Exploring opportunities and challenges by school leadership in implementing the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in Gauteng

Abstract

South Africa has been experiencing transformation in education. There have been many fundamental changes in the curriculum, from the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) to the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). These changes have brought improvements in preparing learners. However, these changes have also brought challenges to teachers, the school management and leadership in implementing the CAPS curriculum. South African principals, Heads of Department (HoDs) and school managers have been experiencing problems understanding and implementing various previous curriculums. These problems have necessitated the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to introduce the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in 2012. However, there is not much information about the challenges faced by school management and leadership in implementing the CAPS curriculum. This study explored the nature of challenges faced by school management and leadership in implementing the curriculum and to identify strategies used to address the challenges in schools. In addition, the study explored the good practices brought about by the new curriculum so that school leaders and managers can continue endorsing the good practices. The study used a qualitative approach to collect and analyse data from selected schools in Gauteng. The study involved 18 participants consisting of school leaders, managers, subject advisors and teachers. The results of the research were, school leaders and managers mainly supervised and monitored teachers. School leadership support was influenced by the availability of resources, the school environment and school culture. The present good practices included having support systems from the Department of Education (DoE) and the school leadership team such as resources allocation, effective and transparent communication and staff development. The study recommended staff development training and teambuilding workshops and smart learning.