Johannesburg – The Basic Education Department says it has experienced an unprecedented disruption of teaching and learning as a result of the lockdown.
"In response to this challenge, we did put a framework for curriculum recovery which proposed a revised calendar, curriculum reorganisation and trimming as well as the revision of assessment," said the head of Curriculum Policy Support and Monitoring in the Department of Basic Education, Mamiki Maboya.
She made the statement when the department briefed the basic education portfolio committee on the amended school calendar and risk-adjusted approach on the curriculum and assessment.
Maboya told MPs on Tuesday the department, together with stakeholders, has compiled revised annual teaching plans for every subject in every grade.
"These have been circulated to schools. We fit the content to be taught into the available time," she said.
Maboya also said they have put together adaptations to the annual teaching plans regarding content, concepts and skills to be taught by schools for every subject in every grade.
"We had to consider some of the challenges that continue to beset us."
However, she said their biggest risk was loss of teaching time and the impact on curriculum coverage.
Maboya noted that the four-week break at school had reduced the academic calendar. This meant schools were enabled to exercise their professional judgement
This was aimed to help schools identify risks and mitigate them in order to adopt a multi-year approach to curriculum coverage and identify key competencies to be addressed post-2020.
Maboya said the department has also prioritised Grade 11 pupils when it identified competencies to be covered during the remainder of the academic year.
"We are doing everything in our power to identify competencies to be covered," Maboya said.
In a report she tabled before the committee, Maboya said the final promotion of Grade 11 pupils would be replaced with a formal, final class test.
"Common tests on examinations even at district level should be discouraged."
Maboya also said the final class test could be limited to the elective subjects and exams conducted only in the fundamental subjects, namely mathematics or mathematical literacy, language of learning and teaching and home language.
"Life orientation, although part of the fundamentals, could be assessed through a formal test," she said.
Speaking on matriculants, Maboya said all schools will write a trial exam from September and ending not later than the first week in October .
The November exams have been rescheduled to commence on December 5 until eight days after the initial time.
After the exams finish on December 15, the marking will be done from January 4 to 22.
Minister Angie Motshekga will announce the results on February 22 and the schools and provinces the following day.
Political Bureau