SAQA All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior/FET Phase Teaching 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
101450  Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior/FET Phase Teaching 
ORIGINATOR
University of Pretoria 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Advanced Diploma  Field 05 - Education, Training and Development  Schooling 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  139  Not Applicable  NQF Level 07  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered  EXCO 0335/25  2024-06-30  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2031-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
This qualification will develop competent quality beginner teachers, who are able to apply specialised content knowledge, focused teaching skills and professional values in schools in varying contexts. It provides a well-rounded education that equips graduates with the required subject content knowledge base, educational theory and methodology. Its purpose is therefore to develop qualified teachers who can demonstrate focused knowledge and skills in teaching Grade 7 -12 learners. The qualification is focused on developing practical competence, reflexively grounded in educational theory.

Rationale:
The demand for competent teachers in the country remains high and is reflected in the eleven basic competences of a beginner teacher (as gazetted in the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications, 2014). It follows that this qualification aims to provide a relevant and contemporary learning experience for graduate learners so that they may become responsible teachers and productive citizens.

This qualification is a professional teaching programme that "caps" an undergraduate Degree or a Diploma. It offers entry-level professional preparation for graduates who wish to develop focused knowledge and skills as classroom teachers in the Senior and Further Education and Training (FET) Phase. For this purpose the qualification requires a specific depth and specialisation of knowledge, together with practical skills and workplace experience to enable successful learners to apply their learning as beginner teachers in schools in varying contexts (Government Gazette, 2014:28). 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
The University has policies and systems to admit prospective students who do not meet the formal or statutory requirements for entrance, but who can demonstrate that they possess the appropriate knowledge and skills required for admission to a specific qualification. In this regard, the University supports the principle of RPL as a mechanism for providing prospective students with status, the opportunity to enrol for a specific qualification. These processes are controlled by the University. RPL will be implemented where students transfer from one academic institution to another, to the extent that students can receive credits for modules passed.

Entry Requirements:
The minimum admission requirement to this qualification is:
  • An appropriate Diploma, Level 6.
    Or
  • An appropriate Bachelor's Degree, Level 7. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification comprises compulsory modules at Levels 5 and 7 and elective modules at Level 7 totalling 139 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules at Level 5, 3 Credits:
  • First Aid, 3 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules at Level 7: 96 Credits:
  • Global and social perspectives in education, 8 Credits.
  • Foundations of education, 8 Credits.
  • Learning theories and assessment in teaching, 18 Credits.
  • Facilitating learning, 12 Credits.
  • Learning Support Education, 6 Credits.
  • Professional ethics and law in teaching, 6 Credits.
  • Professional development, 8 Credits.
  • Teaching Practice (1), 12 Credits.
  • Teaching Practice (2), 12 Credits.

    Choose either:
  • Information and Communication Technology, 6 Credits.
    Or
  • Technology in Teaching, 6 Credits.

    Elective Modules at Level 7: 40 Credits:
    (Choose one of the following modules in Senior Phase):
  • Languages (Afrikaans, English at second-year level, 20 Credits.
  • Mathematics (Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics or any other related academic module at second-year level, 20 Credits.
  • Art and culture (Art, Drama, Dance, Anthropology or any other related academic module at second-year level, 20 Credits.
  • Social sciences (History, Geography or any other related academic module at second-year level, 20 Credits.
  • Life Orientation (Psychology and Human Movement Studies, Recreation, Sociology, Philosophy, Political Science, Labour Studies or any other related academic module at second-year level, 20 Credits.
  • Economic and management sciences (Economics, Business economics, Entrepreneurship, Business management, Accounting or any other related academic module at second-year level, 20 Credits.
  • Natural Sciences (TWO of Physical Geography, Physics, Chemistry or Biological Sciences Biology or any other related academic module at second-year level/Level 6 - additional required modules may be offered concurrently ), 20 Credits.
  • Technology (Design, Architecture at second-year level, 20 Credits.

    Choose one of the following modules in Further Education and Training Phase:
  • Accounting (Accounting, Management Accounting, Economics), 20 Credits.
  • Afrikaans (Afrikaans), 20 Credits.
  • African Languages (IsiNdebele, IsiZulu, Setswana, Sepedi), 20 Credits.
  • Business Studies (Business Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Administration), 20 Credits.
  • Computer Application Technology (Computer Science, Informatics), 20 Credits.
  • Consumer studies (Two of the following at Level 7: Food; clothing; interior design; consumer behaviour), 20 Credits.
  • Economics (Economics), 20 Credits.
  • English (A degree in English Language and Literature at 7 or English 1 plus Applied English Language Studies, African Literature, Linguistics, Literary Theory and Communication, Media Studies), 20 Credits.
  • Foreign Languages (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese), 20 Credits.
  • Geography, 20 Credits.
  • History, 20 Credits.
  • Hospitality Studies (Hotel and Catering or related modules), 20 Credits.
  • Information Technology (Computer related, Informatics, Computer science or related modules), 20 Credits.
  • Life Orientation (Psychology (year 3) and Sociology, Philosophy, Political Science, HMS, Labour Studies, Industrial Studies or related modules), 20 Credits.
  • Life Sciences (Biology/Biological Sciences or Botany and Zoology (year 1/Level 6) and at least one of Botany, Biochemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Zoology or Physiology (year 2/Level 7), 20 Credits.
  • Mathematical Literacy (Applied Mathematics, Statistics or Mathematics at Level 6), 20 Credits.
  • Mathematics, 20 Credits.
  • Physical Science (Physics and Chemistry - one on year 1/Level 6 and one on year 2/Level 7), 20 Credits.
  • Tourism, 20 Credits.
  • Visual Arts (Art history and practical skill), 20 Credits.
  • Music (subject to music audition that includes university theory exam, practical exam and interview), 20 Credits.
  • Dramatic arts, 20 Credits.
  • Dance studies, 20 Credits.
  • Design (Interior design. Multimedia, graphical design), 20 Credits.
  • Engineering Graphics and Design (Engineering, Architecture), 20 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Demonstrate integrated and detailed knowledge regarding the subjects that will be taught.
    2. Select, apply and adjust effective teaching and learning strategies in ways which will meet the needs, sequence and pace content of both subjects and learners.
    3. Use available resources appropriately, for planning and designing suitable learning programmes.
    4. Manage classrooms effectively across diverse contexts in order to ensure a conducive learning environment.
    5. Communicate effectively in class in the modes of oral and/or written presentation as well as through current available technologies in sustained discourse and converse with learners in one of the indigenous South African languages.
    6. Assess learners using reliable and varied ways, as well as using the results of the assessments to improve teaching and learning.
    7. Demonstrate a responsible and positive work ethic within the education system, the institution where they are working, and the community in which the institution is located through respect for and commitment to the educator profession and through the establishment of a quality community of practice. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • Understand knowledge, principles, methods and procedures relevant to the Senior and Further Education and Training (FET) phases, subject discipline or practice.
  • Evaluate and apply key terms, concepts, facts, principles, rules and theories of the specialisations involved.
  • Design and interpret learning programmes and identify the requirements for a specific context of learning.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
  • Describe strategies to manage differently resourced classrooms and schools in order to ensure conducive learning environments.
  • Provide a clear description of classroom practices and experiences.
  • Identify challenges encountered across contexts by both teachers and learners.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the strategies and resources appropriate to use for teaching in a South African context.
  • Select and prepare suitable textual and visual resources for learning.
  • Select and use different approaches to teaching and use them in ways which are appropriate for the learners and the context.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
  • Create and maintain learning environments, which are safe, conducive to learning and democratic in ways that foster creative and critical thinking.
  • Create learning environments that are sensitive to cultural, linguistic, gender and other differences.
  • Resolve conflict situations within classrooms in an ethical and sensitive way.
  • Perform administrative duties required for the effective management of the learning environment.
  • Take appropriate action to assist or refer learners in the solution of personal or social problems.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5:
  • Use the main language of instruction to explain, describe, discuss and relate key concepts in their area of specialisation.
  • Communicate orally and in writing in a way that is grammatically correct and coherent.
  • Use appropriate technology to ensure effective communication of ideas.
  • Demonstrate conversational competence in isiZulu, isiNdebele, Setswana or Sepedi.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6:
  • Use a range of assessment strategies to accommodate differences in learning style, pace and context and demonstrate sensitivity to gender, culture, language and barriers to learning and development.
  • Use and interpret assessment results to provide feedback in educationally constructive ways on learner progress and achievement, as well to inform future teaching, learning and assessment strategies.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7:
  • Practise and promote a sense of respect, order and responsibility towards others by cultivating a critical, committed and ethical attitude.
  • Initiate and maintain effective, professional communication with parents, guardians and other members of the community and involve them in school affairs.
  • Demonstrate an ability to engage critically with a wide variety of stakeholders, through internal and external networking opportunities regarding issues relevant to teaching and learning practices.
  • Apply and engage critically with education policies, procedures and systems which impact on institutions and classrooms, as well as on the national education and training landscape.
  • Organise curricular, cross-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
  • Promote the democratic values and principles of the Constitution, particularly those related to human rights and the environment.

    Integrated Assessment:
    In the Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Further Education and Training (PGCE FET) Teaching qualification, assessment is seen as central to the learning and teaching process, providing both formative and summative assessment opportunities as well as requiring an element of holistic, integrated assessment in line with the overall purpose of the qualification.

    The Faculty of Education subscribes to a rigorous assessment procedure to ensure that its assessment methods and procedures are fair, valid and reliable and are aligned to the outcomes of the modules and to the exit level outcomes of the qualification.

    Integrated assessment is understood as providing an opportunity for education students to demonstrate their achievement holistically in terms of the overall purpose of the qualification and across Exit Level Outcomes. As such integration is encouraged at three levels: within a constituent module, between modules, and across the qualification as a whole through the teaching practice modules (which includes the professional development of the teacher portfolio where students collect evidence of their professional development and reflect on insights they have gained throughout the year).

    All the modules of the PGCE in Senior Phase (SP) and Further Education and Training Teaching are at Level 7, necessitating from the students a mastery of subject matter of greater theoretical complexity than in their undergraduate years. It also requires students to apply this theoretical knowledge through problem solving and practice.

    Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to teach in the SP and FET Phase. Specialised knowledge is provided through compulsory modules such as those developing information technology skills, language teaching, research skills and special needs education, as well as through elective modules in order to provide appropriate support and be able to identify and overcome barriers to learning. Students enter with or acquire conversational competence in one indigenous African language.

    Assessment is done continuously and various assessment tools are applied in order to measure the students' attainment to achieve and master the learning outcomes of their module. These tools include research-based or practical-based or observation-based assignment tasks, group projects, community projects, portfolios, essays, research articles, oral presentations, practical demonstrations, tests and examinations. Students are assessed by teachers and qualified education personnel during work integrated learning (Teaching Practice).

    Quality assurance procedures within the Faculty of Education include internal and external course moderation. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Senior Phase (SP) and Further Education and Training (FET) Teaching was compared with qualifications offered in England, Scotland and New Zealand. The following aspects were compared: entry requirements, duration and the practical component.

    At the University of Oxford, in England a PGCE is offered. The entry requirement to the PGCE is a Degree.

    Also teachers wishing to teach a specific subject in schools would be expected to have studied that subject, or a very closely related one, at an undergraduate Degree level. However, applicants graduating in other subjects are not automatically rejected, depending on the nature of the degree and the subject in question.

    Teachers completing this qualification are required to spend a minimum of 24 weeks of practical experience in two contrasting schools.

    At the Cambridge University, in England, a PGCE (Secondary) 11-19 years is offered. The entry requirement to this qualification is a minimum of a Degree or equivalent. For one to teach at a secondary level, one must have a Degree, or at least 50% of the Degree in the subject applying to teach.

    Teachers are expected to spend at least 120 days of the qualification in partnership schools, undertaking four block placements (in a minimum of three different schools).

    At the University of Edinburg in Scotland the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) (Secondary) is being offered. The entry requirement to this qualification is a United Kingdom (UK) 2:1 Honours Degree or its international equivalent, in the subject to be taught is preferred. This qualification should contain at least two graduating modules of at least 80 UK credits in the relevant subject.

    The 36-week secondary qualification is divided equally between University-taught courses and school placement courses.

    At the Massey University, in New Zealand, the Graduate Diploma in Teaching [GradDipTchg (SECONDARY)] is offered. The entry requirement to this qualification is:
  • A Bachelor's Degree at level 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) consisting of at least 360 Credits.
  • A Graduate Diploma/or a Diploma for Graduates at Level 7 on the NZQF consisting of 120 Credits.
  • A Bachelor's Degree with Honours at Level 8 on the NZQF consisting of at least 480 Credits.
  • A Postgraduate Diploma at Level 8 on the NZQF consisting of at least 120 Credits.
  • A Master's Degree at level 9 on the NZQF consisting of 240 Credits.

    For the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) teachers are required to have two teaching subjects appropriate to the secondary school curriculum. The entry qualification should comprise relevant content-based modules. Teachers will be required to have the academic background to equip them to teach at least one subject at senior level (Years 11 - 19).

    The two Teaching Experience courses include a total of 15 weeks of practicals, which teachers will complete three blocks of practical in three different schools.

    All four international institutions offer the qualification over a year.

    Conclusion:
    There are similarities between this qualification and the above-cited international qualifications in terms of duration and entry requirements. However, there is a difference with the length of time where teachers have to conduct their practical. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification offers specific and systemic articulation options. However, for the systemic articulation options, the learner needs to meet the minimum entry requirements of the qualifications offered by other institutions.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Advanced Certificate in Teaching in a different phase, Level 7.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Education in Leadership, Level 8.
  • Bachelor of Education Honours Degrees, Level 8. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. University of Pretoria 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.