Question NW265 to the Minister of Basic Education
12 March 2020 - NW265
Tarabella - Marchesi, Ms NI to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) With reference to her department’s statement on 17 November 2019 which stated that the department is only testing the use of Scripted Lesson Plans, nothing more, and her reply to question 1605 on 16 January 2020 that the material in these Scripted Lesson Plans is not new, what are the differences between the scripted lesson textbooks and previously used methods; (2) (a) on what basis would her department be testing curriculum material that is not new in 1 500 schools and (b) what is the explanation for the apparent discrepancy between her department’s statement on 17 November 2019 and her reply to question 1605 on 16 January 2020?
Reply:
1. The topics and content in the Scripted Lesson Plans (SLPs) are guided by the Life Skills and Life Orientation Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) themes and topics. As such, the Scripted Lesson Plans are not bringing new themes and topics. The difference is that, other materials used to deliver Life Skils and Life Orientation is not scripted; and do not guide on what teaching methodolgy can be used to deliver the content which is offered by the Scripted Lesson Plans. Once again, the Scripted Lesson Plans are not textbooks, and were never intended to be textbooks.
2. (a) The DBE is testing the utility of Scripted Lesson Plans to deliver the existing curriculum content; and
(b) There is no discrepency in the statements as explained in (1) and 2 (a).