Address to the Department of Education, Kenneth Kaunda District National Teachers Awards Celebration
(29 August, 2014 Technical High School, Potchefstroom)
Strengthening the Education Profession: partnerships towards enhancing the quality of teaching and
learning in schools (in North West Province)
Prof RJ. Balfour, Dean of Education Sciences, NWU
Introduction
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, honoured guests of the Department, representatives of our teacher unions
gathered here, school principals, heads of department, Subject Advisors, Area Managers, Education Specialists,
and the Kenneth Kaunda District Executive Manager, Mr Motara. Greetings, and my hopes for your continued
success and progress in education in 2014. All the assembled people gathered here this afternoon come together
with one heart and two purposes: the first purpose is to acknowledge the immense dedication of all teachers in the
continued success of the District, and the second purpose is to recognise the achievements of the special
teachers, singled out for awards and who when receiving these mark a milestone in their careers through these
awards, or honourable commendations.
Of course this is also a wonderful day for me as Dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences at NWU, because it is
a singular and rare occurrence to be asked to address you. Allow me to begin by stating what a tremendous
pleasure it is to be alive on this day; to be part of the assembled company of “the great and good” teachers in the
District, and thank you for the honour to be able to share with you a few thoughts. In particular I want to
acknowledge:
Mr Motara - Director, and Dr de Bruyn in his absence
Mr Botes - Acting Area manager (in Ms Yssel's place), in absentia
Mrs Sebolai - NTA Area office coordinator
Mr De Villiers - Host, THS principal
Other principals attending this special event
Teachers receiving awards today
Members of our unions: NAPTOSA, SAOU, and SADTU
The programme director: Mr Mokobe
I continue as Dean to take great delight in the privilege of working with the District leadership, and know that many
of my colleagues in the Faculty will be familiar to you by the work they have done, or are doing in the District’s
schools. The Faculty of Education Sciences recognises that the most significant impact on the quality of teaching
can be made by teachers in the system and that formal qualifications, whilst useful for the upgrading of skills and
enabling of teachers to meet new employment requirements, falls short of a strong focus on in-service
development of teachers. In-service professional development remains a critical means by which we strengthen
the quality of teaching, not through a focus on curriculum documents and subject content knowledge associated
with syllabi, but rather by focusing on knowledge and relevant skills associated with confidence in the subject
content areas of the disciplines. With the increasingly important role played by SACE we recognise there is an
urgent need to strengthen the education profession, especially in relation to the upgrade of teachers in the system
already.
Partnerships to strengthen teacher education and the education profession
I began as Dean immediately with our schools and the District in mind. And so, in early 2011, we put together with
the Departmental Leadership a consultative workshop (May 2011). The purpose of this consultation was precisely
to identify areas of need and concern with the Department, with the express purpose of strengthening the
education profession through the provision of teacher workshops on topics seen as necessary and relevant to
teachers, and with the express intention that these workshops would be pedagogy focussed, involving hands-on
experience of new techniques and methodologies, new types of learning and content, so that teachers would take
away after a Saturday or weekend, something with which they could use, and implement, and experiment in their
classrooms the following Monday. These new initiatives occurred in a context of wider renewal and activity in the
Faculty. In 2011, we also launched in Potchefstroom, the South African Association for Research on Early
1
Childhood Development led from within the Faculty itself (by its first President Dr Ona Janse van Resnburg), and
we hosted the Conference on Human Rights in Education and Diversity (under the auspices of Prof Cornelia
Roux). Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Kenneth Kaunda District and the North
West Province in 2012, the Partnership of Hope has seen some ten teacher development workshops offered to
approximately 1000 teachers from Kenneth Kaunda District schools. The winds of change in the Faculty also saw
a slew of foreign and local visitors coming to us: since 2011 we welcomed the Minister’s Advisor, Professor Linda
Chisholm to present workshops on maths teaching in North West Province and Botswana schools, and the
Minister of Basic Education, the Honourable Angie Motshekga to our Faculty for a conference on technology
education organised in collaboration with SAOU. Members of the Department of Higher Education and Training: Dr
Diane Parker and Dr Whitty Green have also visited the NWU and have expressed encouragement for the
Partnership of Hope with KKD.
In 2012 when the Faculty of Education Sciences signed with the Department of Education (Kenneth Kaunda
District), the Partnership of Hope (Memorandum of Understanding), it was with the intention that the Partnership
would serve the teaching profession in the University and in the Schools in the District. The Partnership enables
the Faculty (from the perspective of teacher training and development) and the Department (from the perspective
of employment and improvement of learning experience of children) to engage meaningfully together with the
critical need for quality in-service development.1 Whilst many universities focus substantially on teacher training
with a view to equipping new teachers with the latest skills, knowledge and understanding of technology, not many
universities attend directly to teacher in-service development outside of the context of formal qualifications. In 2012
the first workshops we provided (under the leadership of Professors Marthie van der Walt and Carisma Nel)
focused on literacy and numeracy for Foundation Phases teachers as the theme for the year.
We identified 2013 as the year of the learner and offered workshops for teachers on ethics (Drs Tiaan Kistein and
Charles Viljoen) in the classroom and teacher student ethical relations, and our world Teacher Day celebration
took the form of a practical workshop (led by Professor Petrusa du Toit) for teachers to assist in the identification
of barriers to learning and the use of diagnostic and remedial activities designed to enable teachers to work with
children with barriers to learning in classrooms instead of waiting for referrals to departmental occupational and
education psychological therapists.
In 2014, the workshops focused on scarce skills Science and Technology (for the Senior and FET Phase). At least
two workshops have been presented in every year that the partnership has existed, and in 2014 at least six
workshops were presented on scarce skills pedagogy. The Faculty has been fortunate in 2014 to have direct
sponsorship from the Potchefstroom Campus to enable us to offer these workshops free-of-charge to the
teachers.2
In 2014 just over 100 teachers participated in three workshops held to address scarce skills enrichment in
Science, Maths, and Technology. These workshops were held on Saturday 16 August, 2014 and was attended by
Mr Thabo Mbizeni: Deputy Chief Education Specialist: technology and natural sciences: Mafikeng Head Office:
GET Curriculum Services), and Dr Palesa Bongane, teacher development for Kenneth Kaunda District. From the
School of Natural Sciences and Technology Education, the Subject Chairpersons of Technology in Education (Ms
Adri du Toit), Natural Sciences in Education (Dr Neal Petersen), and Mathematics in Education (Prof Hercules
Nieuwoudt) organised three sequential workshops to run over 16 August and 3 September respectively for an
especially chosen set of teachers. The collaboration between Dr Bongane, Ms Yssel, Mr Motara, myself and our
team of academics has been great! – a sign to the readiness of colleagues to work together to support education
across where it matters most.
Our value as academy helps to strengthen teacher education and the profession
The Faculty was able in 2012, 2013 and 2014 to draw also upon the skills of various experts visiting the NWU, to
participate in the workshops and so visiting professors, or visiting experts from the Department of Education itself,
1
Other dimensions of the Partnership include focused attention on the identification of quality schools, in a variety of contexts (as
identified by the Department) for the placement of students in their WIL experience so that students can adapt their teaching to the
context and its needs and limitations.
2
In previous years the costs have been shared by the Department and the Faculty.
2
participated in, and formed part of, the workshops in 2012 (Dr Martin Dolk from the Netherlands) and 2013 (Mr
Brian Schreuder from the DoE Curriculum Services in the Western Cape). In every year since 2011, the
Department leadership has made itself available to meet with teachers on the days of the workshops and be with
them, a visible demonstration of leadership in learning by the North West Province together with the Faculty of
Education Sciences.
In addition to securing external experts in the field of education from both other universities and departments of
education in South Africa, the Faculty believes that teachers working with teacher education experts, is critical to
strengthening of the profession.
Another dimension worth reflecting upon is the value added to pre-service teacher development in the reformed
and Practicum in which is located WIL. Thus in 2012 the Department of Education Psychology began working with
Honours students in the three schools local to Potchefstroom is which learners with special needs are schooled.
This is a further example, sustained also in 2014, of how we have realised our goal set in 2012 to set up “strategic
support networks for schools”.
The general experience of students engaged in WIL is such that we expect students to obtain a “diversity of
experience” in relation to the different types of schools in which teachers are expected to work. This readiness to
engage with contexts is not accidental – whilst in the past students could elect which schools to attend (and thus
seldom broaden their horizons), the new policy in the WIL is that students need exposure to urban, rural, affluent
and indigent, private and public education.
The Faculty of Education Sciences has a great reputation, nationally, and is gaining ground in recognition as a
major centre for research on learning and diversity in education internationally. Last night I attended the special
launch of two newly created and internationally peer reviewed research centres in the Faculty; the Unit for
Education and Human Rights and the centre (Focus Area as it is termed at NWU )for Self-Directed Learning.
Whilst we recognise this reputation for excellence, I acknowledge also that education in Kenneth Kaunda District
has a reputation for excellence and achievement which has helped keep North West Province in the top 3 in South
Africa, in terms of the annual NSC results. A wonderful achievement thanks to the teachers gathered in this
audience.
The University cannot be the place in which we offer to a new generation of learners the knowledge only of the
past – we have also to be that resource where student teachers learn the best communication and teaching skills
to make new generations curious about learning, passionate about reading and excited about their changing
world. Today we celebrate the finest examples of excellence in the system, because we know that these people
have influence beyond their years, and an impact beyond the classroom on the lives of our young people.
Concluding remarks
The Faculty’s leadership, together with me and the District wish all our teachers who are received awards today,
our heartfelt congratulations. We salute the work you are doing: we want you to know that the impact of your
dedication is both recognised and valued in the education system, and we wish you a productive and excellent
remainder of the year as teachers and leader.
We trust that by 2015, there will be even more reasons to celebrate the continued achievements in your
classrooms, and the good performance of your learners. We ask that at times when the pressures of work and
seemingly endless demands to deliver reports of one kind or another seem immense, that you will recall with me
the fact that your contribution to education is valuable, that you as people and colleagues are cherished, and we
remain steadfast in our commitment to turn South Africa around through the provision of quality education and a
quality teacher profession.
Thank you.
3