This document discusses the difference between curriculum policy and the enacted curriculum in South African schools. It notes that while the government has introduced new curriculum policies aimed at improving education quality, there remain impediments between policy goals and practical implementation. Specifically, it argues that curriculum policy is often too prescriptive and does not adequately consider the needs and resources of all learners or allow for teacher autonomy. As a result, the enacted curriculum in classrooms sometimes fails to effectively build students' knowledge and skills as intended by policymakers. The author concludes that curriculum design should involve teachers and respond directly to the realities of teaching and learning to better scaffold student development.

1. EDUCATION STUDIES
By MOYANE LE
Issue: The difference between the curriculum policy and the enacted curriculum.
The development of communities and societies is based on how effective the curriculum is in the
country. Since the arrival of democracy in 1994, the South African government has introduced a
series of curriculum designed to affect the quality education for all learners, but still there are
impediments between the curriculum policy and the curriculum in practice which is the enacted
curriculum. In this paper, my focus is on differentiating between curriculum policy and enacted
curriculum and how it both raise issues in the education system.
The recent course of study which is curriculum, assessment policy statement (CAPS) is founded
on the theory of Bernstein's (1996) mode of classification in making curricular knowledge visible
and explicit to all learners and this is gained by touching to the values that inspires our constitution
(Act 108 of 1996), and its intention is basically on promoting social justice by meeting inclusivity
and diversity in practice. On the other hand the curriculum policy that advances social justice is
founded on presumptions that all scholars can learn equally knowing exactly that in the classroom
environment, learners learn differently and yet, most of outskirt school in South Africa still do not
possess the resources. In short, what I am saying is the minister of education must show support
of education and the curriculum must meet all learners in the classroom.
The main curriculum of South Africa is based on social, political and economic pressure and little
on knowledge construction to learners (instrumental approach by young, 2010). All this lead to
factors that inhibit the curriculum policy in practice being somehow not well spelt, Some of the
factors that influences official goals and curriculum include: perceived and expressed needs of
society; advancements in the fields of mathematics, learning, educational practice, assessment, and
technology; policies, accepted assessment practices and constraints; values and beliefs about
mathematics and the goals of education as held public and by individuals and groups yielding
power. The government still believe in the tradition of the past apartheid education. Conserving
the past education still affect the quality of education in building knowledge to pupils.

2. Even though CAPS is based on Bernstein's (1996) mode of strong classification and framing meant
to equip learners with equal knowledge, but still the assessment task across the nation are still
uniform (department of education, 2012) because the curriculum does not conform to the demands
of apprentices in the school classroom. Most teachers argue that curriculum assessment policy
statement (CAPS) curriculum is too prescriptive and this restricts teachers, professional autonomy
and if the curriculum prescriptive then the theory of Eisner (1985), the five orientations of the
curriculum is not met in knowledge scaffolding knowledge to learners. This is to say that the CAPS
(enacted curriculum) is best when you are teaching low achieving learners than the aims of old
NCS policy because in most cases it doesn't want learners to think and delve to gather more
information in their learning processes.
Most teacher perspective on the curriculum policy, they see it at as a one-fit curriculum and such
curriculum is not appropriate to learners in the classroom. The CAPS assessment task tends to ask
the minimum competency and this is not enough for learners to master the key concept and skills.
CAPS curriculum brings new approach. For example. The time allocation is sometimes too short
and sometimes more, the introduction of paper 3 mathematics, having harsh deadlines, lack of
knowledge to some textbooks and shortage of textbooks. This is to say the planned curriculum
policy is more on horizontal discourse (Bernstein, 1999:158) in terms of knowledge construction.
Eisner (1985) stipulates that the curriculum must master how learning contribute to the learners'
development by providing the variety of opportunities. This will take place at school (enacted
curriculum. He further says that the curriculum must play a huge role in motivating both teachers
and learners in knowledge development. Even though there are a variety of factors that inhibit the
enacted curriculum and this factor that influence the enacted curriculum include: teacher and
student knowledge, beliefs, and practices; access to resources, such as instructional technologies;
and contextual opportunities and constraints. If teachers still questions in the curriculum like this
what does it say in the value and quality of education?

3. What do I think about the practice of the curriculum?
A curriculum is a guide with goals and aims that are meant for pupils in order to be an effective
agent tomorrow. This issue of not balancing the curriculum policy and the enacted curriculum was
a problem and still a problem. I think that the government should enable the vertical discourse
(Bernstein, 1999:155) in terms of knowledge and learning. Teacher are the ones who actually know
what is going on in the field, so during the curriculum design they must also be involved. What is
a point of putting learners in on the basket and choose what is important for them but not
responding to their needs.
A curriculum policy must not be documented, but effectively practiced in reality. The meeting of
needs and the choosing the knowledge that will be useful to earners one is more important. If you
take a look of a curriculum today, it is decided by how learners are passing and mostly focus
mainly in grade 12, even the government motivates mainly the grade 12 to pass and go higher
institutions.
I draw my conclusion base on the work of Stenhouse (1975) where it stipulates that the curriculum
is based on knowledge and the aims that are effective. The curriculum must foster a variety of
teaching strategies that will contribute effectively to the cognitive processes of learners (Eisner,
1985). The curriculum is more prescriptive than subscriptive. The course of study must satisfy the
demands of scholars and further fairness and inclusion because now it looks like the two are in
paper not in exercise. The curriculum planners must also react to the thoughts of teachers because
being the ones that are seen in the area. The targeted curriculum must foster the impression of
knowledge construction to learners in order to scaffold.
.

4. REFERENCE LIST
1. Bernstein, B. (1996). Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique.
London: Taylor & Francis.
2. Bernstein, B. (1999). Vertical and horizontal discourse: An essay. British Journal
Sociology of Education, 20(2), 157-173.
3. Constitution of republic of south Africa:
http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/images/a108-96.pdf
4. Department of education: http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Speeches/2013-
Speeches/SP13-02-22.html.
5. Eisner, E. (1985). The educational imagination: on the design and evaluation of school
programme. 2nd Edn, London: collier MacMillia. 61-86.
6. Stenhouse, L. (1975) An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. London,
Heinemann.
7. Young, M. (2010). An alternative education futures for a knowledgable society. European
educational research journal, 9(1), 1-12