The teacher as

Curriculum
Implementer in South
Africa
Practice, historical context, and considerations

Isobel de Villiers: 25236344

1 March 2025
This discussion explores curriculum development in South Africa with specific reference to
the NCS principles laid out in the CAPS documents. It considers the historical context of
inequality, the roles of various stakeholders, curriculum studies as an independent field of
study, key educational philosophies, and the implementation of curriculum principles
through the lens of an English and Music teacher.

To understand South Africa’s current unequal state of education, its history pre-1994
should be laid out. The education system of South Africa pre-1994 had 3 main streams:
predominantly English federally supported schools, Christian National Education
(consisting of mostly white Afrikaans students) and schools for “non-whites” overseen by
Christian missionaries (McKeever, 2017: 118). This shows how White South Africans held
disproportionate power over formal schooling institutions. Christianity was the overarching
factor in common with this segregated schooling and does not ensure a critical or effective
educational environment for any student, particularly a person of colour.

Furthermore, the Bantu Education Act of 1953 and the extension of the Act to all “non-
white” people further increased the power that the National Party had in terms of
increasing segregation in education. The significance of this legislative “separate
development” becomes clear when the large divide between “white” schools and “non-
white” schools is highlighted. White schools had more funding, more “academic” subjects
and were less crowded. While “non-white” schools had fewer resources, underqualified
teachers and focused more on “practical subjects” (McKeever, 2017: 119), namely, a
lesser focus on STEM and a greater focus on vocational skills deemed appropriate for
manual labour. People of colour had a lower quality of education, especially when
compared to white schooling, due to legislative intervention. The current policies for
education aim to redress this power imbalance.

South Africa is intrinsically a diverse and dynamic sociological context. Thus, relevant
curriculum design is important, as a poorly designed curriculum negatively affects the
learners and the greater community (Carl, 2017: 22). The South African context, being
inherently dynamic and diverse, calls for unique curriculum development that may struggle
to be informed by the current state of curriculum as a field of study. The people who design
the curriculum must know what is designed and what purpose it serves.

As Carl (2017) accentuates in his article Curriculum as a Field of Study, discussing the
curriculum and its development can be difficult with multiple understandings being
commonplace amongst stakeholders. He lays out a map of the multiple definitions for
“curriculum” used in discourse. In this discussion, “perceived curriculum”, “overt
curriculum”, “moral curriculum”, and “operational curriculum” are relevant (Carl, 2017: 44).
Perceived curriculum refers to what has been officially approved. In other words, referring
to people with the power to approve the planned educational processes. Overt curriculum
refers to “intentional instructional programs” that result from controlled teaching materials
controlling teaching. Operational curriculum refers to how the intended curriculum is
mediated, i.e., the role of the teacher as a facilitator of learning. And finally, the educational
curriculum accentuates the moral and educational dimensions of the curriculum. Learning
informed by teaching materials, how the learning is facilitated, moral justifications, and how
the curriculum is approved, all are important aspects of curricula that are relevant to the
teaching practice in South Africa.

Understanding curriculum, in all its many forms, allows stakeholders to create an effective
and relevant educational environment for society. Especially in South Africa, with a
complex landscape of stakeholders and diversity. If stakeholders can implement an
effective curriculum, the country’s goal for redress and inclusion can be satisfied.

This essay has explored the nature of the curriculum in South Africa and the importance of
curriculum studies as an independent field of study, but it is also important to understand
the factors that influence curriculum formation. These factors consist of wide-ranging
categories that are extensive and multifaceted.

The focus will be on the stakeholders, namely: educators, administrators, policymakers,

students, parents/guardians and community members- i.e., people who have a vested
interest in the curriculum (Fiveable, 2024). These stakeholders are influenced by their
hegemonic context, i.e., dominant religions, attitudes, upbringings, etc. (Rajukar, Chavan,
Kachewar & Giri, 2019: 5). Educators have an active involvement in curriculum
design/development/implementation, but students, community members and guardians all
dictate what constitutes “appropriate” curriculum- some more than others. They all play
different, but important, roles in the act of curriculum formation.

Furthermore, the two main philosophical approaches seen in curriculum formulation are
traditionalism and progressivism (Rajurkar et al, 2019). Traditionalists see learners as
passive and submissive and are taught a singular truth. Progressivists have a
constructivist approach to learning and value independent meaning-making. The South
African education system favours the latter. Depending on what philosophy stakeholders
believe in, it affects how the curriculum is implemented/designed.
Other interdisciplinary factors are also important when understanding curriculum formation,
including technology and history (Carl, 2017: 29). The history of a region, whether it be
Apartheid in South Africa or segregation in the United States, influences what and how the
curriculum is taught. Specifically in South Africa, social justice, valuing indigenous
knowledge systems, and human rights are part of the principles that the dominant
curriculum — the NCS grades R-12 — is based on (South Africa, 2011: 4-5). Access to
technology also affects how information is shared and whether technological literacy is
valued. Most disciplines are relevant when the interdisciplinary nature of curriculum
development is considered (e.g., psychology, politics, etc) (Carl, 2017: 29).

Building on the importance of stakeholder roles, this section will explore the teacher’s
function in implementing CAPS principles within specific subject contexts. According to the
English Home Language CAPS document, an English teacher, to name only a few, needs
to be able to plan for diversity (South Africa, 2011: 5), model good practice (South Africa,
2011: 9), guide, communicate transparently with stakeholders about expectations and
academic progress (South Africa, 2011: 126) and manage assessments appropriately
(South Africa, 2011: 120). The content and ideal teaching methods are regulated, i.e., text-
and communicatively- based. The institutional South African curriculum requires a
constructivist approach to teaching (Condy & Green, 2016: 1). It is the responsibility of the
teacher to understand the prescriptions formulated in their relevant CAPS document and
to implement them accordingly.

Although the CAPS document highlights a variety of general principles that the curriculum
is based on, most of the mentioned ideas can be argued to be relevant to most subject
fields. In the context of English, two specific principles are of the utmost importance: social
transformation as well as active and critical learning. The former refers to the redressing of
educational inequalities in South Africa’s past (South Africa, 2011:4). This idea is
significant in the English subject specialism, as a communicative and meaning-making
approach is emphasised (South Africa, 2011:9). If language is used in terms of social
understanding and thinking empathy and community are encouraged. Language is
important when understanding the injustices of the past and creating a kinder generation.

In the same vein, active and critical learning is also present in the English curriculum. It
also ties in with the principle of social transformation. Critically analysing and evaluating
language by understanding the target audience, emotive language, rhetoric, etc. (South
Africa, 2011:19) falls into the category of “active and critical learning”. The students are not
rote learning a “truth” but rather are encouraged to construct a meaning. This gives a
student the tools to sustainably achieve a level of high-order thinking which can be applied
to almost all fields of study, including personal understandings of social transformation.
The principle of active and critical learning is present in the CAPS curriculum of English
Home Language.

As a teacher, I have implemented active and critical learning in my classrooms. In the

music classroom with grade 10s, we were discussing intervals. As prescribed by the CAPS
curriculum for grade 10s in term 2 for musical literacy (South Africa, 2011: 17), the mentor
teacher did not listen to the feedback given by the students; she was teaching interval
inversions by simply telling the students what they were. As she was explaining, the
students attempted to communicate multiple times that they were not, and she kept
dismissing their anxieties. As she gave over the classroom to me, I slowed down and
connected with the students’ current level of understanding, as informed by Donald et al
(2014). I worked from how certain intervals made them feel and discussed why that is. We
figured out an example together with the input and thinking processes from the students.
We constructed a critical understanding of how intervals change when they are inverted
and how that is relevant to the world of composition. Allowing students to have an active
voice during class allows for fostering critical thinking.

Furthermore, I have successfully implemented inclusivity in conjunction with active

learning. Per the CAPS document for grade 10s in term 2, I prepared a lesson on
Afrikaans music. I started by connecting to the students’ level of understanding of the
language and Afrikaans culture. I incorporated inclusion in my teaching material by
highlighting the marginalised voice of Afrikaans-speaking people of colour. I facilitated a
conversation about propaganda, oppressive ideologies and music as a mode of identity
expression. Allowing a discussion of marginalised narratives and how they connect to
music creates a way of thinking that can help foster inclusivity.

The CAPS document for Music grades 10-12 emphasises music’s ability for
communication, uniting and mobilising for improvement. The current state of the
institutional South African curriculum is based on a Western Art Music convention.
Although it allows for specialising in indigenous art music, ironically, the curriculum does
not do an effective job of valuing indigenous music knowledge. An appropriate change
would be the incorporation of more musicology subjects (i.e., sociological, psychological,
ethical and moral discussions). Including Indigenous musicologies, instead of just Western
orientations, would validate previously marginalised musical traditions, fostering inclusivity
and allowing learners to critically examine the sociopolitical contexts of music creation and
reception.

The South African curriculum is deeply shaped by historical injustices and contemporary
sociopolitical dynamics. Through the application of constructivist teaching approaches and
attention to principles such as inclusion and active learning, educators can play a crucial
role in achieving the transformative goals of the NCS. Teachers, as key implementers,
must not only follow policy but also adapt their practice to the dynamic needs of learners.
Reflecting on English and Music education shows both the successes and ongoing areas
for improvement in aligning the curriculum practised/planned with the needs of all South
African learners. Understanding the past and present of curriculum development equips
educators to foster social justice and educational relevance in diverse classrooms.
Reference list

Carl, A. 2017. Chapter 2: Curriculum Studies as a Field of Study. Teacher Empowerment

through Curriculum Development, 21-46. Cape Town: Juta and Company (Pty) Ltd.

Condy, G. & Green, L. 2016. Philosophical enquiry as a pedagogical tool to implement the
CAPS curriculum: Final year pre-service teachers’ perceptions. South African Journal of
Education, 36(1): 1-8.

Donald, D., Lazarus, S. & Moolla, N. 2014. Chapter 5: Understanding Human

Development. Educational Psychology in Social Context. 5th edn, Cape Town: Oxford
University Press: 70-116.

Fiveable. 2024. 1.4 Key Stakeholders in Curriculum Development – Curriculum

Development. https://library.fiveable.me/curriculum-development/unit-1/key-stakeholders-
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McKeever, M. 2017. Educational Inequality in Apartheid South Africa. American

Behavioural Scientist, 61(1): 114 –131.

Rajurkar, S., Chavan, K.D., Kachewar, SG. Giri, P.A. 2019. A review of significant aspects
contributing to curriculum development. International Journal of Research in Medical
Sciences, 7(1): 1-16.

South Africa. 2011. Department of Basic Education. Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statement Grades 7-9 English Home Language. Pretoria: Government Printing Works.

South Africa. 2011. Department of Basic Education. Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statement Grades 10-12 Music. Pretoria: Government Printing Works.