UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Education
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
HED4802: Curriculum Stud-
ies in Higher Education
Assignment 2 — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
HED4802
Module Code:
Curriculum Studies in Higher Education
Module Name:
Curriculum Reflection & Mini Curriculum
Assignment Topic:
Design
Assignment 2
Assignment Number:
22 June 2026
Due Date:
100
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for HED4802 — UNISA 2026
, UNISA | HED4802 Curriculum Reflection & Design
Question 1: Reflective Writing on Curriculum, Schooling and Teacher Identity
Curriculum shapes not only what learners know but who they become. The South African
schooling system has undergone a series of major curriculum shifts, from the racially exclusion-
ary Bantu Education model to Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) and finally the Curriculum
and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) (Sepadi and Molapo, 2024). Each phase left a dis-
tinct imprint on learners, their identities and their understanding of what education is for.
The following reflection traces my personal journey through those shifts and considers how my
lived school experience shapes the kind of educator I intend to be.
1.1 Schooling Context
I attended school during the period of significant transition in South Africa, spanning the late
years of apartheid-era education and the post-1994 democratic reforms. The main curriculum
I experienced moved from a content-heavy, racially differentiated system toward the outcomes-
based framework introduced through Curriculum 2005 and later the National Curriculum
Statement (NCS). This curriculum was characterised by a shift away from rote memorisation
toward learner-centred, activity-based approaches, with an emphasis on achieving specific
learning outcomes (Chisholm, 2012, as cited in Graham, 2025).
One change I remember vividly in the education system was the transition from Outcomes-
Based Education to CAPS around 2011. At that time, there was considerable confusion
among teachers and learners alike. Many educators were not adequately trained to imple-
ment the new demands, which meant that the promise of learner-centred teaching was often
replaced in practice with familiar transmission-style approaches (Sepadi and Molapo, 2024).
The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement was intended to provide a single, compre-
hensive and concise document to replace the multiple subject statements that had caused
fragmentation under the NCS (Department of Basic Education, as cited in Graham, 2025).
Critical Consideration
Critical Consideration: The successive curriculum changes in South Africa, from
Curriculum 2005 to NCS to CAPS, were often introduced without adequate teacher
preparation. Jansen and Taylor (2003, as cited in Sepadi and Molapo, 2024) note that
teachers were not given practical guidelines for handling the basic principles of new
assessment practices, which created implementation gaps that directly affected learner
Page 2 of 12
College of Education
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
HED4802: Curriculum Stud-
ies in Higher Education
Assignment 2 — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
HED4802
Module Code:
Curriculum Studies in Higher Education
Module Name:
Curriculum Reflection & Mini Curriculum
Assignment Topic:
Design
Assignment 2
Assignment Number:
22 June 2026
Due Date:
100
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for HED4802 — UNISA 2026
, UNISA | HED4802 Curriculum Reflection & Design
Question 1: Reflective Writing on Curriculum, Schooling and Teacher Identity
Curriculum shapes not only what learners know but who they become. The South African
schooling system has undergone a series of major curriculum shifts, from the racially exclusion-
ary Bantu Education model to Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) and finally the Curriculum
and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) (Sepadi and Molapo, 2024). Each phase left a dis-
tinct imprint on learners, their identities and their understanding of what education is for.
The following reflection traces my personal journey through those shifts and considers how my
lived school experience shapes the kind of educator I intend to be.
1.1 Schooling Context
I attended school during the period of significant transition in South Africa, spanning the late
years of apartheid-era education and the post-1994 democratic reforms. The main curriculum
I experienced moved from a content-heavy, racially differentiated system toward the outcomes-
based framework introduced through Curriculum 2005 and later the National Curriculum
Statement (NCS). This curriculum was characterised by a shift away from rote memorisation
toward learner-centred, activity-based approaches, with an emphasis on achieving specific
learning outcomes (Chisholm, 2012, as cited in Graham, 2025).
One change I remember vividly in the education system was the transition from Outcomes-
Based Education to CAPS around 2011. At that time, there was considerable confusion
among teachers and learners alike. Many educators were not adequately trained to imple-
ment the new demands, which meant that the promise of learner-centred teaching was often
replaced in practice with familiar transmission-style approaches (Sepadi and Molapo, 2024).
The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement was intended to provide a single, compre-
hensive and concise document to replace the multiple subject statements that had caused
fragmentation under the NCS (Department of Basic Education, as cited in Graham, 2025).
Critical Consideration
Critical Consideration: The successive curriculum changes in South Africa, from
Curriculum 2005 to NCS to CAPS, were often introduced without adequate teacher
preparation. Jansen and Taylor (2003, as cited in Sepadi and Molapo, 2024) note that
teachers were not given practical guidelines for handling the basic principles of new
assessment practices, which created implementation gaps that directly affected learner
Page 2 of 12
