Advanced Certificate for teachers, 100% online programme

RECENTLY the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, had emphasised the need for large scale, collaborative and substantive change to consistently provide equity, quality, and inclusive lifelong learning opportunities for all learners across every school in South Africa.

It is exactly that kind of change that the University of the Free State (UFS) is committed to facilitating. With over 12 million learners in South African schools and 380 000 teachers in South Africa, and the progress being made in strengthening South Africa’s wireless infrastructure, the UFS is embracing the challenge to transform education beyond the model that was established centuries ago in the absence of technology and today’s tools.

The UFS’ South Campus, located in Bloemfontein, is the first campus to provide an Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) 100% online programme for teachers as one means of significantly addressing longstanding educational, economic and political needs.

The ACT online programme addresses the requirement for a teaching and learning pathway for teachers wanting to advance in their careers.

This qualification has a specific aim to improve teachers’ knowledge and competencies towards a new subject, or strengthen their subject specialisation. The ACT can play an important role in improving the quality of education and as a result improve the quality of life for many South Africans.

The ACT will not only upgrade the qualification of those teachers who are currently employed without adequate training, but would also offer specialised education to teachers who need to strengthen their subject specialisation knowledge base.

In addition, the qualification aims to provide retraining to teachers who wish to change their career paths, therefore widening the pool of teachers who are able to teach different subjects.

There are numerous advantages of the ACT online programme for teachers, some of which include:

• Offering students the opportunity to study in their own time and at their place and own pace;

• Presenting an outstanding opportunity to conveniently and affordably advance in higher education and achieve professional qualifications;

• A brilliant solution for adult working students who cannot easily access traditional on-campus or blended learning programmes;

• Help in accelerating the pace at which South Africa’s teachers earn this important qualification;

• Making learning more convenient for working teachers by decreasing travel requirements, and it assesses students ability to apply the new skills and knowledge in a practical way that can be applied in the classroom.

The starting dates are 22 January, 19 March and 14 May 2018. For more information on the Advanced Certificates in Teaching, please call the toll free number on 0800 982 167, send an email to online@ufs.ac.za or visit the website at http://www.ufs. ac.za/ ACTonline.

Alternatively, send an SMS or WhatsApp to 082 548 2493.