Trajectories of restructuring: the changing context for initial teacher education in South Africa

Abstract

The article aims to illustrate the complexity of institutional restructuring dynamics in distinct South African university contexts, in order to highlight the challenges posed for the initial teacher education system. It focuses on education faculties and schools that have undergone successive waves of internally and externally mandated change over the last ten years. The first section demonstrates that there is a simple and a complex form of merger, characterized by varying degrees of integration, subordination or cessation of the former institutional configurations. This means that at the micro-level, in planning and implementing their initial teacher education programmes, some institutions are faced with reconciling diverse groups of academics with distinct histories, expertise and commitments. The second section of the article attempts to delineate the impact on initial teacher education programmes and curriculum. The article concludes with a consideration of the challenges for the relationship of teacher education providers with the National Department of Education, with institutional leadership and within faculties or schools.