The botanical content in the South African curriculum: A barren desert or a thriving forest?

Abstract Botanists who are interested in education have often expressed their dismay at how plant sciences are neglected in Biology curricula, despite the important roles that plants play. While botanists in several overseas countries have studied the ways in which plant sciences are represented in curricula, no research has been done on how botany is neglected in the South African curriculum. Currently, the South African curriculum is known as the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for Grades R–12. In this study, a comparison was made among the content that is generally taught in introductory plant sciences courses, the American Society of Plant Biologists’ principles for plant biology education and the relevant CAPS documents. The time spent on plant, animal or human-focused content was established and compared at both phase and grade level. It was found that while the curriculum addresses all the major concepts in the plant sciences, very little time was being allocated to exclusively plant-focused content as compared to animal and human-focused content. This neglect was particularly prevalent in the Foundation Phase. The way in which the content is structured and presented in the curriculum may in all likelihood not be sufficient to provide a strong knowledge and skills foundation in the plant sciences, nor will it encourage the development of positive values towards plants. While consensus regarding the content of a curriculum will be difficult to achieve, awareness of potential gaps in the curriculum should be brought to the attention of the botanical and educational communities.

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Exploring the recontextualisation of biology in the CAPS for Life Sciences

Journal of Education ◽

10.17159/i60a04 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Kathryn Johnson ◽

Edith Dempster ◽

Wayne Hugo

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Life Sciences ◽

African Students ◽

The Core ◽

Assessment Policy ◽

Core Concepts ◽

Policy Statements ◽

Hierarchical Nature ◽

Parent Discipline ◽

Recent Version

This study is concerned with the recontextualisation of biology in the most recent version of the South African Life Sciences curriculum, the CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements). The following aspects of the curriculum were assessed: the balance of canonical and humanistic material, the inclusion and weighting of the core concepts of biology, and the overall curriculum coherence. The results were compared with those for earlier versions of the curriculum, and the implications for South African students are considered. The study reveals that, according to these criteria, the content material of the CAPS faithfully reflects the hierarchical nature of its parent discipline biology.

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Opportunities for Open Contracting in public sector procurement: a review of legislation

Public and Municipal Finance ◽

10.21511/pmf.07(1).2018.03 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 21-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lawson Naidoo ◽

Vinessa Naidoo ◽

Marcus Ambe

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

South African ◽

Public Procurement ◽

Total Sample ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Primary Data ◽

The South ◽

Specific Objective ◽

Policy Statements ◽

Global Principles

The main purpose of the study was to establish the conformity of South African legislation and policies to the global principles of Open Contracting. The specific objective of the study was to establish whether South African legislation supports the application of Open Contracting in public sector procurement. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. Primary data was collected using questionnaires targeting members of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Chain (CIPS) employed in the South African public service. A total of 300 (100%) completed questionnaires were returned. Fifty-two (52) of the targeted 300 respondents were excluded from the study. They were found not to be “public procurement champions”. This would imply that a final total sample size of 248 was employed in this study, thus a realization of 82.7%. The study findings revealed that although government institutions have policy statements for Open Contracting, the principles are not fully implemented. The study recommends that the National Treasury put forward a single coherent, comprehensive and overarching procurement law to standardize and clarify the procurement process to be followed by procuring entities in South Africa. Particularly the study recommends the development of a policy framework for the implementation of Open Contracting in the South African public sector procurement system.

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The Dynamics of a South African Law Library

Legal Information Management ◽

10.1017/s1472669600000876 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

pp. 52-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark Stiebel

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Primary Source ◽

Similar Function ◽

The South ◽

High Court ◽

Knowledge And Skills ◽

Similar Role ◽

The Law ◽

Law Library ◽

Over Time

The South African law library holds a similar function to that of its English counterpart. It provides a primary source to describe the law and how it has changed and grown over time. South African attorneys fulfil a similar role to solicitors and South African advocates can be equated with barristers. While attorneys have recently gained rights of audience in the High Court, most attorneys continue to brief advocates in complex matters due to their specialised knowledge and skills.

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