New history curriculum emphasises African perspective and critical thinking

THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) has unveiled a draft of a new history curriculum that prioritises African history and critical thinking, inviting public feedback on the proposed changes.

At this stage is not clear what exactly will be removed from the curriculum, but the shift could reshape how pupils understand the past, specifically through a South African and African lens from primary school through to matric.

What will be taught

Under the draft, history teaching across Grades 4 to 12 will be structured to prioritise the following:

• African history and civilisations, including pre-colonial societies, kingdoms and trade networks
• Local and community history, which is expected to encourage learners to engage with heritage and oral traditions
• Colonisation and its impact on Africa, which will be examined within a wider global context
• South Africa’s liberation struggle, with a deeper focus on internal resistance and diverse voices
• Democracy and post-1994 South Africa, exploring governance, rights and ongoing challenges
• The DBE says the curriculum is designed to move beyond rote learning, instead focusing on historical enquiry and interpretation.

“The draft defines school History in terms of enquiry, evidence, interpretation and critical engagement with the past,” the department said in its official statement.

Greater focus on African perspectives

A key feature of the draft is its emphasis on teaching history from an African vantage point.

According to the DBE, the revised framework incorporates “African history, heritage and local history” alongside world history, while also introducing oral history to “recover perspectives that were previously marginalised”.

This means learners will increasingly engage with indigenous knowledge systems, community-based narratives and first-hand accounts and oral testimonies.

The department has stressed that traditional written archives, including colonial and apartheid-era records, will still form part of the curriculum.

What may receive less emphasis

While the draft does not explicitly remove any existing topics, the rebalancing of content is likely to reduce the relative weight of:

Standalone European historical case studies

US-centric topics, such as a detailed focus on American political history

Figure-based teaching centred on individual historical personalities

Eurocentric “discovery” narratives presented without African context

This shift is largely inferred from the curriculum’s structure: as more time and space are allocated to African and local content, less emphasis is likely to be placed on some traditional international topics.

The DBE notes that global history remains part of the curriculum, indicating that these subjects are not being removed but rather repositioned.

Beyond content changes, the draft signals a broader shift in teaching approach.

Rather than focusing heavily on individual historical figures or isolated events, the curriculum is expected to emphasise themes and historical processes, encourage critical thinking and source analysis and situate South African history within continental and global contexts.

It is worth noting that the DBE has stressed that the curriculum is still in draft form and subject to change following public consultation.

“The documents currently in the public domain are draft curriculum documents… publication is intended to enable structured public participation,” the department said.

Members of the public, educators and stakeholders have been invited to submit comments before the deadline later this month.

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