Radhika Patel* wanted to become a lawyer, so she studied towards a BA degree in legal studies and psychology. After assisting a colleague who was studying law, she found that law “was too mundane and not as glamourous as depicted on TV”.
She took on a job as a personal assistant in Johannesburg and then returned to Pietermaritzburg because of a change in her life circumstances, finding a job as a temporary teacher at a secondary school.
“I enjoyed it. I did not get bored in the classroom. Becoming a teacher was not a conscious decision,” said Patel.
Apart from not having a formal teaching qualification, she was new to the concept of outcomes-based education (OBE). While she tried to make sense of the new curriculum, she did not get much support and assistance from her head of department, she said.
Patel realised that she had to empower herself by acquiring a teaching qualification that would not only give her an understanding of the new curriculum but could also secure her a permanent post.
She took last year off to study for a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), a full-time course on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). She spent at least 10 hours a week at workshops on campus, handing in assignments on a weekly basis.
“The course is described as a self-study certificate with contact. We were given workbooks and had to attend workshops. We had to explore the material on our own. At first, it was very daunting and frustrating but by the end you see things differently.”
The course was divided into core education studies and electives and Patel was exposed to modules such as introduction to the school education system, curriculum studies and classroom management and assessment, and applying the roles of the teacher, which touched on barriers to learning.
The weekly assignments accounted for a high component of the classmark which went towards her final marks. Said Patel: “The course was very intensive and content-related. I had to hand in weekly assignments and would get feedback from colleagues. The interaction between groups at the workshops was good.”
She said the course “helped me think critically. I now understand the whole curriculum and reasons for the difficulties we’re experiencing and what is expected of a teacher. I had gone through the system before OBE and at first didn’t know what arts and culture and technology were,” she laughed.
She also acquired other skills: “I did a web quest course which centres on online lessons for learners. I was also taught skills in typing, IT and Powerpoint. Furthermore, the mentoring I received was very good. For example, I got tips on how to write on a white board – something you do not get if you had to do the course through correspondence.”
She said students were also required to teach lessons to their colleagues and they would receive feedback. “I’m very happy to have done the course. However, you need to take time off work to do it as it is very content-related.”
Meanwhile, Jenny Williams* who lives in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and has taught in the area for a few years, said she is “100% better in comparison to what I was before taking the course”.
Williams, who is close to 40 in age, attained a BA degree years ago, with the intention of branching off into town planning. After marrying a farmer and having to “drive about 40km to drop kids off at school, it made practical sense to become a teacher and this led to a love for the profession”.
She taught for about four years at rural schools and took last year off to study for the PGCE at the Pietermaritzburg campus of UKZN.
She said she acquired teaching skills and a better understanding of assessment standards and learning outcomes. “I built on my knowledge as I went along. It was a very rejuvenating experience.”
Williams said the course included two sets of block teaching at two different schools. “Our lecturers would observe the way we taught lessons. They tried to coach us and give us pointers to sort out a problem if we appeared to be lacking in confidence or were softly spoken.”
Teachers at the schools where the block teaching occurred were also expected to mentor the students. For Williams, “you cannot do the course full-time without support. There is a vast quantity of work and you need to be conscientious and stick to the routine.”
According to Palesa Tyobeka, Deputy Director General: general education and training, the 2006 Persal data indicates that about 8% of the total number of teachers in South Africa have inappropriate qualifications – some of whom are not permanent teachers. She said that, in 2002, when the national professional diploma in education was introduced, the department of education was working with a figure of 87 000 unqualified/underqualified teachers. “Current stats now indicate that the number is down to 30 000. In addition to the teachers registering on government-funded programmes, a number of teachers have upgraded their qualifications on their own, using their own resources.”
*The names of teachers interviewed have been changed