EDUCATION
INTRODUCTION
The SABC is required by legislation to inform, educate and entertain viewers and listeners.
The broadcasting of educational programmes is therefore essential to the implementation of its
public service mandate.
The SABC recognises that to right the wrongs inflicted by decades of apartheid education on the
knowledge, literacy and skills profile of South Africa requires the collective contribution of all
educational authorities, institutions and individuals. The SABC recognises that through
broadcasting, it can make a unique contribution to this national project. Complementary to what
is offered by schools, colleges, higher education institutions and work place training, radio and
television can make the most significant contribution to learning.
The SABC also acknowledges that an informed and educated citizenry is fundamental to the
sustained development of South Africa. Through its educational programmes it is well placed to
advance national goals of equality, dignity and an inclusive society and works towards these ends.
In fulfilling its educational mandate, the SABC is guided by the Constitutionally enshrined right of
all South Africans to receive education — in the official languages of their choice, where
reasonably practicable. The SABC also aims to attain the goals set in the Independent
Broadcasting Authority Act and the Broadcasting Act, and the relevant policies and regulations.
In particular, we take into account the requirement of the Broadcasting Act that the SABC's
public broadcasting services should:
"include significant amounts of educational programming, both curriculum-based and informal
educative topics from a wide range of social, political and economic issues, including, but not
limited to, human rights, health, early childhood development, agriculture, culture, justice and
commerce and contributing to a shared South African consciousness and identity".
This Policy on Educational Broadcasting sets the framework within which the SABC
implements this mandate and responds to the national literacy and skills development challenge.

OBJECTIVES
The SABC commits itself to the following objectives for educational broadcasting:
To provide innovative educational programmes of excellent quality across our radio and
television services, aimed at meeting the diverse formal and informal learning needs of all our
audiences, including children, youth and adults. These include:
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Programmes that support the curriculum-based activities of the education and training
sectors and cover a wide range of subjects and fields

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Programmes that promote public education on rural development and urban renewal,
human resources development, citizens' rights and responsibilities, healthy living,
innovative solutions to personal, family and community challenges, national identity,
culture and heritage

To ensure that the radio and television services in the SABC's public broadcasting portfolio
devote adequate air time to educational programmes, and schedule them at times that are
appropriate for the target audiences

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To ensure that the radio and television services in the commercial portfolio support a culture
of lifelong learning through informal knowledge-building initiatives that are relevant to their
format and target audience

 To provide educational programmes in various of the official languages and, in selected
genres, Sign Language, taking into account the language needs of each target audience
To broadcast a significant amount of locally produced educational programming,
recognising that such programmes are often best for meeting the educational needs for
South Africans. However, the SABC also recognises that it is important to expand audiences'
knowledge of the African continent and the rest of the world, and accordingly will ensure
that internationally acquired programmes satisfy these goals
To enhance the effectiveness of educational programmes by implementing a coherent
education methodology that incorporates multimedia strategies such as the use of print, the
Internet, satellite, fixed and mobile telephone networks and SMS
To supplement educational methodologies through outreach programmes, where
appropriate, in the form of training and support for users of materials aimed at deepening
the educational impact of the content
To ensure that sufficient resources are apportioned for implementing the educational
mandate. To this end the SABC secures financial and other resources from a variety of
sources, including the government and licence fees, private and international donors,
advertising and sponsorship, co-productions and related programme partnerships with a
range of national, continental and international institutions.

KEY PRINCIPLES
The SABC is guided by the following principles:
The SABC ensures that educational broadcasting is relevant and appealing to targeted
audiences and with sensitivity reflects the diverse experiences and needs of all South Africans
The SABC ensures that its educational programmes address imbalances in the historical
provision of education, especially, but not exclusively, those based on race, gender and
disability
The SABC links its educational broadcasting to national priorities and needs, supporting the
achievement of outcomes-based education, lifelong learning, and the association of
educational and life experiences
The SABC builds strategic partnerships that enable it to provide an effective educational
broadcasting intervention.

SCOPE OF THE POLICY
The SABC radio stations and channels are required to comply with any legislation, regulations and
licence conditions that are relevant to educational programmes. The Policy on Educational
Broadcasting is also to be read together with the other relevant editorial policies including the
Programming Policy, the Language Broadcasting Policy, and the Universal Service and Access
Policy.
This Policy on Educational Broadcasting is considered when the SABC:
Develops strategic plans and budgets for the Corporation to meet its educational mandate
Produces or commissions educational programmes or multimedia content
Develops schedules for channels and stations
Procures international educational material.
Every independent producer and consultant contracted to produce educational material for the
SABC should be made aware of this policy.

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 GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
The SABC ensures that its services, in combination, air a significant amount of educational
programming that complies with the objectives outlined in this policy
At least one of the SABC's television channels screens programmes specifically in support of
the primary and secondary school curricula. This is supplemented by programmes on public
broadcasting radio stations
The SABC ensures that educational programmes are scheduled at times that are suitable for
the target audiences
All the educational programmes have clear goals. Such goals and expected outcomes are
established before the production, commissioning or acquisition of any educational
programme
The SABC's educational broadcasting business unit, together with the commissioning editors
and executive producers responsible, is tasked with ensuring that these outcomes are
achieved through creative and innovative programming.

PROGRAMMING GUIDELINES
Educational programmes should conform to the highest broadcasting standards. They should
utilise a wide range of programme formats designed to ensure that the aim of the
programme is achieved creatively and is appropriate to the subject matter and target
audience
Educational programmes should utilise innovative technologies and techniques (including
dubbing, multilingual programming and subtitling) in order to increase the effectiveness and
comprehensibility of programmes in different language communities
All the educational programmes should be challenging and informative, aim to promote a
culture of learning and teaching, and support the drive for life-long learning. The basic tenet
of all the educational programmes is to seek to impart knowledge and problem-solving skills,
promote critical thinking and, when necessary, assist in changing attitudes and behaviour
Educational programmes should relate to the personal circumstances of the viewers and
listeners, and seek to impart the knowledge and skills that would help them to change their
circumstances for the better
Educational programming should, if appropriate, assist in fostering a harmonious
relationship between South Africans and the environment, and promote sustainable
development
Educational programmes comply with all the SABC editorial policies, including those on
portrayal and stereotyping of people, violence, and the classification and scheduling of
programmes. Educational programmes should seek not only to avoid stereotypes based, for
example, on race, ethnicity and disability, but to challenge proactively any stereotype or bias,
and so assist in changing attitudes
Educational programming should utilise a range of subject experts and interviewees, who, for
example, are of different races, genders and physical abilities, and hold differing views, in
order to reflect our diverse society.

ADVERTISING IN RELATION TO EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
The SABC will use every possible source of funding to meet its obligations in terms of this policy,
including commercial sponsorship, subject to the following:

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When a programme is required to be presented - wholly, or in part - in a setting that
simulates a place of business (for example, a supermarket), care should be taken in

 EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING

designing the setting, and the props used, to reduce identification with particular companies
or proprietors
Programmes or programme material produced externally, or in created settings, may not be
used to carry indirect commercial advertising
Care should be taken to avoid the exposure of advertising signs or other commercial
identification in programme content. Where this is impossible, it is the responsibility of the
producer, or the director, or both, to play down as much as possible such extraneous
commercial exposure.

EDUCATIONAL MANDATE AREAS
Arising from the Broadcasting Act, the SABC has identified the following educational programme
areas:
Early Childhood Development
Children at Home
Formal Education
Youth Development
Adult and Human Resources Development
Public Education.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
Programmes for early childhood development are aimed at supporting the holistic development
of young children (from 0 - 7). The SABC recognises that as relatively few South African children
have access to any structured early childhood education, these programmes assist in preparing
young children "to be ready to learn". Educational programming also supports the
implementation of the national Grade R (Reception Year) curriculum. Moreover, this programming
will equip caregivers with the knowledge and skills to facilitate and support the growth and
development of young children.
Early childhood development programmes should meet the following standards:
Be entertaining and actively engage the audience
Develop children's self-esteem
Enhance listeners' and viewers' imagination
Reflect the personal experiences and cultures of the audience
Affirm children's sense of self and place
Take account of language needs and the needs of learners with disabilities
Be focused primarily on health, nutrition and safety.

CHILDREN AT HOME
Educational programming for children at home is aimed at children of school going age who are
not at school, and seeks to create the space for children to engage and express their thoughts
and opinions on issues that affect them.
Educational programming for children at home is required to meet the following standards:
Be entertaining, enabling children to learn, have fun and interact with others
Take account of language needs and the needs of learners with disabilities
Promote healthy living, social awareness, self-esteem and an understanding of human rights
Be focused primarily on science, technology, mathematics, economics and communication.

FORMAL EDUCATION
Forrnal educational programmes affirm and support the development of Foundation Phase
learners (ages 5-9) and Intermediate Phase learners (ages 9-13).
Formal education programming is required to meet the following standards:
It should support the implementation of the national school curriculum by providing
resources of excellent quality developed specifically to assist both teachers and learners to
achieve nationally set outcomes

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 It should enhance learning in all the learning areas of the curriculum: literacy, numeracy and
life skills (Foundation Phase), languages, mathematics, social sciences, arts and culture, life
orientation, natural sciences and technology (Intermediate Phase)
Educational programming should also take account of learners' language needs, including
the language needs of deaf learners.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Youth development educational programmes are aimed at promoting a culture of life-long
learning among young people, both at and after school.
Youth educational programming is required to meet the following standards:
It should aim to develop self-esteem among listeners and viewers and provide a platform for
expression
It should contextualise young people's realities, fears, concerns and needs
It should showcase youth solving problems, thinking critically, acting
independently, developing creatively — intellectually, socially, cognitively and emotionally —
and addressing, overcoming and transforming their future
It should create an awareness of the rights and responsibilities of all citizens, including the
youth, as contained in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution.

ADULT AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
Adult and human resources development programmes affirm the concept of life-long learning,
and support development of the skills and knowledge needed for survival in a competitive and
ever-evolving world. Programmes are aimed at meeting the formal and informal skills
development needs of both the employed and the unemployed, and support South Africans in
their occupational endeavours. Programmes include adult literacy, skills development, educator
development and entrepreneurial skills development.

PUBLIC EDUCATION
Public educational programmes are aimed at offering the information, knowledge and skills South
Africans need for effective participation and interaction in society. They promote the drive for
life-long learning, and foster tolerance and understanding of one another and all our cultures.
Such programmes enable people to take informed decisions, encourage critical thinking, and
impart problem solving skills.

RESEARCH
The SABC evaluates the impact of its educational programmes continually. Research is
done to assess audience needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes. This
includes audience research (e.g. to establish people's needs) and formative and summative
research which enables understanding of the contribution of programming to audiences
development.

MONITORING AND IMPLEMENTATION
The SABC submits to the Board an annual action plan that identifies educational priorities for each
of the educational mandate areas (outlined above). When necessary, these strategies are drafted
in consultation with educational stakeholders. Implementation of these strategic plans is
evaluated annually.

REVIEW
This policy is reviewed by the SABC Board every five years.

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