Abstract:
This study is concerned with renewal, reference is also made to persons or structures regarding renewal within Mercantile Law context. From an educational teaching perspective change can only be regarded as renewal as such if it represents an improvement on accepted existing practice. The term curriculum development implies an intentional improvement of the curriculum as a whole. The curriculum implies not only the document reproduction, but also selects and arrange educational contents that set an educational programme. Successful implementation of Mercantile Law depends on the teacher's commitment to the project, the ability to adopt and then adapt the new programme to his classroom situation. The futility of taking trouble with curriculum development and testing, if there is no general acceptance and introduction of the renewal proposals, is emphasized. Curriculum development and renewal demands a specific form of management, namely on macro-, meso- as well as on micro-level. Four questions are of the essence in curriculum development and renewal, and specifically with regard to planning. These questions are: who takes charge of curriculum development and renewal? What decision is made? How are these renewal decisions implemented? What prevents some decisions from being implemented? Too many good curriculum development programmes do not reach the Mercantile Law teacher, due to poorly organized dissemination problem in the curriculum. According to the GSRC report no 6 (1981:119) dissemination should be included in the total renewal strategy and ways and means of dissemination should already be considered during the planning phase. The Mercantile Law teacher seems to be the most powerful educative renewer, because he stands in practice and is also in a position to ensure change and renewal in the classroom. The teacher of the future can remain relevant only if a renewal-mindedness is developed in him. It is essential for education that media should be exploited and to keep up to date with the possibilities for its use and consider the active inclusion of it in education. Media can play an important part in curriculum renewal. That it is not doing so at present may be ascribed to the following causes: the possibilities of the media have not been fully realized yet; there is no national infrastructure for the utilization of media; and it is still associated with its past quality while technical developments have eliminated many problems and have extended the possibilities of its use. Finally it is recommended that the initiative be taken to explore the utilization of media in the classroom.
