Changing forms of teacher education in South Africa: a case study of policy change

Abstract

This paper examines some aspects of teacher education policy change in South Africa. It contextualises the changes by firstly examining the apartheid teacher education system and then mapping the changes that have occurred in teacher education in South Africa since 1994. Using a case study of the Further Diploma in Educational Management at the University of Pretoria, it provides a critical analysis of one particular current path to teacher education in South Africa, namely the ‘franchise’ public/private teacher education provision. The paper concludes by discussing the related policy possibilities and problems of teacher education policy since 1944. It highlights how institutions have stategically responded to change in a transitional context, and draws attention to the disjunction between policy intentions and outcomes.