The University of Johannesburg (UJ) will launch a four-year training programme in October, which will be taught at the Institute for Childhood Education at its Soweto Campus. The intake for the new programme, to be called Funda Ujabule (isiZulu for learn and be happy), will start next year.
The institute will support research and practice in childhood education.
Sarah Gravett, who is executive dean of the faculty of education, said: “We believe it is hugely important to focus on the first year of schooling because this is a crucial area where the foundation of learning is laid. Unfortunately the early years of learning have not received enough attention in universities in terms of research and preparing excellent teachers.”
Gravett said a particular strength of the programme lies in the fact that students would start doing their practical school-based work at the institute immediately upon entering the university programme, thereby enabling the bridging of theory and practice.
She said the programme will not offer elective courses. Maths, science and literacy will be compulsory majors. Students will choose three languages, namely, English, Zulu and any variant of Sotho (Sepedi and Setswana).
“We believe foundation phase teachers need to have a strong grounding in numeracy and languages. This will also equip students sufficiently so that they can teach in a multi-lingual setting,” said Gravett.
She said the Gauteng department of education fully supports the initiative and that it ties in well with the faculty’s “partner school intervention”, which is working closely with 11 Gauteng-based schools as part of its service learning programme.
Josef de Beer, a senior education lecturer at UJ, said this will not be an “ivory tower” initiative, but a genuine attempt by the faculty to work closely with the communities to find sensible solutions to a range of challenges they face.
Gravett said during the first three years students will do their practical school-based experience at the facility, but in the fourth year they will work in other types of schools. However, the university will monitor their progress closely.
She said the intention is to turn the school into a research hub with community engagement programmes for parents and caregivers. Learners’ progress will also be tracked over the four years of study. The programme will draw from a pool of undergraduate students, post-graduate research students, lecturers and international research experts.
Professors Max Bergman, based at the University of Babel, and Elizabeth Henning, the director of the Centre for Education Practice Research at UJ, will coordinate the first research programme.