The Department of Basic Education has entered into an agreement with a Belgian Public agency, VVOB to boost professional development for primary school teachers and school leaders.
The project, entitled Teaching for Improved Learning Outcomes in Primary Education in South Africa, will run until end of 2016.
The agreement was signed by Acting Deputy Director-General (DDG) at the DBE, Temba Kojana and the Director-General (DG) of the Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance (VVOB), Bart Dewaele at the DBE offices in Pretoria on Friday 23 May 2014. VVOB is a Belgian Public agency, that has the Flemish and Federal Belgian government represented in its board
As a result of the agreement, a set of guidelines will be formulated for use in professional teacher development, creating a framework for teacher development which can be implemented across the country. The partnership will also lead to the establishment of Professional Learning Communities to strengthen teacher professionalism in mathematics. The Lejweleputswa district in the Free State will be used as a testing ground for the implementation of effective teacher development in mathematics subject knowledge and teaching skills. These professional development programmes would be run by the professional development units located within Provincial Education Departments.
VVOB would also assist the South African Council for Educators in implementing Continuous Professional Teacher Development (CPTD system, wherein teachers and school leaders will participate in professional development programmes and earn points for doing so.
Said DG Dewaele: “We, as well as the Flemish Department of Education, have had a long and fruitful involvement with education in South Africa, particularly in the Free State, so this project is an extension of that.”
“We are excited to be back working in the area of primary education and aim to assist in building the capacity of teachers and head teachers to ensure numeracy rates are improved.”
Acting DDG Kojana expressed his excitement for the project and the possibilities it offered.
“We have noted the work done in the Free State by VVOB and I think we can see its effects in both the 2013 matric results and improvements in Annual National Assessment results,” he said. “We need to establish platforms for sustainable teacher development programmes and I am confident that this partnership is the first step to doing this.”
Mr Mahomed, CPTD Director stated, “the project has been thoroughly planned over the last year by teams of the two parties and promises to offer support in vital areas in teacher professional development.”
