The Department of Basic Education (DBE), through the Care and Support in Schools and the Curriculum Implementation and Monitoring Chief Directorates, differentiated Life Orientations and Life Skills Curriculum with the focus on Comprehensive Sexuality Education Scripted Lesson Plans resulting in 105 lesson plans from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Grade 12. Initiated in November 2024, the project was undertaken in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to strengthen curriculum accessibility and ensure alignment with international best practices and national inclusive education priorities.
The lesson plans were designed to strengthen existing curriculum resources and ensure that learners with diverse educational needs can access, participate in, and benefit meaningfully from teaching and learning. Key topics addressed included health, personal safety, healthy relationships, and the prevention and reporting of abuse and violence.
During the development process, DBE’s Mrs Monyane Chaane advocated for the inclusion of tactile learning opportunities, detailed picture descriptions, raised-line illustrations, and multisensory teaching strategies to improve curriculum access for learners who are blind and partially sighted. The lesson plans also integrate Braille, South African Sign Language (SASL), and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies. Guided by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), these approaches provide multiple pathways for learner engagement, participation, and expression within classrooms where learners are encouraged to learn together using different modes of communication and learning.
To assess the effectiveness of the lesson plans, the two Chief Directorates developed a monitoring instrument and piloted it during oversight visits to selected special and ordinary public schools between 13 and 27 August 2026. Findings confirmed that the lesson plans were practical, inclusive, and responsive to diverse learner needs, resulting in improved learner participation, engagement, and access to the curriculum.
These outcomes demonstrate a significant milestone in curriculum transformation. By translating inclusive education policy into practical classroom strategies, the two Chief Directorates have shown how curriculum planning, teaching, learning, and assessment can be made more responsive to learner diversity while maintaining curriculum standards.
Through this groundbreaking work, the Care and Support in Schools and Curriculum Implementation and Monitoring Chief Directorates have established a model for inclusive curriculum transformation, advancing the Department's vision of an equitable, accessible, and quality education system in which every learner is supported to achieve their full potential.