Challenges and Opportunities of Professional Development in Teacher Education at a South African University in a Pre- and Post-Democratic Era

• Main Author: Juliana Maria Smith
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES) 2018-07-01
• Series: BCES Conference Books
• Subjects: teacher education; apartheid; democracy
• Online Access: http://bces-conference-books.org/onewebmedia/2018.092-098.Juliana.Maria.Smith.pdf

The nature of teacher education in South Africa and institutions of higher learning, like the University of the Western Cape (UWC), is reflected by the country’s history. The history of the Faculty of Education is intimately tied up with the anti-apartheid and social reconstructionist history of UWC and the apartheid policies of educational segregation. This paper therefore reviews the historical context of the history and manifestations of teacher education within the Faculty in a pre- and post-democratic South Africa. Challenges and opportunities for growth are knotted with the history of the University itself. Although the democratic dispensation had the ambition to produce well trained and professional teachers, the impact of the country’s teacher education history has remained visible within institutions of higher learning such as UWC. Teacher education and development in South Africa harbours challenges due to the country’s history, therefore time and resources would be required to adjust the educational sector to expected standards.