May 04, 2006, 17:00
Around the country government officials today returned to school - this time as teachers. This forms part of the Global Action Week which is a key activity of the Global Campaign for Education-South Africa.
The campaign was started in 1999 as a build up to the World Education for All conference that was held in April 2000 in Dakar, Senegal. Over five million parents, educators and children from 100 countries around the world participated in the project last year. More than a 115 nations, including South Africa, takes part.
Smaller classes, more teachers - this is the message of the global education campaign this year.
In SA there is a need for more, qualified teachers. This week several government officials are going back to school. In the Free State, the HOD of the education department took his place in front of the black board.
Govt involvement to this extent a first
Esté De Klerk, from the St. Bernards Secondary school in Mangaung, says: "According to the global campaign for education it is the first time since the campaign started six years ago that government officials are involved to this extent.”
Often as many as 50 learners have to be taught by one teacher. Thapelo Pitso, the principal of St. Bernards, says: “You have to give learners individual attention, it's very, very difficult, it's not easy, it might as well flow over to the disciplinary problems.”
However, the Free State department has a possible solution for overcrowded schools. Mafu Rakometse, the HOD of the Free State education department, says: “We’ve managed it through platooning schools and also having a plan to eradicate platooning schools, we should be able to deal with this platooning schools withinh two years from now.”
Rakometse says not many teachers are trained to teach adult based education and that creates problems. Government officials will compile reports that will be evaluated by the national department of education.
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