At the 2023 Basic Education Lekgotla, the Department of Basic Education committed to strengthen the curriculum by infusing skills and competencies into the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in order to enhance the relevance of the curriculum in preparing learners for work and life in a fast-changing world.
In line with the DBE's commitment, Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) has embarked on a process to advocate for strengthening the curriculum by enhancing the breadth of skills in the South African education system. Furthermore, SCSA acknowledges the importance of teachers in implementing a strengthened curriculum, and thus that teacher development will be a key lever for ensuring the strengthened curriculum's seamless implementation.
To provide guidance and advocate for the implementation plan, SCSA commissioned JET Education Services (JET) to conduct research examining the governance arrangements affecting teacher development related to curriculum reform. One of the data collection methods used was a World Café, a participatory research method designed to facilitate open and intimate discussion and gather the perspectives of a large sample of diverse viewpoints. This method is particularly useful for gathering qualitative data, and the conversational method helps groups to engage in constructive dialogue focused on critical questions. SCSA and JET selected a range of participants for World Café so that the perspectives of a wide range of individuals were presented. Participants represented national, provincial, and district education departments as well as government agencies, academia, teacher unions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and donors.
Sessions were intended to collect data that can inform the ways in which agencies, organisations and institutions can contribute to and influence policy formulation and implementation related to teacher development.
