Professional development programs for educators are not unique to South Africa. In certain states in America, for example, educators require a licence to teach. This licence needs to be renewed periodically, and renewal depends on a teacher’s professional development credits. In South Africa, the professional development system for teachers is facilitated by the South African Council for Educators. This body of professionals is governed by the SACE Act No. 31 of 2000. Let’s jump into how SACE regulates professional development for South African teachers.
If you are a teacher in South Africa, you need to be compliant with the requirements as set out by SACE. This requires you to:
- Be registered with SACE (Not registered? We can help you with that)
- Be CPTD-compliant (We can help with that too)
CPTD Compliance Explained
When you register with SACE as an educator (or a Principal or Head of Department), you develop what is known as a CPTD (Continuing Professional Teacher Development) portfolio. In a sense, your portfolio is a showcase of the ways in which you as a teacher have developed professionally over the course of three years. Educators must achieve at least 150 points every 3 years by participating in various activities. These activities fall into three categories:
Type 1 Activities: Teacher-Initiated Activities
These are activities that you undertake to develop yourself as a teacher. They include reading educational material, and attending webinars, conferences or workshops. Even leading a community project that involves an educational aspect, will count towards these points.
Type 2 Activities: School-Initiated Activities
These activities are initiated by your school or institution and can include school workshops and support sessions, as well as community projects. Please contact your school principal or chief administrator to find out when these activities are taking place at your school.
Type 3 Activities: External, Provider-Initiated Activities
This is where we come in. We offer a comprehensive range of activities that are completely online-based. You can complete them at any time, from anywhere in the world. All you need is a reliable internet connection. Want to find out more about our offering? Click here or contact us and we’ll show you around.
If navigating the world of SACE and CPTD feels overwhelming, take a deep breath, because we understand the system and we’ve based our service offering on what you as educators and schools need. Have questions? Simply hit “reply” to this email and we’ll be in touch.
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