Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
Teacher Education Specific to Mathematics and Science
The revised Minimum Requirements of Teacher Education Qualifications Policy (MRTEQP) of 2015 provides guidelines for initial teacher education that may follow two training options: completing a four year Bachelor of Education degree or completing an appropriate first degree, followed by a one year Advanced Diploma in Education, and registering with the South African Council for Educators.10
Mathematics and science teachers have similar routes. The first option is a bachelor’s degree in education comprising an academic component to strengthen the content knowledge of mathematics and science, and a professional component to learn how to teach mathematics and science.
The second option is a Bachelor of Science degree with an Advanced Diploma in Education or with the Postgraduate Certificate in Education. However, South African university programs vary considerably; some focus on content knowledge, while others focus on pedagogical knowledge. In general, however, the majority of programs do not provide skills and knowledge for practice.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development
South Africa has a history of poor teacher education, especially for African teachers. Institutions have developed qualifications that will assist in upgrading teachers’ skills and providing the necessary knowledge for teaching mathematics and science. Currently, the Advanced Certificate in Education is used as professional development for mathematics and science teachers who have no teaching qualifications in these two subjects. The advanced certificate is also being used to address the issue of underqualified teachers in the system. The Continuing Professional Teacher Development system, overseen by the South African Council for Educators, has begun monitoring the quality of teacher professional development, and recording teachers’ professional development points in order to incentivize continuing education.11