History must not be politically filtered, says education minister

Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube. Picture: X/ @DBE_SA South Africa’s draft school history curriculum must not exclude key events or perspectives on political grounds, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says, as the clock ticks down on public submissions. Gwarube’s intervention comes amid intensifying debate over the proposed Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (Caps) for Grades 4 to 12, with the department of basic education (DBE) urging stakeholders to comment before the Sunday, 19 April deadline.

The minister stressed that the draft document currently under public scrutiny is not final and is intended to be shaped by broad public input. “Our history curriculum should not exclude key events or perspectives on political grounds, nor should it impose any particular ideology on learners,” said Gwarube. “I am committed to ensuring that the curriculum equips learners to think critically about our past, so that they may form their own opinions.” She added that inclusivity in the consultation process would directly influence the quality of the final curriculum.

“The more inclusive this process is, the more inclusive our history curriculum will be. I, therefore, encourage as many people as possible to indicate where they believe the draft should be strengthened, corrected, expanded or refined.” The review of the history curriculum has been underway since 2019, when former minister Angie Motshekga appointed a task team to redesign the subject. That process included nationwide consultations across all nine provinces in 2023 and 2024, with inputs incorporated into the draft presented to the minister in January 2025.

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The document has since passed through multiple layers of scrutiny, including the parliamentary portfolio committee on basic education, internal DBE structures, the heads of education departments committee (HEDOM), the council of education ministers and quality assurance body Umalusi. It was published for public comment under Government Notice No. 7 285 on 20 March.

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