PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

advice directly to schools, particularly regarding curriculum delivery. Increasingly, thereis discussion about this decentralized model and the extent to which it should be morecentralized. A move toward greater centralization is underway in the examination system,where previously all examinations were set by the provincial authorities. As a result ofthis change, a number of examinations in core subjects were set nationally. The numberof examinations set nationally has increased gradually over the past 5 years.The National Department of Education designed and developed a core curriculum.Curriculum and content development is a function of specialist divisions within thedepartments of education. While various provincial departments interpret and implementthe curriculum, individual schools and provincial departments select instructionalmaterials and examinable content.A new curriculum (known originally as Curriculum 2005) was first introducedin South Africa in 1997 and was subsequently placed under review until 2003 when itwas adopted as the Revised National Curriculum Statements. The revised curriculumadopts an outcomes-based approach to teaching and learning that links various areasof inquiry, reduces the emphasis on factual information, and encourages teachers tospend more time helping students to develop useful concepts, skills, values, and attitudes.The assessment qualifications, competency, and skills-based framework is aligned to theNational Qualifications Framework.Structure of the Education SystemThe Minister of Education heads the National Department of Education along with aDirector General, who oversees the management of the department. There are also nineprovincial heads of education. District managers report to these provincial Heads, whileschool principals report to the district offices.Primary schools comprise grades 1 to 7, and secondary schools comprise grades 8 to12. However, in some provinces there are also middle schools with grades 7 to 9, and inisolated areas lower-primary schools with grades 1 to 3 only. However, the structure of thecurriculum straddles the primary and secondary schools, as is evident in the structureof compulsory education presented in Table 1.PIRLS 2006 EncyclopediaTable 1Structure of Compulsory Education in South AfricaPhase Grades Age in YearsPreprimaryGrades 000, 00, 0 (also calledReception Year, or Grade R)Status ofEducationSchool Level4–6 Not compulsory PreprimaryFoundation Grades 1–3 7–9 Compulsory PrimaryIntermediate Grades 4–6 10–12 Compulsory PrimarySenior Grades 7–9 13–15 Compulsory Primary (to grade 7)Secondary (grades 8–9)South AfricaTIMSS & PIRLSInternational Study CenterLynch School of Education, Boston College 385