Contact Details
Contact Person: Mr Gert W Fourie
Position: Chief Education Officer
E-mail: nied@emis.mec.gov.na
Fax: 09264 621 502 613
Tel: 09264 621 502 446
Postal Address: Private Bag 2034, Okahandja, Namibia
Description
Shortly after independence in 1990 the reform of teacher education in
Namibia started. One of the goals of this reform was implementation of the Basic Education
Teacher’s Diploma (BETD), which is offered as a pre-service programme at the four
colleges of education. The purpose of this programme is to equip teachers to teach basic
education (grades 1 to10) according to new educational principles and approaches. It was
soon apparent that there was a need to offer the same type of qualification as an
in-service programme to the many teachers who are unqualified or partly qualified. In
1994, the National Institute of Education Development (NIED) initiated a pilot distance
education BETD in-service programme, based on the same broad curriculum as the BETD
pre-service programme. Duplicating the pre-service curriculum at a distance proved to be
problematic, and the curriculum for the INSET programme was amended according to
recommendations put forward by a review team in 1996.
Initially some 500 teachers enrolled. At the end of the current
academic year (August 1998 - June 1999), the first 400 INSET Teachers will complete their
studies and become qualified. This will increase the number of qualified serving teachers
in Namibia by about 20%.
Curriculum and Assessment Strategies
Aims and Outcomes
Central to the BETD INSET Programme is the creation of a national and
common teacher education for Basic Education geared to the needs of the nation, the local
community, the school, the teacher, and the learner.
The main aim is to develop professional expertise and competencies,
which will enable a teacher to optimize the new Basic Education for learners, and to be
fully involved in promoting reform in education in Namibia. The programme should enable
in-service teacher to upgrade their qualifications while continuing their day to day
responsibilities at work or in their families.
The programme develops the competencies needed to teach Basic Education
successfully. By a competency is meant an observable performance, which can, for example,
be evaluated in the school context. The competencies which teachers are required to master
can be grouped under three broad competence areas: teaching skills; professional
attitudes; and knowledge and understanding.
The BETD Inset Programme is not seen as the final stage of formal
education, nor as the completion of teacher education. The rapidly increasing and changing
state of knowledge and new demands that are made on the role and functions of the teacher
make it impossible to regard initial teacher education as an isolated part of a career.
Rather, it provides a selection of knowledge and experience as the first induction into
the profession, an initial step in an ongoing process of professional growth and
development.
Enrolment
As a result of the restructuring of the programme in 1997, INSET
teachers are only registered for years 1, 2, and 4 in the current academic year. Of the
1825 Inset teachers registered, 60% are women and 51% are specializing in the Lower
Primary Education subject option.
Selection and recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
A Selection Committee does the selection of candidates for the
programme in each Education Region. Teacher unions are also represented in these Selection
Committees. Selection is done in a regional context in order to ensure that available
spaces in the programme are awarded to the most deserving unqualified and partly qualified
teachers. A quota system is applied to ensure that all the regions are adequately
represented in the Lower Primary (grades 1 to 4) and Upper Primary/Junior Secondary Grade
(grades 5 to 10).
Admission to the BETD Inset Programme presupposes that each Inset
teacher has the necessary maturity and competencies to be able to participate fully and
gain the diploma, and has the potential of becoming a good teacher. Criteria, which guide
the selection of candidates, include a minimum requirement that s/he must have
successfully completed Grade 12 with ICGSE passes and have a minimum of three years of
appropriate teaching experience. Grade 12 equivalence is considered as:
- Grade 10 + 5 years of appropriate teaching experience;
- Grade 10 + ISC + 3 years appropriate experience; or
- Grade 10 + Early Education Worker Certificate + 3 years appropriate teaching experience.
Two other minimum requirements include:
- Adequate level of spoken and written English, (not less than a D-grade in Grade 10); and
- Suitability for the teaching profession (evidence of satisfactory performance as a
teacher should be submitted).
Applicants who are partly qualified are considered for recognition of
prior learning, and can normally slot into the second or third year of the programme
depending on the level at which their existing qualification is evaluated. INSET teachers
who qualify for advance placement can be required to do a diagnostic test(s) and/or do a
bridging course in an identified subject area. Special packages of the modules of the
various subject areas are compiled for such INSET teachers.
Structure and Duration of Programme
The study materials of the various subjects are organized in modules
(three per subject per study year) except in school-based activities, which consist only
of practical work in the schools where teachers are employed. Modules have to be studied
in a particular term according to the timetable for the year.
The BETD INSET Diploma is awarded after completion of four years (120
credit points) of successful study. Interim certificates are also awarded after successful
completion of each academic year (30 credit points). This is done to motivate teachers by
way of regular rewards during their study period. Teachers also get a salary adjustment
after the completion of 40, 80, and 120 credit points.
Assessment
Assessment in the programme is criterion-referenced and is used to
measure each teacher’s personal and professional growth against a set of explicit
criteria developed for each competency. There are different modes of assessment for
formative and summative purposes and they include:
- focused and graded observation;
- practical work during contact sessions and participation in activities like seminars
during contact sessions;
- assignments;
- portfolios; and
- end-of-module assessment, which may take the form of tests/examinations (where decided
by the subject panel).
Use of portfolios
The assessment of portfolios is for both formative and summative
purposes. Portfolios are assessed during contact sessions and at the end of each academic
year. They serve as powerful evidence of the teacher’s achievements. A grading of
‘complete’ or ‘incomplete’ is used, and portfolios that meet the basic
requirements are graded as complete.
The following are filed in the portfolios:
- marked assessment tasks such as assignments, tests, etc;
- unmarked work that has to be completed as part of studying the modules;
- focused observation reports (to be filed in school-based activities portfolio);
- lesson plans for focused observation;
- reports from self-study group meetings;
- reports from principals, mentors and tutors;
- training scenarios; and
- any other evidence of progress that teachers want to submit as part of the requirements
of the subject.
The portfolios are submitted for moderation at the end of the final
year of study.
Learning and Teaching Approaches and Methods
Use of Distance Education Methods
The programme is delivered through the distance education mode. A set
of printed study modules for each subject is the main teaching and learning resource. This
is supplemented by support from tutors who meet learners three times a year for weeklong
contact sessions. These are usually held at the beginning of each of the three school
holidays. During the contact sessions, teachers are:
- register and pay their study fees;
- are introduced to new modules;
- get guidance on the completion of assignments;
- get feedback on marked assignments;
- get the opportunity to sort out study problems;
- participate in seminars; and
- Are assessed.
There are six centres where teachers are registered and where they
attend the contact sessions. Attendance of contact sessions is compulsory, and an almost
100% attendance has been registered at all contact sessions so far. Another support day,
which usually takes place on a Saturday, is organized at the centres once a term.
During term time, teachers study their modules, do the activities and
self-assessment tasks as well as an assignment in each subject. The assignments are
submitted at the centre where teachers registered, marked by the tutors, and returned to
them.
INSET teachers are grouped into self-study groups that meet at fixed
dates. This gives them an opportunity to discuss study-related issues and get support from
their peers. INSET teachers also receive support from mentors in the schools where they
are teaching.
School-Based Activities
Gaining an understanding of and applying theoretical concepts to
classroom practice is an essential component of the programme. The School-Based Activities
system (SBA) has been developed to create a learning environment for teachers in their
schools. School principals are involved in and take responsibility for the progress of
INSET teachers at their schools, and they are assisted by mentors who are appointed to
support INSET teachers. Reflective practice is encouraged in a structured way by means of
two types of observations: focused and graded. The focused observation has a strong
formative function and helps the teacher to learn from practice. The graded observation
has more of a summative emphasis, although the feedback received after each term enables a
teacher to identify areas for improvement.
Professional Development
Contract tutors are recruited from competent subject teachers and
college lecturers and training is done before each contact session. There are currently
some 165 tutors who support INSET teachers in the six centres.
Module writers are recruited from experienced subject teachers and
college lecturers. Since the restructuring of the programme, some 30 module writers were
trained during two workshops.
Enabling and Hindering Factors
Appropriate strategies have to be developed to cope with the
following challenges:
- proper editing of instructional materials;
- development of a variety of interactive educational materials;
- adequate training of module writers, tutors and mentors;
- appropriate design of module guides as self instructional materials in the distance
education format;
- further development and effective delivery of the programme;
- effective monitoring and evaluation of tutoring practices; and
- development of an effective support system.
The programme has established partnerships with a range of NGOs, which
offer support to the programme as indicated below:
Rossing Foundation
Lower Primary tutors for Rundu and Katima Mulilo
ELTDP
Module writing and training of tutors for English Language Education and English
Communication Skills as well as general support regarding programme development and
implementation and training of tutors and module writers.
TERP
Module writing for Education Theory and Practice and Lower Primary Education.
IBIS
Module writing and tutor training for the Life Science part of Integrated Natural
Sciences.
UNDP
Support with staffing and financial administration as described in the agreement between
UNDP and the Government of Namibia. |
