Adequacy of Postgraduate Certificate in Education

The PGCE extends over at least one year of full-time study. The PGCE is a generalist educator's qualification that caps an undergraduate qualification. PGCE students must therefore be in possession of a degree or suitable qualification. The candidate should offer at least two school subjects. In addition the student teachers must have complied with the requirements regarding the official languages. The pre-service students will have to undertake teaching practice as part of the curriculum and will have practical assessments in the work-integrated learning environment. The focus is on developing practical competence reflexively grounded in educational theory. With this qualification a balance is created between practical competence and educational theory. The PGCE is relevant because the qualification ensures that graduates can alleviate the problem of teacher shortages in South Africa.