Grade 7 Teachers Enthusiastic About RNCS Training

The national Department of Education published the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) for General Education and Training (Grades R to 9) in the Government Gazette on 31 May 2002.

Provincial education departments are introducing the RNCS in stages over five years.

They began by introducing the curriculum in the Foundation Phase (Grades R to 3) in 2004, followed by the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4 to 6) in 2005.

They will introduce the curriculum in the Senior Phase (Grades 7 to 9) over three years, starting with Grade 7 in 2006.

A total of 2 649 Grade 7 teachers from across the Western Cape attended orientation sessions during the final week of the July school holidays to learn more about RNCS for the Senior Phase.

Their high school colleagues participated in similar courses on the new curriculum for Grades 10 to 12 during the first two weeks of the July school holiday.

The theme for the Grade 7 teachers' orientation session workshops was "Making the RNCS your curriculum". These workshops were presented from 11 to 15 July 2005 at 45 different venues in the Western Cape. The average attendance for the week was 86%.

Key features of the RNCS included comprehensive outcomes and assessment standards that define what children must know and be able to do in the grade and each learning area, and how their progress should be assessed.

Preparations for these training sessions started in March this year, when 10 senior curriculum planners were invited to join the other provinces at the national department to plan the training for this year, which focussed only on the Grade 7 curriculum within the Senior Phase. Four weeks of writing and editing of training documents followed this process.

The training was presented to 125 curriculum advisers who facilitated the orientation courses for the Grade 7 teachers in the Western Cape.

Ms Sandra Fortuin, Senior Curriculum Planner at the WCED, was in charge of the orientation programme. Head Office curriculum planners and their immediate head, Mr Michael Cameron, monitored the courses.

Said Education MEC Cameron Dugmore: "We appreciate the willingness of teachers and school managers to dedicate a week of their July holiday to these workshops. Thanks to their professional approach, and their deep commitment to education, the workshops were a great success.

"Teachers responded very positively to the events, which also attracted interest from other provinces. Our teachers are now more than ready to introduce the RNCS in Grade 7 next year with confidence."

For enquiries, contact Gert Witbooi: 082 550 3938, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za.

Gert Witbooi
Media Secretary
Office of the MEC for Education
Western Cape
Tel: 021 467 2523
Fax: 021 425 5689
Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za

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