Teachers reminded to use the Force, to return to 'old ways'

SHOOT: I taught for 6 months at a secondary school. The fundamental problem is discipline. If you can't instil discipline at school level, how can you expect to have a law abiding population in one of the world's most criminal societies. Very very simple. Bring corporal punishment back, but be very clear on what offences are punishable and how they should be punished. Maybe you can have special designated punishers sent to schools who know what the parameters are. In any event, OBE has failed. What do learners have to say, and parents?

"We shall bring in some of the methods that have withstood the test of time... solid educational practices that enable us to achieve the skills and outcomes we require."

These included instilling discipline, giving children the skills to function as individuals and not just as a team, and allowing a measure of memory training, which she said had nothing to do with "rote learning".

clipped from www.news24.com Cape Town - South Africa must return to tried and trusted teaching methods as Outcomes Based Education (OBE) has in many ways failed to provide pupils with essential skills, Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday. "A noble concept translated into educational outcomes that created problems," Motshekga told Parliament's portfolio committee on education. "Teachers dropped some of the fundamental aspects of learning." She said the school curriculum would be reviewed over the next year and some of the "pillars" of the curriculum leading up to the national senior certificate exam would fall. Motshekga said she has shied away from formally announcing an end to OBE because the ministry still firmly subscribed to the basic principles and values that informed the post-apartheid curriculum overhaul. These included non-racism, non-sexism, internationalism, patriotism, the ability to be collegial and work in a team, and will continue to underpin the education system.