Skills every Grade 12 pupil should have post-primary education

Durban — The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has given insight into the characteristics of a Grade 12 pupil who has completed a primary-level education.

Gwarube gave these characteristics in response to a national parliamentary written question by the MK Party’s Emerald Kwenzokuhle Madlala.

Madlala asked Gwarube what the traits of a Grade 12 pupil who has completed a primary level of education are.

Explaining, Gwarube said: “A Grade 12 learner who has completed a primary level education should be able to listen, speak, read with understanding and write in their home language and a first additional language.

“They should be able to read with understanding and respond appropriately to the prompts provided in the question papers, discussions and such settings that they may be exposed to. Furthermore, they should be critical readers of texts and be able to express their views on texts. They should also be able to express their views and sustain an argument in support of their views.

“They should also have acquired the skills and knowledge of the subjects they are offering as outlined in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (Caps) and be able to demonstrate the relatedness of the knowledge acquired in their daily life.”

Gwarube further explained that per the Caps, pupils who have completed the primary level of education should possess the following traits: ambition, analytical, creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, collaborative, compassion, organised, disciplined, respectful and resilient among others, as acquired through the curriculum and practical applications through various forms of assessment.

She said the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Grades R-12 aims to produce pupils who can:

• Identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking;
• work effectively as individuals and with others as members of a team.
• organise and manage themselves and their activities responsibly and effectively;
• collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information;
• communicate effectively using visual, symbolic and/or language skills in various modes;
• use science and technology effectively and critically showing responsibility towards the environment and the health of others; and
• demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation.

Madlala also asked Gwarube what guarantees the grade offers the pupil to be equipped and what employable involvement a pupil who has completed Grade 12 has in the economy.

Gwarube said the skills she highlighted and the high content knowledge taught through various subjects depend on the pupils’ intrinsic motivation to ensure that they apply the skill to better their chances of success in life.

“These skills and knowledge received prepare learners to be able to function in the 21st-century world and become global citizens.”

On future employability, Gwarube said pupils who have completed Grade 12 are equipped with employability skills and prepared to acquire entrepreneurial mindsets so they cannot only seek but also create employment.

These have been done through the curriculum and also by aligning career content to the subject matter as outlined below:

The NCS Grades R-12 serves the purposes of:

• equipping pupils, irrespective of their socio-economic background, race, gender, physical ability or intellectual ability, with the knowledge, skills and values necessary for self-fulfilment, and meaningful participation in society as citizens of a free country;
• providing access to higher education;
• facilitating the transition of pupils from education institutions to the workplace;
• providing employers with a sufficient profile of a pupil’s competencies.

Gwarube added that the Department of Basic Education, through the Career Development Services (CDS) initiative also provides free quality career information, advice and guidance to South Africans of all ages and from all walks of life throughout their lives.

The CDS aims to ensure equitable access to all thus equipping pupils to become active and productive citizens who can contribute to the socio-economic status of the country. CDS under the brand name Khetha: Make the Right Choice offers the following services: national co-ordination, a multi-channel career advice helpline and an outreach programme.

The minister also said DBE’s collaboration and partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) in the Education for Employability (E4E) programme funded by the EU aims to advance and ensure a smooth transition from the basic schooling sector through to the Post School Education and Training System (PSET) and the world of work.

Services offered by the three departments include provision of career education, information, advice, guidance and counselling by career advisers and counsellors; access to the National Career Advisory Portal (NCAP) and registration on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) System.

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