GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AT A CROSSROADS

South African (SA) schools use a national syllabus that is, like many other aspects of the country, undergoing a major transformation. Curriculum 2005 (C2005) for grades 0-9 is scheduled for final release in Sept. 2001. The Natural Science Learning Area of C2005 resembles the U.S. national science standards. Therefore, that the Earth and Space Science (ESS) content area receives equal billing with Physical and Life Sciences should not be a surprise to those familiar with the U.S. national science standards. Such parity in the U.S. standards has led to a boom in geoscience education programs and summer workshops in the last five years. However, the inclusion of ESS in C2005 represents a sea change for the SA school curriculum, which previously only taught earth science as a minor component of geography under the heading of social studies. This seems surprising for a country where more than half of its export value is derived from minerals extraction.

Pre-service teacher education programs in SA universities are unprepared for this change. A survey of the major university programs reveals that most require only minor coursework in Physical and Life Sciences, and none in the Earth or Space Sciences for middle school science specialists. Similarly, no ESS courses appear in accredited in-service science teacher upgrading programs. This gap represents an important opportunity for SA university geology and astronomy departments. Internationally respected for research and production of geologists for the mineral industry, SA geology departments could experience the same education-oriented rejuvenation enjoyed by many American geology departments.

The committees re-writing the SA high school curriculum and its attendant national matriculation exam will ultimately decide the status of Earth and Space Science in the SA curriculum. Currently in SA, the education system is driven (and judged) by a single assessment. If the SA populace is to be exposed to these subjects with local and global implications, it is important for the ESS community (university, industry and government) to make a strong case for the inclusion of ESS in the revised high school science standards and matric exam.