Ask AI: Briefly explain curriculum, CAPS and NCS in a South African context using APA 7 referencing style

Curriculum In the South African context, the curriculum refers to the planned and guided learning experiences provided by the school (DBE, 2011). The curriculum encompasses the teaching activities and instructional material intended to impart knowledge and skills. CAPS Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) is an initiative by South Africa’s Department of Basic Education (DBE) that outlays specific objectives to be achieved at the end of the year. It came into existence in 2011 and outlines what teachers should teach learners and how they should assess the learners (DBE, 2011). This curriculum overhauled the previous one by its emphasis on accessibility, delivering comprehensible, unambiguous and explicit documents revealing grade-specific topics and assessment guidelines. NCS The National Curriculum Statement (NCS) was the previous curriculum, which was replaced by CAPS. The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 gives expression to the knowledge, skills and values worth learning in South African schools (DBE, 2011). It aims to ensure that children acquire and apply knowledge and skills in ways that are meaningful to their own lives. However, the NCS was found to be difficult to implement in the classroom, mainly due to its complexity and lack of clarifications in terms of assessment. References Department of Basic Education. (2011). National Curriculum Statement (NCS). Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.