Abstract
ABSTRACT The South African Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, known as Umalusi, embarked on a project to quality assure the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum for schools (2011) in 2012. This article analysis the process in terms of the history curriculum and provides a commentary on universal principles for the quality assurance of national curricula in general. Six quality assurance measures are identified and discussed: comparison between the outgoing and the incoming curricula; entry- and exit-level requirements; internal comparison between Phases [Key Stages] of the curriculum; comparison of the history curriculum statement with statements for other curriculum subjects; current trends in history education; and comparison with history curricula in other countries. Conclusions are drawn for Umalusi and its practice, the CAPS curriculum itself, and the history curriculum. Keywords: Curriculum; Quality assurance; Accreditation; Umalusi; CAPS; NCS; Intermediate phase; Senior phase; FET; historical knowledge; historical skills.
Highlights
This study is a retrospective analysis and evaluation of the quality assurance processes followed for the present South African national curriculum for History (Grades 4 to 12; approximate ages 9 to 17)
In 2011 the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) promulgated a new national curriculum, known as the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS),2 to replace the previous curriculum, the National Curriculum Statements (NCS) of 2002 and 2003.3 The DBE had previously insisted that it had statutory responsibility for the school curriculum and did not, require additional accreditation from an outside body
The research studies undertaken by Umalusi demonstrated for the first time the role that a quality assurance body could play in the evaluation and quality assurance process for a national curriculum for schooling in South Africa and perhaps in the world. They were thorough and substantial enough to give any doubters reason to re-consider and appreciate what an independent quality assurance body could contribute to a state-sponsored national curriculum project
Summary
This study is a retrospective analysis and evaluation of the quality assurance processes followed for the present South African national curriculum for History (Grades 4 to 12; approximate ages 9 to 17). It offers an insight into the issues involved when quality assuring a national curriculum for history and suggests potential lessons for future practice
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