Dr Barney Mthembu

Dr Barney Mthembu
Head of Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring Branch within the Department of Basic Education

Dr Barney Mthembu serves as the head of Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring Branch within the Department of Basic Education. The main responsibility of the branch is to monitor and support curriculum delivery effectiveness through various mechanisms such as school visits, workshops, seminars and assessment which includes feedback to the system. Assessment extends to international and regional benchmarks as well as the National Senior Certificate examinations.

Under the leadership of Dr. Mthembu, the branch is contributing towards a more effective and responsive educational environment and ultimately to improve the attainment of learning outcomes. This is a branch which plays a critical role in enhancing teaching and learning services in the country’s basic education sector. Its functions extend to curriculum development for purposes of designing and aligning the curriculum standards and outcomes with the educational needs of the country.

This includes resource provision especially the Teaching and Learning Support Material (LTSM). The branch also collaborates with various stakeholders to promote a cohesive educational experience. Furthermore, the branch continuously collaborates with the teacher development section of the Department of Basic Education to provide professional development services for teachers in existing programmes as well as newly introduced mandates.