Outcomes-based education and its (dis)contents : learner-centred pedagogy and the education crisis in South Africa

Since its inception outcomes-based education (OBE) has been controversial and confusing for South African educators and policymakers alike, let alone the general citizenry. The current clamour against OBE and the 'educational crisis' must be seen against the background of South Africa's desultory performance in comparative international benchmark trends in literacy and numeracy, as well as in numerous national evaluations and tests. Yet critiques of OBE notwithstanding, this article argues that OBE has often become the scapegoat for problems associated with educational failure. While OBE has become shorthand for many for expressing dissatisfaction with education in South Africa the social, political and economic context of education and its continued stratification along class, racial and regional lines has been left largely unexamined. This argument is based on two main hypotheses : Firstly, OBE has not in fact been implemented in the years since its inception in 1997 and many of the policies and recommendations associated with the review of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) have not been put in place - despite the thoughtful and engaged deliberations that preceded its recommendations. Second, the 'value' of OBE cannot be assessed or understood properly unless account is accorded to the day-to-day contextual realities of teaching and learning in South Africa, the continuing school inequalities, and issues related to the enormous 'poverty gap' across the schooling system. Finally, the article warns against the current trend of returning to a form of social conservatism and a 'back-to-basics' programme that ultimately could undermine the social justice agenda and ensure that quality education for the majority of the population remains elusive.