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.