Placing a recruitment cap on teacher education courses does not guarantee delivery of high quality graduates, and risks limiting diversity in the profession.
Public perception of teachers influences not only those who may be considering entering teaching, but also how those in this profession perceive themselves.
In the hierarchy of subjects, art is usually ranked at the bottom. Would teachers who have an artistic background help raise the status of the subject in schools?
Yusuf Sayed, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Teachers in South Africa need far more high quality professional development, policy direction and support to take social cohesion from concept to classroom
We need a major revamp of teacher education from the inside out that changes the model to provide all children with the education that is right for them.
Low pay and status are the main factors turning potentially good teachers away from teaching. We need to work on making teaching an attractive profession.
Art education is an important vehicle for all sorts of learning and knowledge acquisition. Teachers must be taught not to view it as a “second class” subject.
A change in enrolment patterns demands a more comprehensive approach to selection to teacher education programs that goes beyond establishing minimum ATAR cutoff points.