Renewal of Secondary Education Curricula and Assessment in South Africa

outh African has a population of approximately 39 million people, with eleven officially recognized languages in the country. It is bordered by Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. South Africa is considered a middle-income country, with a gross national product per capita of $3,520 in 1996 (World Bank1998:14); it is therefore one of the wealthier countries in Africa. The South African Institute of Race Relations survey of 1995/96 calculated an unemployment rate of 32.6 percent of the economically active S population of 14.3 million South Africans, with a rate of 41.1 percent for the African population. It is estimated that in 2010, there may be 8 million unemployed people and a shortage of 200,000 skilled workers. It is further estimated that only seven out of every 100 people who seek employment will find jobs (Gouws, 1997) South Africa's first democratic elections were held in 1994 when the African Nationalist Party came to power. The changes brought about by the new government have been a radical departure from the past, especially in education. This paper discusses the renewal of the South African education system, with an emphasis on the secondary education curricula renewal and on developments in the field of assessment. The paper first describes the education system, then summarizes the changes in education and the transformation (including the major policy initiatives) in education. Next, we examine the secondary education curriculum renewal regarding outcome-based education and the curriculum 2005 initiatives, and then outline developments in the field of assessment. Finally, the paper summarizes the major challenges that await SA in light of this renewal. Language and Other Factors on Mathematics Achievement in South Africa. Since 1995 she has worked at the South Africa Human Sciences Research Council. She has wide experience in international assessment, examinations, and monitoring and evaluation in education. [email protected]