Reforms to help colleges improve quality of teachers

Education

By LULU MARK
Reforms that are taking place in primary teacher education institutions will improve the quality of teachers, officials say.
Primary teachers’ colleges would be transferred from the Department of Education to the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology next year, department deputy secretary for policy and quality assurance Francis Hualopmomi said.
Hualopmomi said they were working with Education Department and principals of colleges on the bill that would enable this transfer. He said this during a workshop held with principals of teachers’ colleges.
“We are in the process of consultation,” he said.
“It is important that principals and other stakeholders have a say before the bill is passed this year, because they are the implementers.
“The standards-based, pre-service, four-year bachelor of education programme, which is the new curriculum will be implemented by all colleges once the bill is passed and they come under the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.”
Hualopmomi said international best practices were also integrated in the quality assurance process of the higher education.
Enga Teachers’ College principle Michael Homingu said it was a major reform to the higher education system in the country.
Balob Teachers’ College principal Jerry Hendigao said the grade point average (GPA) for school leavers set by Education Department was 2.4.
He said non-school leavers had to matriculate and upgrade their marks to the set GPA.
“The target group that we are going to screen properly is the non-school leavers because the school leavers will be selected on-line,” Hendigao said.