Challenges towards curriculum implementation in high schools in Mount Fletcher district, Eastern Cape

Abstract

Many changes especially in the education system were introduced when the ANC-led government came into power in 1994. Curriculum change emerged as key focus in restructuring the educational system and strong emphasis was placed on its implementation. People in leadership in schools were expected to play a pivotal role to ensuring its effective implementation. Curriculum changes are intended to improve the quality of education for the benefit of learners and teachers. However, the curriculum changes that have happened over the years in South African education system do not seem to achieve its intended goals. As a result, it might be argued that some of the changes are contributing to the challenges faced by the school management teams (SMTs), teachers and learners in schools. Poor capacitation of teachers in successfully implementing the curriculum and availability of necessary resources needed are some of the contributing factors that impact on proper effective implementation of curriculum changes. Therefore, this qualitative study investigated the experiences and challenges faced by the school stakeholders in particular, SMTs and educators towards implementation of curriculum change in selected high schools in Mount Fletcher District in the Eastern Cape Province. Data were generated by means of open-ended interview questions and documents review to provide a rich description and explanation of what challenges school stakeholders (SMT and teachers) face in managing the curriculum implementation in their particular contexts. It became apparent from the findings that there are major curriculum challenges facing SMTs and teachers in managing the curriculum implementation in their schools. These included lack of resources, inadequate training and heavy workloads. However, measures were suggested to limit the challenges towards curriculum implementation in order for the SMTs and teachers to manage and implement the curriculum effectively. The study concludes by pointing out that although SMTs and teachers try to perform their roles and responsibilities to ensure effective implementation of curriculum in their contexts, they still require training and on-going support to execute certain aspects of their duties.