Renewal of education in South Africa: the problem of implementation

Abstract

In striving to improve the current state of education in South Africa, learning from the way in which previous curricula were implemented could help to ensure that the new curriculum is managed efficiently. As far as the earlier interventions in education are concerned, first the role of the corporate sector, politics and the unions in the establishment of the Education Roadmap will be discussed. Secondly, the article examines the promises made by the State President Jacob Zuma as well as the government's good intentions to strive for excellence in education as documented in its Medium-Term Strategic Framework for the period 2009-2014. In the third place, the importance of managing change properly is underlined, linking with the statement by the education policy analyst, Graeme Bloch, that success is inextricably linked to the way in which the process is managed and translated into classroom practice. Finally, the implications of financial mismanagement in the Department of Education in the Eastern Cape Province are discussed, raising the question: how is it possible that education cannot succeed if a fifth of the national budget is allocated to education? By making various kinds of connections with the field of music, this article argues that cooperation between the Department of Education and experienced music teachers is essential in the drawing up and implementation of a new curriculum.