Progress Update on School Infrastructure; Implementation of History as a Compulsory Subject; with Ministry

Video The Portfolio Committee met on a virtual platform for briefings from the Department of Basic Education on school infrastructure delivery and the implementation of history as a compulsory subject in the school curriculum. Members welcomed the Department’s efforts to develop a new history curriculum for Grades 10 to 12 which focused more on Afrocentric subject matter, as the current curriculum was deemed to be too Eurocentric. It was hoped that the learners would be instilled with a global and continental Afrocentric historical consciousness which would prepare them to be global citizens. Additionally, the new curriculum would introduce oral traditions and folklore for learners in Grades 4 to 9. In the discussions, Members asked about the estimated cost of implementing history as a compulsory subject; the programme to eradicate pit toilets at schools; schools’ access to water in rural areas; the impact of rural-to-urban migration trends; and electricity provision at schools. Other questions concerned the proposed new history curriculum and the status of school infrastructure. Members asked about the Department’s collaboration with relevant stakeholders in addressing school infrastructure backlogs and requested specific statistical information from the Department.