The role of colleges of education in the North West Province
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the role of colleges of education in the North West
Province. Put differently it wished to determine to what extent colleges of education in the
North West Province as institutions are adjusted to their real potential environments so that
adjustments could be made if necessary.
In order to be able to investigate teacher training in the North West Province, a literature survey
was conducted to determine the core criteria regarding quality and efficiency in teacher
training. The instruments used in the planning process are explained and the one which deals
with strategic planning in an education system is used to plan the functioning of colleges of
education in the North West Province to comply with the identified core criteria.
A detailed consideration of the functioning of colleges of education in the North West Province
is introduced by a brief overview of the evolving pattern of the South African teacher
education and a review of proposals to unify higher education and to broaden the role of colleges.
The literature study on the historical background of teacher education in South Africa
revealed that it has been a fragmented and inefficient system in which teachers were inequitably
distributed across South Africa. An investigation into the functioning of colleges of education
in the North West Province is based on the components of the education system as
entailed in the chosen strategic planning in education model mentioned earlier.
The opinions of experts and stakeholders in the field of the role of colleges of education in the
North West Province were obtained through the empirical study done according to the steps
of strategic planning in education. The findings obtained after data interpretation were then
compared with the information from the literature study. The following trends were identified
amongst others: Firstly that there is a great need for in-service or further training to upgrade
the qualifications of practising teachers. Secondly, that there is a great need for properly
trained teachers for the technical, mathematics and science subjects and also that there is a
need for trained teachers to assist with non-formal programmes.
An analysis and evaluation of the identified trends revealed that colleges of education can
play a larger and more important role and would be in a position to utilise their facilities and
skills more effectively if they made the necessary adjustments.
In sketching the future possibilities for colleges of education in the North West Province it
was shown that colleges of education will function more cost-effectively if they diversify
their function to include other tasks than the training of teachers, like carrying out the function of community colleges.
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