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Aligning teacher education with national priorities during ministerial engagement with education deans

A Ministerial Engagement with Education Deans is taking place at the University of Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province today, 17 January 2025. Both Ministries of the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training are attending these discussions, along with the Education Deans Forum, Universities South Africa (USAf) and the Council of Higher Education (CHE), and will all be making presentations on their support for the sector priorities.

As South Africa continues to grapple with issues of teacher supply, equitable distribution and the quality of learning outcomes, it is crucial to unpack size, scope and substance to align the curriculum and strategic objectives of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. Collaborative efforts can ensure that newly qualified teachers are equipped to meet the demands of a dynamic education landscape, particularly in areas such as language and linguistics; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Information Computer Technology (ICT) integration; and Inclusive Education. Insights from the Education Deans can provide valuable data and perspectives on regional and national trends in teacher production. This partnership can lead to the development of evidence-based policies to address shortages in critical areas, such as rural and under-resourced schools.

Other objectives include addressing the supply and demand of qualified practitioners for the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector; and strengthening Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) and Teaching Practice. Collaboration with higher education institutions can foster innovation in teacher education, focusing on decolonisation, digital literacy, and preparation for 21st Century classrooms. This can support the broader transformation agenda in South African education. It is also important to enhance the Monitoring and Evaluation of Teacher Education and their alignment with the professional teaching standards of the South African Council for Educators (SACE), as well as fostering innovation in teaching through teacher continuing professional development and lifelong learning.

Mr Enoch Rabotapi, Acting DDG for Teachers, Human Resource and Institutional Development, is delivering the DBE’s presentation on factors affecting the supply and demand of teachers, focusing on amongst others, ITE; the strategic importance of the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme; the National Recruitment Database (NRD); and the quality of programmes with a specific focus on Mathematics, Science and the correlation with reading to establish uniform standards; the Three Stream Model; and Focus Schools. In conclusion, the ministers will engage in an open discussion to jointly respond to questions, comments and inputs from Education Deans for a summary and a way forward.

The proposed outcomes of the meeting are to establish a formalised platform for ongoing partnerships and collaboration between the DBE and Faculties of Education; Policy Alignment for joint action plans to address challenges in ITE, including funding models, entry requirements, teaching practice, teacher placement, and curriculum updates and alignment; alignment in the provision of Teacher Education Qualifications and Programmes (TEQP), Continuous Professional Development (CPD); and Strategic Planning.

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National Office
Address: 222 Struben Street, Pretoria
Call Centre: 0800 202 933 | callcentre@dbe.gov.za
Switchboard: 012 357 3000

Certification
certification@dbe.gov.za
012 357 4511/3

Government Departments
Provincial Departments of Education
Government Services

 

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