TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT  - 03 July 2009

 

Documents: 1 TDS Resource Document / 2 TDS Brochure / 3 TDS Working Document / 4 TDS Vote of Thanks Brochure / 5 TDS Declaration

 

The Teacher Development Summit of 29 June to 02 July 2009 succeeded in its primary aim of clarifying and debating the current teacher development landscape in terms of existing policies and proposals. This was a historic event that embraced a more holistic approach to teacher development and involves all partners in education, namely teachers; school management; provincial and national education departments; teacher unions and statutory organisations such as ELRC, SACE, the ETDP SETA and Universities.

 

The four-day deliberation process started on 29 June 2009 with a briefing session and stakeholder preparations. The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Angie Motshekga, officially opened the Summit proceedings with a keynote address. Day two started with statements of commitment from stakeholder parties: CTU-SADTU, CTU-SAOU, ETDP SETA, SACE and the DoE.

 

The first day of deliberations started with breakaway sessions that examined the context of teaching and the meaning of teacher development. Day two also made provision for a round-table discussion among teachers. This process was led by two international facilitators, Dr Connee Fitch-Blanks, Director of Chicago Teachers Union: Quest Centre and Ms Marilyn Stewart, President of Chicago Teachers Union. The subsequent breakaway sessions scrutinised pertinent issues that underpin teacher development such as the establishment of a supportive policy environment for educators and the professional growth of educators from recruitment to retirement.

 

The ELRC in partnership with SADTU through their HIV/AIDS intervention programmes projects for educators, ELRC-PCTA and SADTU’s PPCT-OVC, arranged an HIV/AIDS Exposé on Day 3 of the Summit. The Exposé confronted the very real issues of discrimination that infected teachers are faced with. The event was appropriately titled, “Lifting the veil of stigma and discrimination, fighting HIV/AIDS together”. The Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Enver Surty delivered a keynote address on partnerships to mitigate against HIV/AIDS in public education.

 

The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, delivered the closing address of the Summit and congratulated all stakeholders and participants to the Summit for their collective efforts to achieve the common goal of improving teacher development. Dr Nzimande stated that teacher education and development processes must assist us to overcome the legacy of the past and must help to produce teachers that have the skills, the knowledge and the commitment to give South Africa’s children the opportunity to improve their life circumstances and contribute to our country’s development.

 

The Summit Declaration is a firm commitment by all stakeholders in education to a coherent implementation plan for teacher development. The plan will address issues such as the different purposes of appraisals and the evaluation of teachers. The plan must also address issues related to support provided by the education department and the resourcing of teacher development. The DoE, together with teacher unions, will ensure that the time allocated for teacher development is utilised to the benefit of teachers. All teacher development must result in the improved quality of teaching and learning in the classroom.

 

The mandate of the Teacher Development Summit Steering Committee will be extended to oversee the development of the plan for teacher development, and to report on progress to the Minister of Basic Education within three months of the Summit with the intention of commencing rollout in 2010.

 

 

END
Issued by: The General Secretary, ELRC, Mr M Govender
 
For further enquires please call the Media Manager on 012-663 0451 or email media.man@elrc.co.za or contact the General Secretary on 012-663 0432 or email gen.sec@elrc.co.za

 

 

 

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT

 

THE BACKGROUND TO THE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT

 

The overall aim of the Teacher Development Summit is to facilitate effective system-wide teacher development that will lead to sustainable improvement in the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms and schools. The outcome of the summit will be a declaration that contains a set of recommendations regarding and commitments to a national plan for teacher development.

 

A variety of policy instruments have been developed that support or impact on teacher development. Some of these instruments contain prescriptive requirements, and educators therefore have to comply with different types of mandatory instruments. However, it is not clear whether these obligations have equal status or priority, or whether they have equal status or priority when seen from the different perspectives of employers, employees and unions. The Teacher Development Summit will explore and clarify this issue.

 

When it comes to implementation of teacher development, it is possible that the various policy prescriptions and mechanisms may be competing for the same scarce resources (notably money and time) when there is in fact one common purpose – the achievement of quality education that is delivered in an equitable, redress-based manner. The Teacher Development Summit will address the question of how teacher development is and will be resourced.

 

Clear roles and responsibilities need to be allocated in the design and delivery of CPTD, and the relationships between the different teacher development initiatives need to be clarified to ensure that they are appropriate and feasible. In the arena of teacher development there is a need to move from a framework to a policy; the policy must provide greater clarity to all parties on the purpose and nature of teacher development, and must give a powerful impetus to the equitable and efficient allocation of resources. The Teacher Development Summit will culminate in a declaration by stakeholders that will support this impetus.

 

Two processes will inform the Summit deliberations:

·         engagement with stakeholders, including teachers; and

·         commissioned papers that will form the basis for a Summit concept paper.

 

You can keep up to date on these key Summit preparations and submit your comments regarding Teacher Development initiatives at www.tdsummit.co.za