Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, says a specialist-subject curriculum, which will see learners enrolling for subjects such as agriculture and maritime, has been gazetted for public comment.

The Minister said this when she tabled the department’s budget vote during a mini-plenary of the National Assembly on Thursday.

“We are continuing to expand the establishment of Focus Schools to cater for learners with special talents and aptitudes across a wide range of scholastic endeavours.

“These schools constitute a legislatively distinct category of public schools that offer a specialised curriculum, oriented toward 11 learning fields, which include Agriculture, Maritime and Nautical Science, Mathematics, Science and Technology, and Technical Occupational disciplines such as Electrical, Civil and Mechanical Technologies.

“In addition to our detailed progress report we gave last year, we can further report that 35 Occupational and Vocationally-oriented subjects have been gazetted for public comment,” she said.

Motshekga said the gazetting was followed in 2021 by the submission of these subjects to Umalusi for appraisal and quality assurance.

“Public comments have been received, and their infusion in the CAPS [Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements], together with the development of Learner Books and Teacher Guides, has taken effect, and this work was completed between January in March this year.

“In March this year, training manuals were developed in preparation for the training of Subject Advisors and teachers in Occupational and Vocationally-oriented subjects,” she said.

First cohort of marine science learners to sit for matric

Motshekga reported to Parliament last year that the department introduced a new FET [Further Education and Training]-level subject, Marine Sciences.

“We can now report that the first cohort of learners taking this subject will sit for the first NSC [National Senior Certificate] examination, which includes Marine Sciences.”

Motshekga said the Coding and Robotics Curriculum for Grades R - 3 and 7, and the CAPS for Occupational Subjects for Grades 8 and 9 have been developed and submitted to Umalusi for appraisal and quality assurance.

“I can report that this appraisal and quality assurance process is ongoing, including the appraisal of public comments received,” she said.

Source: South African Government News Agency