortothelockdown,providedguidelinesto
learners,parentsandcaregiversonacademicworkthatshouldbecovered.Theplans
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weregiventoalllearnerstotakehomeandtheywerecommunicatedtoparentsthrough
theschoolprincipals.Learnerswereprovidedwithacontentguidelinedocumentforall
subjectstomakeupforthelostteachingandlearningtime.Guidancewasalsoprovided
toparentsonhowtoimplementtheprogramme.
RadioandTelevisionBroadcastlessons:
Whiletheon-lineresourcesareavailableanytime,anywhere,ascheduleofbroadcast
lessonsshowingthedifferenttimeslotspersubjectandgradehasbeendevelopedand
sharedbythetelevisionchannelandtheradiostations.Itisworthnotingthatthe
differentPEDshaveschedulesofbroadcastlessonsfrom theregionalSABCradio
stationsandsomeCommunityRadiostations.Belowisalistofon-lineprogrammes,
virtualclassroomsandbroadcastlessonstosupportlearnersduringthelockdown
period.Acomprehensivelistofon-linelearnersupportprogrammes,whattheyofferis
embeddedbelowforeaseofreference.
Supportprogrammesforteachersandsubjectadvisors:
Whenitcomestosupportprovidedtoteachersandsubjectadvisors,theDBEand
NationalEducationCollaborationTrust(NECT)arebuildingWhatsappgroupsforthe25
000primaryschoolsteachersandtheirsubjectadvisorswhoarepartofthePrimary
SchoolReadingImprovementProgramme(PSRIP).Teacherswillusethistimeto
sharpentheircontentandpedagogicalknowledge.Theteacherswhoarepartofthe
PSRIPhavereceivedashortmessageandlongerattachmentwithlinkstoresources
(videosandarticles)ontheNECTwebsite.
5. PRINCIPLESTOBEFOLLOWEDINIMPLEMENTINGTHERECOVERYPLAN
TheCOVID-19crisishasbeenmainstreamedintheglobaldevelopmentagendawith
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theadoptionoftheSustainableDevelopmentGoal4Education2030,whichaimsto
‘ensure inclusive and equitable qualityeducation forall’.The Education 2030
FrameworkforActionprovidesaclearreferenceforhumanitarian,developmentand
governmentactorsinthedevelopmentofnationaleducationplans.Educationincrisis
situationsisexplicitlyaddressedcallingforcountriestoensureinclusive,responsive
andresilienteducationsystemstomeettheneedsofchildrenincrisiscontexts.
TheFrameworkalignsitselfwiththeseinternationalconventionsandisguidedbythe
followingprinciples:
(a) InclusionandEquity
Ensuringthatalllearnersandparticularlythemostvulnerableaccessthe
plannedprogrammes.
(b) TargetedApproach
Takingcognizanceoftheuniqueneedsofschools,phasesandgrades.
(c) SizeandScope
Ensuringthatcurriculumplansaredeterminedinaflexiblewayguidedbythe
sizeandthescopeofthecrisis,ashortorlonglockdown,andtheimplications
thatthiswillhaveonteachingandlearning.
(d) Partnerships
Ensuringfullparticipationandownershipofallkeystakeholders.
(e) SafetyandSecurity
Maintainingsafe,orderlyandwelcomingschoolenvironments
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6. LEARNINGFROMPREVIOUSEXPERIENCESANDINTERNATIONALBEST
PRACTICE
6.1 GlobalExperience
Whetherlocal,national,orinternationalinscope,timesofcrisiscanhaveasignificant
impactontheclassroom.Thelearnersneednotbedirectlyrelatedorpersonally
involvedtoexperienceanxietyortrauma.Whileproximity(alocalevent)mayleadtoa
moreobviousimpactonlearnersandeducators,theeffectscanbejustasdifficult
basedon“thesheermagnitudeandscale(nationaleventswithwidemediacoverage)”
and“thedegreetowhichlearnersandeducatorsarelikelytoidentifywiththevictim(s)
ofthecrisisandfeellike’vicariousvictims’”(Huston&DiPietro,2007,p.219)
Sucheventsaffectstudents’cognitiveload,as“workingmemorycapacityisreduced
immediatelyfollowinganacutelystressfulexperience”(p.218).
Globally,thelossofteachingandlearningtimeisnotanewphenomenonasaresultof
naturalorman-madedisasters.Theaffectededucationsystemshavehadtoadaptto
whatwasprevailingtoensurethattheobjectivesofteachingandlearningwerenotlost.
TheexperienceofAustraliafollowingfiresandfloodingsuggeststhatrecoveryplans
arenotmerelyaboutrecoveringtimelosttoteachingandlearningfollowingdisaster
situations.Theneedidentifiedwastocraftrecoveryplansthatalsofocusedon
providingsupporttochildrenthatweretraumatizedto,thepsychologicalandemotional
wellbeingofchildren.
6.2.SouthAfricanExperience
6.2.1.National
SouthAfricahasnotbeeninsulatedfromdisruptionsinschooling,bothnationallyand
locally.Thecountryhascomethroughdecadesofadverseschoolingconditionsduring
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theapartheidera.In2007severalprovincesadaptedtothedisruptionsduringthe
month-longstrikebyteachersafterengagingwithstakeholders.Allpartiesexpressed
theircommitmenttoprovidequalityeducationtoallourpeople.Theeducatorunion
leadershipconsideredmandatesgiventothembytheirmembershipinagreeingtoa
commonrecoveryplan.ThepartieswerealsoguidedbySection28oftheSouthAfrican
Constitution,whichcallsonustodoeverythinginthebestinterestofthechild,
6.2.2.EasternCape
In2016,ECexperiencedamonthlongshutdownjustdaysintothenewschoolyearin
thePortElizabeth’snorthernareasschools.Anintenserecoveryprogrammetomake
uplosttimeintheclassroomhadtobeputinplace,withsomeschoolsoptingforlonger
days,between30–60minutes,andSaturdayclasses.
6.2.3.Limpopo
In2016,awaveofviolentunrestexplodedintheMashau,Masakona,Doli,Masia,
BungeniandVyeboomareasinLimpopofollowingthedismissaloftheapplicationby
theMasiaTraditionalCounciltotheMunicipalDemarcationBoard’s(MDB)onthe
establishmentofthenewMunicipalityintheVhembeDistrict.
Bothprimaryandsecondaryschoolswereaffectedafterprotestleadersdeclaredatotal
shutdown.Teachingandlearningwassetbacksincethe2ndofMay2016,andthisalso
affectedthewritingofPreparatoryExamsinGrade12andotherformsofassessment
fromGrade1to11.
CircuitManagers,Principalsandsocialpartnersmet(12May2016)tomapoutrecovery
planwhichensuredthecreationofasenseofownershipoftheprogrammethatensured
thatlearningandteachingobjectiveswereachieved.
6.2.4.NorthWestProvince
TheNorthWestProvincewasplacedunderSection100interventionfollowingthe
generalinstabilityinthegovernancemachinery.Itiswithinthiscontextthatan
educationrecoveryplanwasputinplace.Aninter-ministerialtaskteamwasputinplace
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toaddressvariousportfolios.Foreducation,recoveryencompassedseveralelements,
includingsanitation,scholartransportandschoolnutrition.
6.3. LessonsLearnt
Itisclearfromtheanalysisoftheinterventionsineachcasethattheplansputinplace
torecoverlosttimewasspecifictotheconditionsofeacharea.Thisthereforecallsfor
sensitivitytocontextualrelevanceratherthanaonesizefitsallapproach.
Facedwiththecoronavirus,asUNESCOreportsonadailybasis,asoftoday,113
countrieshavesentchildrenhomefrom school,102ofwhichhaveclosedschools
nationwide,withanestimated849millionchildrenandyouthoutofschool.Thereare
threeperiodstoconsiderforschoolpreparedness:innormaltimes,duringthecrisis,
andafterthecrisis.
Itisnowclearthatmoretimeneedstobeusedtoprepareteachersandsystems.Atthe
mostbasiclevel,teachersneedtobepreparedtodeliverclearinformationtoparents
andeducatechildren,especiallytheyoungestones,abouthygienemanagement.
Analysisof78nationalcurriculaforthe2016GEMReport,forinstance,showedthat
between2005and2015barelyoneintencountriesaddressedthelinksbetweenglobal
andlocalthinking
Trainingforteacherscurrentlyassumesthatlessonswillbedeliveredinclassrooms.In
Quebecandelsewhere,questionsareaskedwhyministriesofeducationhadnoplanin
placefortheeventualityofdistanceteaching.Iftoday’seventsteachusonething,itis
thatinvestmentinonlineteachinginfrastructureandteachertrainingtousesuch
facilitiesarefundamental.
Teachingisgoingtohavetoadapttoalternativescenarios.Moreemphasismayhaveto
beplacedonstudentshavingthetoolstolearnontheirownandbeingcuriousto
continuelearning.
UNESCOorganisedavideoconferencewithministersandtheirrepresentativesfrom
over70countrieson10Marchaboutthisissue.Italsopulledtogetheralistof
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educationalapplicationsandplatformstohelpdistancelearning,mostofwhicharefree,
andseveralofwhichsupportmultiplelanguages.Theseincludedigitallearning
managementsystemslikeGoogleClassroom,whichconnectsclassesremotely,self-
directedlearningcontent,suchasByju’s,whichhaslargerepositoriesofeducational
contenttailoredfordifferentgradesandlevels,mobilereadingapplications,and
platformsthatsupportlive-videocommunication.
InSouthAfrica,bothNationalandProvinces,aswellaspartnersineducationhave
madeawiderangeofdigitalplatformsavailabletolearners.However,thebiggest
concernistheavailabilityoftechnology.Inequalitiesinaccesscanfurtherinflame
inequalitiesineducation.Forsomanyfamilies,deviceandinternetavailabilityarenot
options.
Argentina’sprogramme,torespondtoCovid-19isamultimediaeducationplatform,
providing education contentand advice,thanksto partnershipswith telephone
companies,guaranteesonlineaccesswithoutcost.
Inpoorercountries,whichwithpoororlackofaccesstoelectricityaltogether,low-
technologyapproaches,havebeenattempted.Kenyarunslessonsforprimaryand
secondaryschoolbyradio.InSierraLeone,duringtheEbolaoutbreak,education
programmeswerebroadcastovertheradiofivedaysaweekin30-minutesessions,
withlistenersabletocallinwithquestionsattheendofeachsession.Thisapproach
helpedmaintainlearningdespitecomplicationsbyregionalaccentsanddialects,poor
radiosignalcoverage,andashortageofradiosandbatteries.
ThereisnodoubtthatSouthAfrica,withitsgeographicalandeconomicalcontextwill
havetoprovideamulti-prongedinterventionplantoaddresstheimplicationsofCovid
19onteachingandlearning.
Thereisnodoubtthatlessonscanbedrawnfrom theseexperiencestoinform our
interventionsduringandafterCOVID19asfollows:
(a)ChildhoodTraumaReaction:TheAustralianexperienceteachesusthatthiscannot
beneglected.Aguideforteachersfrom Pre-schooltoyear12aimedtoequip
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teacherswithskillstoidentifyandsupportchildrenwhohavebeentraumatisedby
thedisasterevents.Themodulesintheguidelineincluded‘identifyingtrauma
reactionsinchildren’;and‘waystotalktochildrenafterdisasterevents’.ATraining
Programtocomplementtheonlineguideintheformofworkshopsforteachersand
schoolpersonnelanddeliveredthroughatrainthetrainersessions.
(b)Keytoalltheseexperiencesisthataneedsassessmentmustbecarriedout
immediatelyfollowingthecrisisassuggested.Datamustbecollectedtoinformthe
designanddeliveryofprogramsthatsupportaccesstoqualityeducationforall:
Rapidneedsassessmentsmustbefacilitatedinthefirstweekafterthedisaster,and
identifyvulnerableschoolsandstudents,otherlocalstakeholders,infrastructure,and
resourcingfromamulti-hazardpointofview.Theassessmentshouldalsoassess
thepsychosocialneedsofstudentsandeducationpersonnel.
(c)Patternsofdisadvantageandmarginalizationwithintheeducationsectorshouldbe
carefullyinvestigatedtoensureactionsdonotreinforceexistinginequalitiesor
compoundvulnerabilities:Within1-2weeksofthecrisis,conductamorein-depth
educationsectorassessmenttobetriangulateditwiththerapidneedsassessment
findingsandeducationsectorstakeholdervoicestoinformamorein-depthplanof
wherevulnerabilityismostacuteandneedsaregreatest.
(d)Theplanmustlookforpatternsandtrendsofeducationalrisksandvulnerabilities
basedondemographicindicators.
(e) Ensurethatresourcesandassetsareidentified,prioritized,andactivatedearlyin
theresponsephase.
(f)Maximisinglearningtimebykeepingmatricsatschoolrightuptothestartoftheend
-of-yearexams;
(g)Theelectronicandprintmediabeingropedintosupportpupilsandprovisionof
extralearningsupportmaterials.
(h)Everyschooldevelopingitsownschool-specificrecoveryplanbasedonthe
district/provincialrecoveryframework.Suchplansshouldcontainingclearactivities
anddates,submittedtowardmanagers.
(i) Pacesettersbeingusedtoidentifyanybacklogincurriculumcoverageperschool
persubjectwiththeviewofimplementinganacceleratedprogrammetocatchup.
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(Chunkedcontent)
(j) Useofe-learningsolutionparticularlyforGrade12(Vodacom)
(k)Theneedforpartnerships withstakeholders,businessandothergovernment
departments.
(GFDRRandARUP(2017);GFDRR,WorldBank,EuropeanUnion,UNDG(2012);INEE(2010a);Shahandothers(2016);Sphere
(2011);andUSAID(2014).
7. STRATEGIESTHATCOULDBEADOPTEDINADDRESSINGCURRICULUM
RECOVERY
Therearevariousstrategiesthatcouldbeadoptedinthecurriculumrecoveryprocess.
InthecontextofCovid19andtheclosureofschoolstogetherwiththenational
lockdown,theDBEwillfocusonthefollowing:
(a)Recoveryofteachingtimewhichwillfocusonthelengthoftheteachingdayand
thelengthoftheschoolterm.
(b)Curriculuminterventions,whichmayincludereviewofthecurriculum,sothatthe
corecontentthatneedstobecoveredinthetimeavailableisnotcompromised
andteachingandlearningsupportthatneedstobeprovidedtotheteacherand
thelearner.
(c) Reviewoftheassessmentandexaminationsrequirementsinthelightofthe
reviewed/re-organisedcurriculum.
7.1Extensionofteachingandlearningtime
Basedonthedateofresumption,adecisionwillbemadebytheMinisteronhowthe
teachingandlearningtimeshouldbeextended.Theextensionofteachingandlearning
timewilltakevariousforms,includingthefollowing:
Increasingtheschooldayby30minutesintheIntermediatePhase,anda
maximumofonehourintheSeniorPhaseandamaximumoftwohoursinthe
FETPhase.ThereshouldbenoextensionoftimeforlearnersintheFoundation
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Phase.
Shorteningtheschoolholidays,andyetallowlearnerssometimetotakeabreak;
Reducingofthetimeforthewritingofexaminations;
Doingawaywithsomeexaminationstoextendteachingandlearningtime;and
Postponing and/orbringing forward some examinations to ensure that
assessmentisfair.
Thenormalschool-daycouldbeextendedatallschoolsforidentifiedsubjects.Subjects
whichrequirehighcognitivedemand,problem-solvingandreasoningwillreceive
preference.Inaddition,underperformanceinthesubjectinpreviousyearsandhigh
enrolmentinthecurrentyearshouldreceivepriority.
7.2CurriculumInterventions
Thissectionpresentsadeconstructionofthreeconcepts,namely,curriculumtrimming,
curriculum reorganisationandacceleratedlearningprogrammes.Theintentionisto
explorehowthesecouldpossiblybeutilisedtoinformmethodologies,approachesand
strategiesforthesector’sattemptstoaddressthechallengeoflossofteachingand
learningtime,asaresultoftheCOVID-19.
7.2.1 CurriculumTrimming
Curriculum trimminginvolvescreatingspaceforenhancinglearning,withaviewto
cateringmoreeffectivelyfortheirneedsandabilities.Forpurposesofourcontext,
curriculum trimming willinvolve removing lessimportantand outdated content;
identifyingcoreandextendedpartsofthecurriculum;flexiblemodesoforganisingstudy
content;andusingtheopencurriculumframeworkoflearningtargets.Thisisinlinewith
thecurrentdebatesinthesubjectofthecurriculum.Literaturearguesthatdecadesof
overloadhaveshapedcurriculum,textbooks,tests,andteacherexpectationsintoan
industryofsuperficiality.Forinstance,manyteachersknow,oratleastsuspect,how
littletheirlearnersunderstandandarelearning,butdonotknowhowtotransformthe
system.Therefore,curriculum trimmingwillbeaboutunburdeningthecurriculum,
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decidingwhattopicstokeepandwhattogiveuptoensurethattheloadismanageable
withinthetimeavailable.
7.2.2 CurriculumRe-organisation
Curriculumreorganisationinvolvesreorganisationandrefocusingofthecurriculumto
makethecontentmoremanageable.Forthisintervention,thiswillbedonethroughthe
re-packagingandintegratingsubjectsortopics,embeddingparticularknowledgeand
skillsfociandbalancingdepthandbreadthaskeystrategiestoreduceoverload.This
impliesthatcurriculumreorganisationinthiscontextwillbeaboutmergingfragmented
andcompartmentaliseddiscipline-basedcontentfromrelatedsub-topicsintointegrated
topicsoflearning.Thisapproachwillfacilitatehybridisationofcontentandknowledgein
bothknowledgeconstructionandpedagogy,enablinglearnerstomakeconnections
amongrelatedthemesandconceptualknowledgeacrossdisciplines(Booi&Khuzwayo,
2019;DHET,2011;Kuutti,2007;Luckett,2009).
7.2.3 AcceleratedLearningProgrammes
Acceleratedlearningprogrammescomprisethreedimensions,namely:
Condensedorcompressedcontent:Educationauthoritiestakeresponsibilityfor
condensingorcompressingthecurriculum,thatis,identifyingessentialaspectsof
thecurriculum(basedontheofficialcurriculum);
Interactiveandlearner-centredpedagogy:Teachersaretrainedinarights-based,
interactivemethodology,whichinitssimplestformmeansthatteachersencourage
learnerstoaskandanswerquestionsfreely,setupgroupwork,andutilizearange
ofteachingactivitiestomatchindividuallearningstyles;and
Longerinstructiontime:Schoolmanagersensurethatextratimeisprovidedinthe
schoolday/weekfortheotherwaysoflearning,suchassport,musicandart.
Forthisintervention,acceleratedlearningwillfocusonthecompletionoflearning
contentinashorterperiodoftime-thatis,theessentialelementsofthenational
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curriculumwillbecondensedandcovered.Itwillnotonlybeaboutfasterlearning;it
mustalsobeaboutdeeperandmoreeffectivelearning.Thismustinvolvecovering
essentialelementsoftheofficialcurriculum andrapidlycoveringlearningcontent
missedwithoutcompromisingthequalityofeducation.Thefeaturesofaccelerated
learningwithinthecontextofthisinterventionwillbeslightlydifferentfromthoseofthe
officialcurriculum,astheintentionwillbetofacilitatecatchingupbylearnerswhose
basiceducationhasbeendelayed,inthisinstance,bytheoutbreakofCOVID-19.
7.3Reviewofassessmentandexaminationsrequirements
Ingeneral, examinationsandassessmentsareusedtomakedecisionsaboutan
learners’progressthroughtheeducationsystem,includingtheallocationofeducational
opportunities.Forexaminationsandassessmentstobefairtoallstudents,theymustbe
standardised.Thismeansthatfactorssuchascontentandformatoftheexaminations
and assessmenttasks,administration conditions,accessto resourcesand any
supportingmaterials,andanalysisofresultsmustbethesameorequivalentforall
learners.WithCOVID-19forcingearlyandprolongedschoolclosuresandbanson
groupgatherings,solutionsandmeasuresmustbeintroducedfortheexaminationsand
assessments.Therearethreemainalternativeapproachesthatthesectorwilladopt:
7.3.1 Cancellationofexaminations
Examinationswillhavetobecancelledwiththeintentionofincreasingteachingand
learningtime.Forinstance,examinationsforJune2020couldbecancelled.The
consequencesofthecancellationarenotexpectedtobesignificant.However,the
cancellationimpliesthatDBEmustengagealltherelevantstakeholders,including
highereducationinstitutionswhomayrequireJuneresultsfortheprocessingof
applicationsforadmissionfor2021.
7.3.2 Postponementofexaminations
Examinationsandassessmentsmayhavetobepostponedand/orbroughtforwardto
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respondtothecomplexitiesandmaintaintheirintegrity.Forinstance,aspecial
dispensationfortheNSC examinationsmayhavetobeconsideredandinternal
examinationsbroughtforward,ifitcomestothatextent.Thiswillobviouslyhave
implicationsforthestartofthe2021academicyear,issuesrelatingtothequality
assuranceofexaminationresultsandentranceoflearnersinhighereducation
institutions.TheDBEmust,therefore,ifneedbe,initiatediscussionswiththerelevant
bodies.
7.3.3 Modifyingtheformatofexaminations
Circumstancesmaycompelthesectortoexplorealternativeformatsforconducting
examinationsandassessments.Forinstance,insomeinstances,thetimeforthewriting
ofexaminations may have to be reduced orlearners may have to take
their examinationsonlineorthroughotheravailableformats forthefirsttimeinthe
historyoftheeducationsystem.Thesectorwillexploretheseoptionsandagreeonthe
nationalapproachinordertoensuretheintegrityandfairnessoftheexaminations.
19
20
8.PROPOSEDRECOVERYPLAN
8.1 IMPLICATIONSOFTIMELOST
IndevelopingarecoveryplanforpostCovid19,thereareanumberofunknownfactorsgiventhatthedateofthelifting
ofthelockdownisnotknownatthisstageandevenifthelockdownislifted,theymaystillbecertainrestrictionswhich
mayimpactontherecoveryplan.Therefore,inplanningtherecoverypostCovid19,certainassumptionsarebeing
madeandtheseassumptionsarecraftedaroundtwobroadscenarios.Therecoveryframeworkisplannedbasedon
thesetwoscenariosanditisunderstoodthatevenifthedateschangewhichimpactsonthescenario,thekeyaspects
oftheplancanbeappliedtothenewscenario.
Thefollowingarethetwoscenarioswiththeunderlyingassumptionsrelatingtoeachscenario:
Scenario1 Scenario2
(a)Schools re-open on 20 Aprilfor
teachers and 21 April2020 for
learners.and the South African
environmentreturnstonormal
(a) Schoolsre-openon6th Julyfor
teachesand 7th July2020 fo
teachers
(b)School-basedassessmentand
curriculumcoverageforterm1has
(b) School-basedassessmentand
curriculumcoverageforterm1has
21
beencompleted; beencompleted
(c)Teachingtimelostmayberecovered
bytheshorteningofthewinterand
springschoolholidays.
(d) Teachingtimelostmaybe
recoveredbytheshorteningofthe
winterandspringschoolholidays.
(d)Movementmaybe restricted and
socialdistancingstillinforce
(d)Thecountrywouldhavereturnedto
normaloperations
Thetablebelowprovidesasummaryofthetimelostandtheimplicationsforcurriculum,teachingandlearningand
assessmentintermsofthetwoscenarios.
Areaoffocus SCENARIO1:SchoolsReopenon21April2020 SCENARIO2:SchoolsReopenon7July2020
IMPLICATIONS
Schooldays/Time
lost(max)
16Days(March2020: 3days+April2020:13
days)
52schooldays(Term2:50days+Term1:2
days)
22
Curriculum
coverage
3weeksofcurriculumcontent 12weeksofcurriculumcontent
Teachingand
Learning
112(@ 7hrs/day)hoursofteachingtimelost
overtheperiodunderconsideration.
364(@ 7hrs/day)hoursofteachingtimelostover
theperiodunderconsideration.
SchoolBased
Assessment
Nil 2formalassessmenttaskspergradepersubject
wouldnotbedone.
23
8.2. RecommendationsrelatingtotheRecoveryPlan
8.2.1.Scenario1(SchoolsRe-openon21April2020)
GradeRto11
Theplanistorecoverallthelosttimethroughanextensionofthesecondquarterbytwoweeks,henceshorteningthe
Julyvacationtofivedays.Thiswillreducethetimelostto6days.AnadditionalmeasurewillbetoshortentheSeptember
holidaybyonedayandtoextendschoolclosureinDecemberto8thDecembersothatthe6dayscouldberecovered.An
optionherewouldbetoshortentheDecemberholidaysorextendingtheschooldayinintermediate,seniorandFET
phasestocoverupontheremainingfivedays.
Grade12
ThesameprocedurewillapplyasforGradesRto11,exceptthatGrade12leanerswillnotwritetheJuneexamination,
andthiswillhelptorecoveratleast10days.TheNovemberexaminationmaycommenceslightlylaterandextendinto
DecembertoallowforadditionaltimeforGrade12revisionandfeedbackfromthePreparatoryexamination..
TheimpactonthefollowingthreeaspectsforGradeRtoGrade12willthereforebeasfollows:
a)CurriculumContent
Giventhatthelosttimewillberecovered,therewillbenoneedforcurriculumtrimming:
b)TeachingandLearning
24
TheAnnualTeachingPlan(ATP),aspercurrentarrangementwillbeimplemented.
c)SchoolBasedAssessment(SBA)/Examinations
TherewillnochangestotheSBAassessmentrequirementsforGradesRto11.However,inthecaseofGrade12
learners,theJuneexaminationwillbemergedwiththepreparatoryexamination.
8.2.2. ScenarioTwo(Schoolsreopenon7July2020)
8.2.2.ProposedRecoveryMechanism
(a) CurriculumContent
GradesR-11
Thecurriculumwillhavetobetrimmedby25%.However,schoolswillcomplete75% ofthecurriculuminthe
currentyearand25% ofthecontent/skills/knowledgethatcouldnotbecoveredandthere-organised2021
curriculumisspreadoverarecoveryperiodoftwoacademicyearsi.e.2020and2021inGradesR–11.This
impliesCurriculumre-organisationwherethecurriculumforthetwoyearperiodisreviewed.Thestartingpointisto
trimthecurriculumby25%for2020byfocusingonthecoreskills/knowledgethatneedstobecompletedinthe
currentgrade.Theremainingpartofthecurriculumthatcouldnotbecoveredinthisyearmustbedistributedover
thenextyearsi.e.2021.Thisimpliesthatthecurriculumcontentofthenextgradeandthecurrentgrademustbe
reviewedtoensureareducedcurriculumovertheremainingperiod.
25
Attheendofthisyear,oneoftwooptionscanbefollowed:
(a) Learnerswriteanexaminationandcompletetheirassessmentbasedon75%ofthecompletedcurriculum.
Theirperformanceinthisexaminationdetermineswhethertheyarepromotedtothenextgradeorretained
inthecurrentgrade.
(b) Learnerswriteanexaminationandcompletetheirassessmentbasedon75%ofthecompletedcurriculum.
However,theirperformanceinthisexaminationdoesnotdeterminewhethertheyarepromotedtothenext
gradeorretainedinthecurrentgrade.Alllearnersarepromotedtothenextgradegiventheabnormal
circumstancesofthecurrentyear.Theexamination/assessmentisusedmerelytodeterminetheareasof
weaknessandtheperformancelevelsofthiscohort.
Grade12.
ForGrade12,thecurriculum contenthastobecoveredtoensurethatlearnersarenotdisadvantagedwhen
transitioningtotheHigherEducationPhase.ThereforeaspecialdispensationwouldberequestedforGrade12
leanerstocommencethethirdquarteron1June2020
IftheschooltermforGrade12commenceson1Junethelossofteachingtimeinthethirdquarteramountsto42
days.Thelossof42daysforGrade12canbecoveredinthefollowingways:
Juneholidays)(15days)
26
ForfeittheSeptemberholidays(6days)
Extendtheschooldayby2hourperdayfor40days(80hours=12days)
Extendtheweekto6daysfor9weeks:(9days)
Iftheaboveproposalisfoundtobetoostrenuous,analternativeextrememeasurewouldbeforteachingofGrade
12tobeextendedtoDecemberwithexaminationsonlystartinginJanuary2021whichimpliesthatresultsmayonly
beavailableinMarchofthefollowingyear.Thiswillhaveanimpactonuniversitiesandotherhighereducation
institutions.
(b) TeachingandLearning
ForGrade1-11,ATPtobereviewedtofitintoatwoyearperiodwithoutcompromisingthecorecurriculum/skills/
knowledgerequiredinsubsequentyears.Therewouldalsobeaneedtosuggestparticularmethodologiesper
subjecttoacceleratecurriculumcoverageteaching;
(c) SchoolBasedAssessment(SBA)/Examinations
Grade12
PartofthesecondtermwouldhavebeenlosthencetheproposalisthatAllSBArequirementsforTerm2be
excludedandtheSBArequirementsforGrade12bemodifiedtoincludethefollowing:
Term1: AllSBArequirements
27
Term3: SBA(Thisshouldincludeonlyalternativeassessments,excludeallTestsandexaminations)
Giventheimportanceofthepreparatoryexamination,thisexaminationmustbeadministered.InthiscasethePATs
tasksalsoneedtobereducedsincePATSusuallyextendover3terms.Formaloralassessmentsforterm2tobe
excludedandcontinuefromterm3.
Grade10-11
InthiscasebecausetheentireTerm 2wouldhavebeenlost,theproposalistoexcludeallterm 2SBA
requirements.HencetheSBArequirementswillbelimitedtoterm1,term3andterm4.Allrequirementsforthese
3termsshouldhoweverbefullymetandmoderationsbeconductedasscheduledatschoolanddistrictlevels
Grades1-9
Inthisscenario,thelossofteachingtimecannotberecoveredinthecalendaryear.WiththerevisionoftheAnnual
TeachingPlan,theassociatedassessmentsstretchingovertwocalendaryearsratherthanasingleonewillbee-
organised.Again,thefocusofassessmentsduringthisperiodmustbeondepthratherthanbreadthofskills,while
beingsensitivetofutureproofingessentialskillsidentifiedinare-packagedcurriculum.
Inthislight,thefollowingprinciplesareproposedfortheconductandadministrationofSBAandExaminationsin
theGETband(GradeR-9):
(a)SchoolbasedassessmentsforGrades1-9mustbeadjusted/alignedtoanamendedcontentpackagedesigned
tofittheremainingtimeoftheacademicyear(withreferencetopointa).
28
(b)Anamendedschoolassessmentplanmustbedevelopedwithineachschoolbytheschool-assessmentteam
(SAT)andqualityassuredbythedistrictoffice.
(c)Thenumberofsummativeassessmenttasksmustbereducedto1standardisedassessment(cycletest)+1
projectbasedassessment(project/assignment/investigation/essay)persubjectperterm.
(d)Formative(informal)anddiagnosticassessmentsmustbeemphasisedandpracticed(e.g.Siyavulapractice
exercisesforMathematics)withgreaterregularity.Theuseofmultiple-choicequestionsinassessmenttasks
mustbe encouraged to facilitate baseline topicassessments,erroranalysisand the diagnosing of
misconceptions.
(ThedetailsrelatingtotheabovewithregardtoeachgradeandpersubjectwillbeprovidedasAnnexures)
IntheTablebelow,theaboverecommendationsaresummarised.
SCENARIO1:SchoolsReopenon21April
2020
SCENARIO2:SchoolsReopenon7July
2020
PROPOSEDRECOMMENDATIONS
Schooldays/Timelost
(max)
GradeR-11
Extensionofthesecondquarterby2
weeks(10days),henceshorteningthe
Julyvacationtofivedays(1week).
GradeR-11
Alossof52daysequatestoalossof27%
oftheschoolyear.Torecoversomeofthe
timeforgrades1-11,thefollowingis
29
ShortentheSeptemberholidaysbyone
day;
ExtendschoolclosureinDecemberto8th
Decembersothatanadditional5days
couldberecovered.
OrextendtheTerm 2schooldayona
sliding scale as follows:30 min for
intermediate phase,and 1 hourfor
Seniorand 2hoursforFETforTerm2
exceptinthecaseoffoundationphaseto
coverupthe5days(7X5=35hoursis
covered).
Grade12
Extensionofthesecondquarterby3
weeks(15days),henceGrade12will
nothaveavacation.
ShortentheSeptemberholidaysbyone
day;
proposed:
o Reduce Septemberholidays by
threedays(+3days);
o Extendtheschoolclosurebyfive
daysinDecember(+5days);
Actualtimelostnowreducedto:44days(22
%oftotalschooldays).
Ifnecessary,extendtheTerm3schooldayon
a sliding scale as follows:30 min for
intermediatephase,and1hourforSenior
Phaseandamaximum of2hoursforFET
PhaseforTerm3.(noincreaseforfoundation
phase).
Grade12(Noreductionofcurriculum)
Thelossof52daysforGrade12canbe
coveredinthefollowingways:
Earlystartoftheterm(10days)
30
InsteadofcancellingtheJuneholidayfor
Grade12completely,anoptionwouldbe
toextendtheTerm 2schooldayfor2
hourstocoverupthe5days(35hrs)(18
daysX2hrs=36hoursiscovered).
Juneholidays)(15days)
ForfeittheSeptemberholidays(6days)
Extendtheschooldayby2hourper
dayfor40days(80hours=12days)
Extendtheweekto6daysfor9weeks
:(9days)
Curriculumcoverage Iftheteachingdaysarerecovered,as
pertheaboveplan,therewillbeno
needtotrimthecurriculum.
GradeR–11
Spreadthereductionandrecoveryofcontent
overtwoacademicyears,2020and2021per
gradepersubject.
Reducecurriculumacrossallsubjectsfor
2020by25%andspreadthere-organised
curriculumoveratwoyearperiodforeach
Grade(2020/21).
Grade-12
31
Entirecurriculumtobecoveredinthetime
recovered.
TeachingandLearning Sincethereisnocurriculumtrimming,
teacherswillfollowtheexistingATP.
DBEmustprovideschoolswitharevised
NationalAnnualTeachingPlan(ATP),which
focusesonthereducedcontent,forall
subjectsandgradestoguideteachingand
learningforthenexttwoyears,exceptinthe
caseofGrade12where100%ofthe
curriculummustbecoveredintheavailable
time.
SchoolBased
Assessment
Allrequiredformalassessmenttasks
tobeconductedaspernormal.
AllSBArequirementsforTerm2beexcluded
andtheSBArequirementsforGrade12be
modified.
9.ROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIESINTHERECOVERYPLAN
9.1 Nationallevel
TheDBEisresponsiblefor:
32
a)Settingguidelinesandprovidingstrategicdirectionfortheplanning,preparationandimplementationoftherecovery
programme;
b)Providingsupportatprovincial,districtandschoollevel;
c)Establishingavalidandreliablemethodofcontinuouslymonitoringandevaluatingtheprogramme;
d)Gaugingtheaccountabilityofallthoseresponsiblefortheimplementationoftheprogramme.
TodothistheDirector-Generalwill:
e)EstablishaNationalTaskTeamofkeyheadsofbranchesthatmeetstoplan,implementandaccountfortheways
inwhichtheirbranchesrespondandcontributetotherecoveryplan.Further,thisteamwillreportonprogrammes
andinitiativesthattargetspecificareasoftheplan.
f)EstablishanInter-provincialTaskTeamthatcomprisesof______ fromallprovinces.ThisTaskTeamwillbe
responsibleforthecoordinationandreportingofRecoveryPlans.
9.2 Provinciallevel
Eachprovinceisexpectedto:
a)DevelopProvincialRecoveryProgrammes.
b)Securerequiredfinancial,materialandhumanresourcestoimplementtheprogrammes
c)PrepareplansforimplementationatDistrictandSchoolClusterlevel.
d)Monitorandevaluatetheimplementationoftheprogrammes
9.3 Districtlevel
Districtswilloverseeandmonitortheimplementationprocess
DistrictandCircuitofficeswillprovidethenecessarysupportsystemstoschools.
33
9.4 Schoollevel
o Thesuccessoftheprogrammeswilldependontheeffectiveschoolleadershipandmanagementandthe
extenttowhichteachersareadequatelycapacitatedandsupportedtodealwiththehighdemandingrolesthey
willbeconfrontedwith.
o Theroleoftheprincipalistooverseetheimplementationoftherecoveryplansatschoollevelandtoprovide
thenecessarysupporttotheteachersandlearners.
o Theprincipalhastokeeptheparentsinformedoftheplansandthechangestobeimplemented.
TheSGBcanmobilisethecommunitytoenhancetheparticipationofthebroaderschoolcommunityand
variousstakeholderstocontributetotheprogrammeinitiatives,
10. LEARNINGANDTEACHINGSUPPORTMATERIALS
10.1.PROVISIONOFWORKBOOKS
Forthe2020academicyear,likeinotherpreviousyears,theDBEhasdistributed60millionGradesRto9
workbooksforusebyalllearnersinallpublicschoolsaswellasSpecialschoolsfortheentireschoolyear.
LearnersinFoundationPhasehavebeenprovidedwithworkbooksforMathematics,HomeLanguages,English
FirstAdditionalLanguage,andLifeSkillsSubjects.
IntermediatePhaselearnershavebeenprovidedwithMathematics,HomeLanguages,EnglishFirstAdditional
Languageworkbooks,whileSeniorPhasehavereceivedMathematicsworkbooks.
34
Theworkbookscovertheentirecurriculumforthespecificgradeandsubjectandprovideactivitiesforlearnersto
masterspecificskillsrequiredintheCAPS.
Learnersareallowedtotakeworkbookshomeandpracticelearningactivities.Parentscanmonitortheirchild’s
throughthecompletionofthetasksintheworkbooks.WorkbooksarevaluableresourcestoenhanceLiteracyand
Numeracy.
FOUNDATIONPHASEANDGRADE4
LiteracyandreadingabilitiescanbeenhancedthroughtheuseoftheDBEGradedReadersandReadersin
AfricanlanguagesbySAIDE.Thedigitizedcontentisavailableonthewebsite:http://dbecontent.bhelela.com.
DependingontheGrade,learnerswillbeabletochoosestoriesfromLevel1Readertothehighestlevel.Parents
canassisttochoosetheappropriatelevel.
EReadersareavailablefromtheVodacomandthe2Enablewebsites.
TheDBE TVchannel122OVHDDBETVcanbeviewedforsomebasiclessonsmeantforIIALlearningand
teaching.
TheDBEworkbooksforreadingandnumeracyaswellasinteractivebookscanbeusedbylearnerstorevise
activitieswhichweretobecoveredinthe8thtothe10thweekofteachingwhenschoolsclosedandfortheweeks
lost.
WithintheDBE/BhelelaTechnologiescontenttherearesimulationactivitiestoimproveNumeracyE.g.Fractions.
Thesestartfrombasicunderstandingandpracticalactivitiestomoreadvancedexercises.
35
10.2.TEXTBOOKS
Allprovinceshaveprocuredtextbookstolearnersin2019forthe2020schoolcalendaryear.Learnerswouldbein
possessionofthesetextbooks,particularlyinthehighergrades.
Inthecasewhereteachingandlearningtimeneedstobeextendedandlearnersneedtousetextbooksathome,a
surveywillbecompletedtoensurethatalllearnershavetextbooksforeachsubjectineverygrade.
The Departmenthas provided severalresources forthe differentgrades and subjects published on
https://www.education.gov.za/forlearners,teachersandparentstodownload.
Provincescandownloadandprintforlearnerwhodonothaveaccesstointernet,TV,etc.
10.3LEARNERSTHATAREVISUALLYIMPAIRED
ItwouldnotbefeasibletohavegivenBrailletextbooksandworkbooksforvisuallyimpairedlearnerstotakethese
bookshomeastheyaretoobig.Oneworkbookinbrailleisequivalenttothesizeoftwoencyclopedias.
TheDBEispreparingaudiofilesthatcanbedownloadedorplayedonradio.
Mastercopiesforalltextbooksforthevisuallyimpairedhavebeenformattedtobeuploadedondigitalreaders
wherelearnersareinpossessionofthesedevices.
TheDepartmentisindiscussionwithprovincestoreachtheselearnersremotelytoensureteachingandlearning
continues.
10.IMPLEMENTATIONPLAN
36
Thefollowingisatentativeimplementationplanbasedontherecoveryrecommendationsdescribedabove
KEYRESULTAREA
ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME RESPONSIBILITY OUTCOME PROGRESS
Implications forCurriculum andExaminations tobe presented atHEDCOMTeleconon17April2020
CEMTeleconference26March2020
Minister
Recommendation forthesectortodevelopa
FrameworkforCurriculumRecovery
Completed
HEDCOMTeleconference
26March2020
DG
Directive to HODs todevelopaFrameworkforCurriculum Recovery tosupport reopening ofschools after theLockdown
Completed
Development ofFramework forCurriculumRecovery to besubmittedtoODGby6April2020
EmailfromODGtoDDGs
26March2020
DrJJJoshua
DirectivetoAssessment&Curriculum todeveloptheFrameworkforCurriculumRecovery
Ongoing
EmailfromDDGtoCurriculumSMSinProvinces
27March2020
DrMJMaboya
PEDstosubmitRecoveryPlansonorbefore31March2020,AttachedherewithPEDsTaskTeam
Completed
37
KEYRESULTAREA
ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME RESPONSIBILITY OUTCOME PROGRESS
EmailfromDDGtoAssessmentandCurriculumSMS
27March2020
DrMJMaboya Completed
MicrosoftTeamMeeting@ 14:00
28March2020
DrPoliah
ToR and Outline oftheFrameworkdiscussedanddraft developed forsubmissiontogroupon29March2020
Agreedon2scenariosfor
schoolreopening
20April2020
07July2020
DevelopmentofTermsofReference
29March2020
DrRPoliah
TheTORandOutlineofFrameworksubmittedtotheTaskTeamwith10sectionsdividedamongthefollowing:
1.DrMJMaboya(DDG:Curriculum-Chair)
2.DrRPoliah(CD:Assessment&Exams)
3.DrSimelane(CD:
Frameworkwillbedrafted focusingonthefollowing:
Curriculum
TeachingandLearning
Assessment
LTSM
For ordinary
38
KEYRESULTAREA
ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME RESPONSIBILITY OUTCOME PROGRESS
Curriculum)
4.MrTlhabane
5.MrJNgcobo(Inclusive)
6.DrPLanga(RuralEducation)
7.MsEMKhembo(MST&E-Learning)
8.MsCWeston(FETCurriculum)
9.MsKMModiba(GETCurriculum)
10.MrASubban(LTSM)
CESstobeginworkingonATPscorecontentpersubjectpergrade
schools, specialschools, ruralschools andMultigradeschools forbothGET&FET
SubmissionofPEDRecoveryPlans
31March2020
DrMJMaboyaPEDssubmittedtheirRecoveryPlans
FS,GP,KZN,LP,MP,NC,NW,WCsubmittedtheirRecoveryPlans
ECdidnotsubmit
MicrosoftTeamMeeting@ 14:00
2April2020 DrRPoliah 1st Draftdiscussed andagreedonreviewedATPs
Inprogress
39
KEYRESULTAREA
ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME RESPONSIBILITY OUTCOME PROGRESS
persubjectpergradeforthe2scenarios(20April2020or07July2020)
Section 3 and 8 to bestrengthened looking atscenarios, interventionsandtheirimplicationsforthesectortobeconsidered
MicrosoftTeamMeeting@ 16:00
4April2020 DrRPoliah
PEDsRecoveryPlansdiscussed
RecommendedalignmentwithDBEPolicy
ATPsbyDBECESswillbeANNEXUREA
PEDsRecoveryPlansANNEXUREB
Inprogress
FinalisetheFramework 6April2020 DrRPoliahSubmittedtoODGforapprovaltopresenttoSMS
SubmissionofATPsbyDBECESs
(ANNEXUREA)
9April2020 MsCWestonTobeattachedtoFrameworkasANNEXUREA
SubmissionofalignedPEDsRecoveryPlans
10April2020 DrMJMaboyaAlignedPEDsRecoveryPlanssubmitted
40
KEYRESULTAREA
ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME RESPONSIBILITY OUTCOME PROGRESS
(ANNEXUREB)
PresentationtoSMS 10April2020 DrMJMaboyaApprovalforpresentationtoHEDCOM
ApprovalPresentation toHEDCOM
17April2020 DrMJMaboyaApprovalforimplementation
Advocacy AdvocacyofReopeningSchool
ReopeningDBE&PEDs
MECsandHODsleadtheAdvocacyTeamsintheCommunities
MediationofATPsMediationofATPstoPEDs
April–June2020
NTTandPEDsTeacherscapacitatedtocopewithtrimmedATPsandAssessmentTasks
MonitoringandSupport
Monitoring ofimplementation ofRevisedATPsinPEDsandDistricts
April–June2020
DBE&PEDs Schoolssupported
11.MONITORINGANDEVALUATION
11.1.MonitoringandEvaluationbyDBE
DBEinstitutedafacilitytomonitorthefrequencyoflogins(hits)fromtheone-stop(centralised)websitetomonitorthe
utilisationofthesupportmeasuresthathavebeenputinplaceusingonlinesystems.Thewebsitewasenabledwith
theanalyticscapabilitywhichwillprovidestatisticsonlogins.
Totheextentpracticable,DBEwilldownloadstatisticsofloginspreferablyonaweeklybasisanddisaggregatethe
41
statisticsbyprovince,byphase(FP,IP,SPandFET)andbysubject.DBEwillthendisseminatethestatisticsoflogins
toPEDsforthemtoworkoutratesoftheloginsinrelationtolearnerenrolmentfiguresperphaseasrecordedintheir
SA-SAMSdata.
AnothermonitoringandevaluationmechanismthatDBEwillhavetoconsidercouldbetheutilisationoftheLURITS
datatogetherwiththeData-DrivenDistricts(DDD)datamanagementsystemwithinnovationsandenhancementsto
allowforthesystemstoprovidemonitoringdataunderthelockdownsituation.
Forthebroadcastsolutions,DBEcouldrequestviewershipandlistenershipstatistics.Thisdatacouldprovide
statisticsintermsofregionalandlocalcommunitylevelsforappropriatedisseminationperprovince.
Itisimportanttonotethattherearelimitationsforthesemonitoringsystemsastheywillexcludelearnersfromhomes
thatdonothavethefacilitiesandrequiredgadgets.
11.2.MonitoringandEvaluationbyPEDs
AsPEDsreceivetheirweeklystatisticsoflogins,itwillbeexpectedofthemtoconducttheanalysisofloginsin
relationtolearnerenrolmentsperphase,persubject.EachPEDwillthencommunicateitsfindingswithDistrict
Officialsforfurtherdisseminationofthefindingswhichcouldbecommunicatedtoaccessiblelearnerstoencourage
themconsistentlyutilisethesupportmeasuresthatareinplace.
Furthermore,PEDswillbeexpectedtoreportbacktoDBEonmeasuresthattheyareinstitutingtoensurethat
supportmeasuresdirectedonbyDBEareutilisedmaximally.
AssoonasDBEhasmasteredtheutilisationoftheLURITStogetherwithDDD,PEDswillbeadvisedandassistedto
strengthentheirmonitoringandevaluationresponsibilitiesforenhancedteachingandlearningoutcomes.
42
Intermsofviewershipandlistenershipstatistics,PEDscouldcarryoutanalysesbasedonestimated
12.CONCLUSION
Thecurriculumframeworkrecoveryplanwillserveasthebasisfortheimplementationoftherecoveryplanin
provinces.However,onceschoolsresumetheDBEwillissueclearpolicydirectivesregardingthefollowing:
(e)Howthelosttimeshouldberecovered
(f)Howthecurriculumcontentneedstobere-organisedortrimmed,wherenecessary.
(g)ReviewedAnnualTeachingPlanwhereneeded.
(h)ReviewedAssessment/ExaminationPlanthatwillbebasedonthereviewedcurriculum.
TheDBEwillalsoprovideclearprinciplesthatmustbefollowedintermsofthecatch-upactivitiessoastoensure
thatalltheactivitiesarewithintheboundariesofacceptablepracticeinapostlockdownsituation.
