Statement by Minister Debbie Schäfer
Every year, the
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) makes available for teachers, various training programmes that will contribute to their development as quality educators.
Many of these programmes take place during the school holiday period so as to not disrupt teaching and learning during the school term. The majority of these programmes take place at the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute which is an in-service Teacher Training Unit of the Western Cape Education Department.
Today, I visited the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute (CTLI), where over 300 educators from all 8 education districts are receiving additional training on how to teach reading and writing effectively and to share best practice.
The two-day conference entitled "Teach, Apply and Live Reading and Writing" involves a series of workshops and seminars by 20 presenters for educators from Grade R to Grade 9.
The aim of the conference is to share ideas and best practice on how to improve the reading and writing skills of learners, focusing on the different approaches adopted by educators when teaching these in their schools.
In addition to the Reading and Writing Conference the CTLI will be presenting the following developmental courses this holiday:
- Roles and Responsibilities of Deputy Principals Level 2 which will be taking place from 6 to 10 October 2014.
- Roles and Responsibilities of Heads of Department which will be taking place from 6 to 10 October 2014.
- School Management Team Training part 2 which is scheduled to take place from 6 to 9 October 2014.
It is encouraging seeing so many dedicated educators wanting to improve and develop their skills further. Ongoing teacher development and training is important as educators play a key role in maintaining and improving the quality of education in South Africa.