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 Phase and Further Education and Training Teaching 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
111404  Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Teaching 
ORIGINATOR
Cape Peninsula University of Technology 
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  120  Not Applicable  NQF Level 07  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered  EXCO 0821/24  2019-08-19  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:
The purpose of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Teaching (PGCE (SP and FET Teaching)) is to provide initial preparation for teachers and to develop teachers who can demonstrate general principles, as well as be able to acquire focused knowledge and skills appropriate to the Senior Phase and Further Education and Training (FET) band. It aims to build the knowledge, skills, and values required for teachers' professional practice, and to lay the basis for continuing professional development through lifelong learning.

The qualification has the primary purpose of providing well-rounded education that prepares competent and professionally qualified teachers. The PGCE (SP and FET Teaching) is a one-year qualification that aims to prepare school teachers and will include opportunities to specialise in two subject fields, one specific to the Senior Phase and the other in the Further Education and Training band. Teachers will not only learn teaching skills, but also the important role of teachers in serving the community.

The qualification strives to engage teachers with questions of what to teach, why and how to teach. The aim is to prepare teachers to be active, creative and reflective practitioners in a world of change, and to equip them with an understanding of teaching as a professional practice.

The PGCE (SP and FET Teaching) aims to build the knowledge, skills, and values required for teachers' professional practice, and to lay the basis for continuing professional development through lifelong learning.

The PGCE (SP and FET Teaching) strives to prepare teachers for a profession with complex and comprehensive aims, roles, knowledge, skills and attitudes. The qualification acknowledges that knowledge is critical for human and economic development and thus envisage graduates who:
  • Are able to adapt in the world of work.
  • Have the capacity to generate new knowledge.
  • Can access existing global knowledge and use it for local benefit.

    Based on the above, the qualification is underpinned by four general areas of knowledge that a teacher must acquire in order to be successful with their teaching:
  • Knowledge of required subject content and how to teach it.
  • Knowledge of learners and their development in social contexts.
  • Knowledge of theories of learning and meta-cognition (educational theory).
  • Knowledge of classroom practice (methodology), particularly curriculum construction, teaching methods and assessment-to enable them to demonstrate competence and responsibility as professionally qualified teachers.

    The Faculty's vision of professional practice connects teaching with learning and requires teachers to be able to construct learning contexts and to point to evidence of that learning. Professional practice includes a range of dispositions of critical enquiry, ethical engagement, persistence and motivation, and the capacity to act. It also requires that teachers be reflective of their own practice, and mindful of what it means to educate learners within a democracy.

    The purpose would be to link this knowledge with the relevant skills, attitudes and activities in practice. The overarching objective of the qualification would thus be to prepare teachers for a changing world. In preparing teachers who are reflective practitioners, the qualification will create opportunities for teachers to deepen their understanding of what education entails, and to develop standards against which their own and others` thoughts and actions are evaluated.

    Apart from the professional component, the PGCE (SP and FET Teaching) also focuses on curriculum studies as an elective in the area of specialisation. Specialised curriculum studies electives will introduce teachers to the specifics of:
  • Pedagogical content knowledge, i.e. the knowledge of how to teach in a specific grade/phase.
  • How learners perceive the subject matter they are exposed to. For example, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in science where teachers will be introduced to understand the mind of the African learner with respect to the impact of cultural values and beliefs to the teaching and learning of science.
  • Understanding the classroom setting and how to create a conducive learning environment.
  • The philosophy underpinning assessment and the different forms of assessment with reference to a specific phase.
  • Developing a research culture with the aim of producing independent and lifelong learners.

    The basis for the above is embedded in the specialised elective subjects where teachers will be prepared to:
  • To be well grounded in the content knowledge.
  • To apply the knowledge in their everyday context.
  • To have in-depth understanding of how to link the content with the practice and to use the everyday experiences of learners as the basis for the planning and preparation of their lessons.

    Teaching Practice, the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) are elements of the PGCE (SP and FET Teaching), providing teachers with the opportunity to experience what is currently expected in the field of teaching (such as the roles, skills and attitudes) required to be an effective teacher in the senior phase and further education and training band, how to behave in a professional and ethical way and to learn what it means to educate learners). Teaching Practice also provides an opportunity for teachers to apply and/or test the theories of teaching and learning in the classroom and to become reflective practitioners to make learning more enriching, meaningful and appropriate for their learners.

    Rationale:
    The Postgraduate Certificate in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Teaching (PGCE (SP and FET Teaching)) qualification aims to improve current teaching, learning and assessment practices through the personal and professional development of prospective teachers. This entails enabling teachers who can continuously reflect upon and improve teaching practice. The qualification aims to develop in teachers the ability to critically reflect on their teaching practices in an effort to enable systematic learning for others in the diverse South African contexts.

    International and local comparisons were done by visits to local universities and consulting with international universities through ongoing e-mails and literature reviews. PGCE qualifications offered in the United Kingdom provided key information regarding Work-Integrated-Learning (WIL) and informed the PGCE curriculum. Several international universities' websites were also investigated to gain a deeper understanding of their PGCE qualifications.

    The PGCE (SP and FET Teaching) will draw the majority of its teachers from local universities and private Higher Education (HE) providers. Teachers with specialisations in Mathematics, Technology- related subjects and Art are taken in primarily from Engineering and Design fields. Teachers from business-related fields will be taken in and they can qualify as teachers of Tourism, Consumer Studies and Life Orientation.

    The PGCE (SP and FET Teaching) serves as a professional 'capping' qualification for teachers who have completed an appropriate 360 or 480 credit Bachelor's Degree or a National Diploma with subjects appropriate to teach at SP and FET level in schools. It aims to build the knowledge, skills and values required for teachers' professional practice, and to lay the basis for continuing professional development through lifelong learning.

    In the changing world, South Africa faces its own particular challenges of economic and social change. Given the evidence that, in terms of existing benchmarks of performance per grade level, our learners perform significantly lower than they ought to, there is a dire need to prepare teachers who are able to generate high quality teaching and learning in schools. Novice teachers need to be equipped to deal with contexts of change, the challenges of a society which is culturally and linguistically diverse, as well as with schools in very different contexts. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
    Recognition of Prior Learning is subject to policies of the institution. The process involves the identification, mediation, assessment and acknowledgement of knowledge and skills obtained through informal, non-formal and/or formal learning. The RPL process is multi-dimensional and multi-contextual in nature, aimed at the individual needs of learners and is handled in accordance with an institutional RPL policy by a unit dedicated to this activity. The RPL process includes guidance and counselling, as well as the preparation of a body of evidence to be presented by the RPL learner to meet institutional requirements. An appeal procedure is also in place.

    Recognition of prior learning can be used to grant credits for modules. Exemptions will be granted for appropriate NQF Level subjects with the same credit value completed at other institutions. Verifiable evidence must be provided.
    Credits in lieu of prior qualifications may occur, provided there is equivalence in the new qualification both in terms of learning content and NQF level. Learners who transfer their studies from another Higher Education Institution who offer's an equivalent qualification, and follow the process required by the institution's RPL policy, will be exempted and given credits to the extent of modules completed. This will apply if the learner's content knowledge is similar to that included in this PGCE (SP & FET Teaching);

    Where substantial learning in the teaching, workplace or the industrial workplace as a result of meaningful workplace (informal and non-formal) experience has been attained, such learners can present themselves for assessment of prior learning (APL).

    Entry Requirements:
    The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • An appropriate Bachelor's Degree, NQF Level 7, 360 Credits.
    Or
  • Bachelor's Degree, NQF level 7, 480 Credits, with two school subjects, one at second year Senior Phase (SP) and one at third year level Further Education and Training (FET).
    Or
  • A National Diploma, NQF Level 6, 360 Credits, with two school subjects, one at second year (SP) and one at third year level (FET). 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at National Qualifications Framework Levels 5 and 7 totalling 126 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules NQF Level 5 and 6 Credits:
  • Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT), 3 Credits.
  • Conversational language: isiXhosa, 2 Credits.
  • Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Skills, 1 Credit.

    Compulsory Modules NQF Level 7, 80 Credits:
  • Education Studies, 24 Credits.
  • Educational Leadership and Management, 16 Credits.
  • Professional Studies, 8 Credits.
  • Teaching Practice and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), 32 Credits.

    Elective Modules NQF Level 7, 20 Credits (Choose one module for the Further Education and Training Phase):
  • Curriculum Studies: Accounting, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Business Studies, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Economics, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Computer Applications Technology, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Mathematical Literacy, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Mathematics, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Physical Sciences, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Life Sciences, 20 Credits
  • Curriculum Studies: Life Orientation, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Consumer Studies, 20 Credits
  • Curriculum Studies: Hospitality Studies, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Tourism, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Design, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Visual Arts, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: English, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Dramatic Arts, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Geography, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: History, 20 Credits.

    Elective Modules NQF level 7, 20 Credits (Choose one module for the Senior Phase):
  • Curriculum Studies: Arts and Culture, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Life Orientation, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Social Sciences, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Natural Sciences, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Mathematics, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Technology, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Economic and Management Sciences, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: Afrikaans, 20 Credits.
  • Curriculum Studies: English, 20 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Apply integrated knowledge of theories of learning and meta-cognition (educational theory), to develop the ability to critically reflect on own and others teaching and thinking processes.
    2. Demonstrate proficiency in the implementation of leadership and management theories in an educational context for improved teaching and learning.
    3. Become a teaching specialist in more than one subject discipline offered at a public school by assimilating and integrating subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge; the knowledge of subject matter and the knowledge of how to teach it, based on the specific requirements of learners in a Senior Phase and Further Education and Training (SP and FET) context.
    4. Develop a professional disposition and a critical understanding of teaching as a profession.
    5. Create a strategy to implement principles and practises of inclusivity in teaching and learning and maintain a strong commitment to society and the ideologies and practices of the teaching profession in South Africa.
    6. Apply principles and practice inclusivity in teaching, learning and research based on the development of a strong commitment to society and the ideologies and practices of the teaching profession in South Africa.
    7. Be a specialist in, and fully conversant in the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT).
    8. Become fully conversant in isiXhosa with the ability to teach it in a SP and FET context.
    9. Apply Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills in teaching and learning context and show the ability to develop electronic learning materials. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • Communicate or present own ideas and opinions from a psychological, philosophical inclusive and sociological perspective in well-formed arguments, using appropriate knowledge from the discipline of Education.
  • Critically reflect on own and others` teaching methods, thinking processes and perspectives.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
  • Manage and lead within the context of the classroom.
  • Manage and lead within the context of the educational institution.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
  • Develop and apply knowledge of subject content and classroom practice (methodology) to enhance curriculum construction.
  • Improve the learning process through the implementation of different theories of learning.
  • Gain a deeper understanding of learners' needs and their development in diverse contexts.
  • Generate comprehensive lesson plans for a particular term.
  • Present a lesson on the subject using various teaching and learning strategies suitable for Senior Phase and Further Education and Training (SP and FET) phase in lesson presentation.
  • Present evidence of a suitable assessment strategy and the methods used to assess learners at correct level.
  • Evaluate the lesson presentation.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
  • Accurately reflect on, evaluate and address own learning needs in a self-directed manner, and facilitate collaborative learning.
  • Gain industry experience and develop a professional portfolio (continuing professional development).
  • Develop an appreciation for lifelong learning.
  • Learn in and from practice.
  • Develop knowledge and skills of classroom practice though placement in schools which will enhance teaching and assessment of the curriculum.
  • Apply professional knowledge, skills and attitudes to real situations through work-based activities in a classroom or industry setting.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5:
  • Develop teaching practices that caters for learners from diverse social and cultural contexts.
  • Strive towards social justice in their teaching.
  • Work effectively in a diversity of contexts that characterize the South African educational landscape through improvisation and innovation.
  • Display a critical appreciation for multi-culturalism and multi-multilingualism and display the necessary sensitivity to these issues in the classroom.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6:
  • Develop learners from diverse social and cultural contexts.
  • Strive towards social justice.
  • Work effectively in a diversity of contexts that characterize the South African educational landscape.
  • Display an appreciation for multi-culturalism and multi-multilingualism and display the necessary sensitivity to these issues in the classroom.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7:
  • Apply language with a high degree of competence in teaching and learning.
  • Apply knowledge and skills of Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) in a variety of texts and contexts.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8:
  • Possess knowledge of the language and be able to transfer this knowledge to learners, including:
    > Correct pronunciation of isiXhosa.
    > Greetings; forms of address.
    > Basic sentence constructions.
    > The noun class system of isiXhosa.
    > Tenses and moods.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9:
  • Understand the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Education.
  • Develop teaching and learning materials.
  • Design electronic learning materials and present a lesson.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Integrated assessment forms part of continuous assessment which takes the form of an appropriate mix of both formative and summative assessment methods. Assessment policy and practices promotes constructive alignment of the curriculum, teacher centred-learning and assessment, and the importance of feedback to enhance teacher engagement. Assessment practices will be fair, reliable and valid. It will also be in keeping with academic disciplinary and professional field norms and standards.

    Formative assessment is aimed at enhancing learning and provides the teacher with an opportunity to reflect critically on their own learning and to improve their own levels of personal accountability and time management. Formative assessment usually consists of a variety of assessment tasks relevant to the field of study.

    In this qualification formative assessment will be in the form of, individual and/or group assignments and projects, case studies, portfolio development, class discussions, quizzes, field trip reports and poster design.
    Summative assessment will take place at the end of a section of work/quarter or semester and is aimed at assessing the teacher's attainment against the Exit Level Outcomes of the qualification and subject(s). Summative assessments are internally and externally moderated, based on institutional policy and requirements. Summative Assessments consist of a variety of formal assessment tasks relevant to the field of study, including written tests, portfolio development, reports and examinations.

    Integrated assessment cuts across a number of modules in a qualification and is aimed at the holistic development of teacher and contributes to the teacher's personal and professional development in the field of study in terms of foundational, practical and reflexive competence. Integrated Assessment in this qualification will take place primarily through the teaching practice portfolios when learning relating to all aspects of the academic qualification and will be assessed holistically by means of project reports, portfolios of evidence, an oral presentation or a written examination, related to the needs and requirements of academic discourse and the teaching profession. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The PGCEs offered in the United Kingdom provided key information regarding Work-Integrated-Learning (WIL) and informed the PGCE curriculum. Several international universities' websites were also investigated to gain a deeper understanding of their PGCEs.

    The Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Teaching (PGCE (SP and 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.

    Universities in England offer a PGCE, for which the entry requirement is a Degree that includes specific subjects related to those offered in schools. PGCEs offered at universities England in commonly require practical experience in schools. The University of Hull, for example, offers a Secondary Postgraduate Certificate, which concentrates on the teaching of 11 to 16 year olds, and extends to post-16 teaching. The University has a large number of partnership schools where its learners are placed. Learners spend one third of their time on the PGCE at the University; the other two thirds is spent on teaching practice. Cambridge University offers a PGCE (Secondary), as does Oxford University. Oxford University's PGCE also involves a close partnership between it and local schools. The university's qualification integrates work in the university and in school throughout the year. The design of the PGCEs offered in England is similar to the PGCE (SP and FET Teaching).

    At Edinburg University in Scotland the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) (Secondary) is offered. The entry requirement to this qualification is a United Kingdom (UK) honours degree or international equivalent that includes at least two graduating modules, of at least 80 UK credits, in subjects related to teaching. The 36-week qualification is divided equally between time spent University-taught courses and school placement.

    In New Zealand a Graduate Diploma in Teaching [GradDipTchg (Secondary)] is offered at the Massey University. Entry onto this qualification is a Bachelor's Degree at Level 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF), a Graduate Diploma or a Diploma for Graduates at Level 7, a Bachelor's Degree with Honours at Level 8, a Postgraduate Diploma at Level 8 or a Master's Degree at Level 9 on the NZQF consisting of 240 Credits. The Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) requires that have two teaching subjects appropriate to the secondary school curriculum. The Graduate Diploma in Teaching) includes 15 weeks of practice teaching, comprised of three blocks at three different schools. Like England, the design of the PGCEs offered in Scotland and New Zeeland are similar to the PGCE (SP and FET Teaching). 

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification allows possibilities for both vertical and horizontal articulation.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Advanced Diploma in Education, NQF Level 7.
  • Advanced Diplomas in Inclusive Education, NQF Level 7.
  • Advanced Diplomas in Educational Leadership and Management, NQF Level 7.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Bachelor of Education Honours Degree, NQF Level 8.
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Education, NQF 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. Cape Peninsula University of Technology 


    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.