City Press writes that at least three teaching colleges have been reopened by Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande since plans were first mooted five years ago, but the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) believes it’s not enough.  

It wants the government to speed up the process and reopen teaching colleges across the country in a move to improve the quality of teachers.  Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said at the education labour relations indaba last month that universities were not the right institutions to produce the calibre of teachers required.  Indicating that teachers needed rigorous training, Maluleke maintained that currently teachers from universities were “dumped in schools” but were not trained to practically deal with real situations in the classroom.  In his view, existing infrastructure in the form of new community teaching centres and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges could be used as facilities to train teachers, who would be able to do in-service training in nearby schools.  

• Read this informative report by Msindisi Fengu in full at City Press

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