Chairperson, I really cannot understand the DA's call for an urgent review of the curriculum. As they are supposed to know, the curriculum has indeed been reviewed by the Chisholm Review Committee in the year 2000. The product of this revian is the National Curriculum Statement that had been welcomed by all serious commentators and role-players at the time.
The result has been better curriculum design and specific guidelines to schools. Of course we are facing many problems in education, and the implementation of the new curriculum is one of the tougher challenges. We acknowledge that the implementation and training have not been smooth and that we as policy-makers have not always responded adequately to the difficulties that teachers and administrators have faced in implementing these immense changes. We will, indeed, intensify support and training in 2009.
The key challenges are teacher development and support, resources such as good textbooks and user-friendly guidelines for teachers. We are working to meet these needs and address the gaps that hinder quality learning and teaching for all. We are also working to enhance the curriculum skills of relevant officials. We will continue to work at ironing out the problems and improving schooling. But throwing out the curriculum and going back to the past design will not give us the success which South Africa must achieve.
Eerder as om te volg wat in die ANC gebeur as ons die probleme erken en s ons gaan dit aanspreek, moet die DA ons eerder help, saam met al die ander partye en die hele gemeenskap, om seker te maak dat ons hierdie kurrikulum instel op 'n wyse wat tot almal se voordeel is. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Rather than follow what happens in the ANC when we admit to the problems and say that we will address them, the DA should assist us, together with all the other parties and the entire community, to ensure that we implement this curriculum in a manner that will be beneficial to everyone.]
So, let's mend it, not end it. Thank you. [Applause.]