A strategy for the effective management of the implementation of the revised national curriculum statement grades R-9 (schools) in the North-West Province

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the management of the implementation of the Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9 (Schools) Policy (herein referred to as the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) Curriculum, or the new curriculum) in schools in the North-West Province by focusing on planning; challenges regarding the management of the implementation of the Outcomes-Based curriculum; leadership; teachers' experiences on the management of the implementation of the new curriculum; competencies of the School Management Teams (SMT); and existing management practices and systems regarding the implementation of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (Grades R-9). The literature study reveals that most of the curriculum implementation problems that teachers experience can be directly related to the ineffective management of the implementation of the curriculum. The most critical matter regarding the management of the implementation of the OBE curriculum is the capacity of schools to respond to their unique circumstances that impact on curriculum implementation. A major finding emanating from the research is the lack of or absence of strategies for the management of the implementation of the OBE curriculum in a significant number of schools. In order to improve the curriculum management capacity of schools there is an urgent need for schools to develop such strategies. Consequently, an overview of a strategy formulation process is presented. The empirical study consists of a structured questionnaire distributed to a sample of teachers in schools in the North -West Province. It aimed to gather information about teachers' experiences of the management of the implementation of the OBE curriculum; the curriculum management competencies and practices of the School Management Teams; and existing systems regarding the management of the OBE curriculum. The main findings of the study reveal ineffective management of the implementation of the OBE curriculum and an urgent need for the development of efficient management strategies through which curriculum implementation can be realized.