CAPS is guided by seven principles: social transformation; active and critical learning; high knowledge and high skills; progression; human rights, inclusivity, environmental and social justice; valuing indigenous knowledge systems; and credibility, quality and efficiency. These principles shape how South Africa’s curriculum should support learning, fairness, depth and progression across grades.
CAPS is not a separate curriculum outside the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). CAPS subject statements form part of the Department of Basic Education’s National Curriculum Statements Grades R to 12. Each CAPS document sets out what should be taught and assessed for a particular subject and phase, while the shared principles appear in the general aims.
1. Social transformation
This principle recognises the need to address educational imbalances from South Africa’s past and provide equal educational opportunities for all sections of the population. In practice, it asks schools and teachers to consider whether learners can participate meaningfully and access the knowledge and support they need. It is not about lowering expectations. It places fair access alongside the curriculum’s expectations for knowledge and skills.
2. Active and critical learning
CAPS promotes an active and critical approach to learning rather than rote and uncritical acceptance of given truths. Learners should engage with ideas, ask questions, examine information and apply what they know. This does not remove the need for direct teaching or subject knowledge. It means that teaching should help learners understand and use knowledge, not only repeat it without reflection.
3. High knowledge and high skills
The curriculum sets minimum standards of knowledge and skills for each grade and subject. These standards should be high but achievable. Teachers therefore need to teach the specified content carefully, build the required skills and use assessment to check whether learners are progressing. The principle combines ambition with a clear grade-level focus, rather than treating all learners or grades as if they are working towards the same immediate outcome.
4. Progression
Progression means that content and context should develop from simple to complex as learners move through grades. New learning should connect with earlier learning while increasing the level of challenge. For planning, this means checking what the current grade requires instead of relying on a broad summary of the phase. It also helps teachers identify prior knowledge that may need reinforcement before learners can manage more demanding concepts or tasks.
5. Human rights, inclusivity, environmental and social justice
The NCS is informed by the principles and practices of social and environmental justice and human rights in the Constitution. It is also sensitive to diversity, including poverty, inequality, race, gender, language, age and disability. Teachers can apply this principle by using respectful examples, noticing barriers to participation and avoiding materials or classroom practices that exclude learners. The aim is meaningful access to rigorous learning, not a separate or reduced curriculum.
6. Valuing indigenous knowledge systems
CAPS acknowledges South Africa’s rich history and heritage as important contributors to the values contained in the Constitution. Indigenous knowledge should be treated as a meaningful part of the country’s intellectual and cultural life, not as a decorative extra. Teachers should still follow the content and aims of their subject document, selecting relevant contexts and examples with care rather than making unsupported claims or treating diverse knowledge traditions as if they were all the same.
7. Credibility, quality and efficiency
This principle aims for an education system that offers quality, breadth and depth comparable with education in other countries. It supports clear curriculum expectations and coherent teaching, learning and assessment. For teachers, the practical starting point is the official CAPS statement for the correct subject, grade and phase, because broad descriptions cannot replace the detail in that document.
How to use the principles in planning
The principles are a lens for interpreting and delivering the curriculum, not a substitute for its subject requirements. Start with the DBE’s official CAPS subject documents and select the exact phase and subject you teach. The seven principles can then help you check whether a lesson has suitable challenge, clear progression, meaningful participation and respectful, relevant contexts.
For example, a teacher planning a sequence can first identify the required knowledge and skills, then arrange activities from simpler to more complex learning. The teacher can include opportunities for active thinking, review possible barriers to participation and choose contexts that respect human rights and South African knowledge traditions. Assessment should remain aligned with the applicable CAPS document and school programme. See the CAPS123 guide to CAPS assessment for an overview, or browse Foundation Phase resources for phase-specific support.
Check the official wording
For the source wording and full context, consult Section 1 of an official subject statement, such as the DBE’s Social Sciences Grades 4 to 6 CAPS document. Always use the document for your exact subject and phase when making teaching or assessment decisions.