Reaching out to thousands

Whilst in darkness of education

Come 2004, come my NPDE

This poem was written by MA Mabasa, an educator studying the National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE) at the University of the North (the “blue and the yellow” that Mabasa refers to are the colours of the first two learning guides). It is one expression of how the exercise, begun in 2002, to address the backlog of un- and underqualified teachers in the system, really worked.

The NPDE is an example of constructive cooperation between the government, social partners, NGOs and higher education institutions for the delivery of quality public education. Seventeen public higher education institutions are involved in the delivery of the NPDE to approximately 18 000 teachers – reaching those in the most remote areas of the country where there was the greatest need.

An evaluation report in 2003 by the Centre for Education Policy Development (CEPD) noted that teachers felt that the programme made “an impact on attitudes both in the personal and school environments”.

Specifically mentioned are:

• Materials were easy to use.

• Improved classroom practice with the additional knowledge, understanding and skills to implement OBE.

• Development of self-confidence through a better understanding of OBE and improved English.

• Exposure to university motivated them to consider further study.

But for all the positive responses, the national programme did have its problems. The CEPD’s evaluation noted: “One DoE [Department of Education] official — argued that it is quite ambitious to expect these teachers, most of whom are at lower levels in their schools and have little influence, to go and steer change agendas like the pre-packaged OBE.”

This was echoed by some teachers as well, who said that “their participation in the NPDE can be problematic from the point of view of professional relationships”.

An area that also raised concerns was the generally throughput rate – that is, the number of students originally enrolled in a programme who have graduated with the qualification. There was an initial assumption that if 11 000 teachers were funded to complete this programme in the first cohort in 2002, then close on 11 000 would graduate after two years in 2004 (the minimum time for the programme), and so on with successive cohorts, until all underqualified teachers became qualified. However, education does not work as mechanically as this.

The throughput rate on the NPDE was not as good as had been expected. In some cases, providers provided too little support to the students, or expected the students to complete the programme in too short a time. But in the case of other providers, sufficient support was provided, and the materials and assessment were satisfactory. While pass rates on individual modules were high, students did not graduate in the numbers that were expected.

Among the reasons uncovered for this was that this programme reached the poorest and most marginalised section of the teaching population (mostly older teachers in rural areas) whose family and professional responsibilities were likely to be onerous and who were unused to study, particularly distance education study through a university.

Other common reasons for not completing the programme were absence from examinations (in some cases because students didn’t get their results), insufficient time for study, and illness.

However, these points are not generally understood, and misperceptions about recognition of prior learning (RPL) fuel the misunderstanding. Teachers and unionists often argue that if teachers have been in the system so long, how can they fail a programme qualifying them for a job they are already doing?

Many conclude that there must be something wrong with the provider. But assessment for RPL involves a complex process of analysing what one has learned from experience. Being able to function as a teacher is not the same as being able to function reflectively as a teacher, aware of exactly what you know, how you learn, and how you use knowledge and experience to improve your practice continually. Despite the difficulties, the NPDE continues as the only route for the estimated 29 000 remaining underqualified teachers to become qualified.

The challenge in 2005/06 is the extension of the NPDE to include unqualified teachers in the target group – the so-called “private” teachers, as well as early childhood teachers who are needed to teach in the reception year, but whose qualifications are not recognised for employment in education.