Basic education level refers to the primary and secondary school which makes universities and colleges higher education level. Basic education level at the primary school consist of learners aged 7-11. World Bank, 2020 reveals that primary school starting age (years) in South Africa was reported at 7 years in 2019 according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. This level of education is regarded as the level where learners are given all different sorts of subjects in order to determine which career path they would prefer when they reach FET phase and ultimately the higher education level. This paper seeks to provide a narrative on what is primary school level meant for and argue why primary education should be regarded as a discovery education centre. The paper will further dismiss the claims that learners at a high school level (Gr 8-12) are still within the age to discover their talents and life aspirations. The paper will conclude with an argument that secondary schools in south Africa, as we know them, can be dismantled and restructured as career focused education academies.

Primary school education consists of kids between 7-11, the age where kids display various talents they have. Some kids are prodigies, and they would display talents and abilities even before the age of 7 (https://simnandisolutions.co.za/2020/07/11/prodigies-need-a-rescue/). The key is to set up a proper education environment for children to express themselves in various ways. Kids at this age are always eager to perform different tasks and to solve theoretical problems. Primary school level is meant to be a discovery of talents and capabilities children possess. This is to ensure that learners are channeled with personal corresponding career paths for their future. It is at Primary education level where you discover the signals, from kids, of brilliant footballers, singers, mathematicians, accountants, lawyers etc. That is why it is vital to structure primary education level as a discovery centre where kids can do everything related to careers and talents. This helps educators and parents identify the right career path for children. This is the education level where, again, educators and parents realize that numeracy (maths) is a challenge for certain learners, this helps to identify different career paths for these learners than to force them to do something they displayed total failure in. Primary education level needs proper restructuring and declared discovery centres where learners discover their career traits. In south Africa it is hard to say that primary schools are discovery centres, there’s a lot of confusion with primary education system and education system altogether.

We are of the view that, based on extensive observations and realities, secondary school (Gr 8 – 12) curriculum is still set up as a mass curriculum – one size fits all curriculum. Secondary schooling in south Africa can’t be treated as a discovery centre where learners are still given mixture of subjects as if they are still not sure what they aspire to be in life. This level of education consists of learners who have already, in our view, tasted the glimpses of their future from primary school and they know exactly what they wish to do, some even know their talents and capabilities before they reach secondary education level. The curriculum in secondary schools is still a mixture of various subjects that are meant to encourage a learner to figure out which career path to follow. This is wrong! The discovery period takes place at the primary education level. Secondary education level should help align learners with their aspired career paths. The curriculum, at this level, should be a specific career path curriculum designed for a particular group of learners with a particular set of ambitions and talents.

The reason we dismiss secondary school as a discovery centre is because of the everyday frustrations secondary school learners go through. Amongst those frustrations are subject changes, and those subject changes are inspired by the subject irrelevancy the learners notice from the list of subjects they are doing. Learners normally look at their future aspirations and realize that they actually do not need certain subjects and getting rid of these unnecessary subjects becomes a mountain because schools claim that subject changes “disrupts’’ the time table. Some learners are even more unfortunate as the school do not even offer a single subject related to their career paths. These learners end up doing subjects for the sake of doing something and remain at school rather than staying at home. Other learners struggle with the so called ‘’compulsory’’ subjects and when you investigate the significance of those compulsory subjects towards learners` career paths, those subjects hold no water nor serve any significant impact with regards to the learners aspired career path. These are few frustrations, amongst many, learners go through at school every day and they do not enjoy school because school is not drawing them closer to what they aspire for in life. That is why, as a parent, you would notice disjointed, disengaged and disinterested attitude towards school from your secondary school child. It is all because NCS treats secondary education level as a career path discovery centre, just like primary education level.

Personalized education curriculum system (PECS) research paper reveals that secondary education level should have schools structured as academies for different career paths than the way schools are currently structured. PECS proposes that when learners reach Grade 8, they should be scattered according to the school divisions (career academies) that provide relevant curriculum towards the attainment of learners` passions and goals in life. This study (PECS) proposes that Schools can be restructured to a new image, for instance in Sedibeng (D7&8) schools could become solely academies in this fashion”: General Smuts (School of Languages, Drama and Creative Arts), Suncrest (School of Commerce –Accounting, Economics and entrepreneurship), Mohlodi (School of Tourism, Hospitality and Catering), Vaal High School (School of Media studies and Journalism), Phoenix  (School of Law), Carel De Wet (School of Engineering- Civil, Electrical, Mechanical), Riverside (School of Agricultural Studies) etc. With secondary schools structured in this manner (personalized), learners can then be aligned in accordance with such divisions (academies) to begin to pursue their passions at an early age so that after Matric, learners have already been introduced to what they wish to pursue. That’s how PECS wants to bring meaning to the education of our children in south Africa, until then our education remains irrelevant and unappealing.

Know more about PECS: https://simnandisolutions.co.za/personalized-education/ – Click on PECS Powerpoint presentation.

Please answer these 3 questions and submit: https://simnandisolutions.co.za/pecs-questionnaires/