Changes prompt call for new spaces teacher training

THE Education Department is encouraging stakeholders, including provincial administrations, education advisers and MPs, to work with teachers’ colleges to build new facilities.
This is critical because of the recent changes in elementary
and primary school teacher training.
“As of 2017, all elementary teacher training was institutionalised, meaning all training will now be done in the existing and approved teacher training colleges,” Education Secretary Dr Uke Kombra says. “The training of elementary teachers is usually done in the provinces and trainees return to their communities to teach.
“However, that has stopped as of 2016 as all training will be taking place in the existing teachers’ colleges.
“The department is trying its best to address the quality in early childhood teacher training.
“Elementary training is now a one-year programme while primary will be a three-year programme taught in the teachers’ training colleges.
“The Department of Education always encourages the provincial administrations, including
stakeholders, education advisers and MPs to work with the
colleges to build new facilities to increase the capacities and also the quality of teaching in the colleges.”
Last year, during the teachers’ college principals’ meeting, they raised concerns over limited spaces to accommodate more students and expressed the need to have additional dormitories and tutorial blocks.