The DBE, in collaboration with the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), hosted an English First Additional Language (EFAL) workshop for 256 Foundation Phase subject advisors to prepare them for the training of 10,000 Grades 1 to 3 teachers in teaching EFAL effectively. Teacher Union representatives also attended the workshop, which was held at the Saint George Hotel in Pretoria from 29 November to 02 December 2016.

The EFAL professional development programme is a component of the Primary School Reading Improvement Programme (PSRIP) developed by the NECT. A total of 10,000 teachers from 1,670 schools and 256 subject advisors across provinces are targeted for this programme. Subject advisors are critical to the success of this programme as they will form part of the training teams, and will provide ongoing support to teachers. The aim of the training session was therefore to capacitate them to fulfil these roles.

The workshop was the first of a series to follow, which have been organised according to phases. Phase 1 comprises of content meant to cover the first semester of teaching, whilst the second semester’s content will be covered in Phase 2. The training of the teachers in the various provinces for Phase 1 will commence in January 2017, with logistical arrangements for these already in place. An EFAL toolkit has been developed as a resource pack for both subject advisors and teachers. It consists of scripted lesson plans and teachers’ guides, posters and readers for Grades 1 to 3; as well as Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) toolkits, including teacher guides and learner booklets.

The DBE is grateful to the ETDP SETA who has provided the financial support required to carry out a programme of this magnitude. The DBE, together with the NECT, will provide support and monitoring to the provinces during the training of teachers.