Indian teachers made great strides
LOWLY qualified or unqualified teachers impacted negatively on the quality of education at schools.
By 1949, Indian teachers could upgrade their qualifications by attending part-time classes in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Stanger and Tongaat. The quality of teaching had improved as teachers sought to improve qualifications despite racial barriers to certain courses.
Directions for the conduct and control of state and state-aided schools were issued in terms of Section 5 of the Natal Education Ordinance No 23 of 1942.
The directions were also included in the “Handbook for Schools” under the control of the Natal Education Department (NED).
The conditions of service including racial discrimination in salaries deterred able students from taking up teaching as a profession.
Initially, teacher-training took place at Sastri College and Durban Girls’ High School. As a result of the Wilks Commission of 1946, Springfield Training College was established and it opened on August 20, 1951.
On that day, 107 male pupils from Sastri College and 18 female pupils from Durban Girls’ High School were transferred to the college.
The Natal Teachers’ Diploma was introduced in 1952 as a two-year post-senior certificate qualification. In 1967, a three-year course was introduced to enable teachers to teach up to standard eight. From 1970, the college was referred to as Springfield College of Education.
The first Indian rector of Springfield College of Education was Dr GK Nair, followed by Professor L Peters and Professor P Reddy.
Faced with an inadequate supply of teachers in the Transvaal, the Education Department instituted a teacher section at Vrededorp Primary School in 1919.
The Vrededorp Training Centre at the school was renamed the Euro-african Training Centre as Indian and coloured students trained there as teachers.
On the recommendation of the Griffith Committee of 1950, the department decided in 1954 that a separate teacher-training institution be established as an extension of the Johannesburg High School in Fordsburg, exclusively for Indian students.
When Johannesburg High School closed down, the teacher-training section of the school was renamed the Transvaal College of Education for Asiatics and later it was known as the Transvaal College of Education. Enrolment figures for the period 1963-1966 showed more women than men enrolled. The first Indian rector of the Transvaal College of Education was Dr C Subbiah.
From April 1, 1966, the Department of Indian Affairs took control of the Springfield College of Education and the Transvaal College of Education, as education was controlled centrally.
To increase the number of teacher-trainees in 1965, a teacher education course was offered at the University College, situated on Salisbury Island, Durban. In 1971, the University College was renamed the University of Durban-westville, and was relocated to an area known as Chiltern Hills, Durban.
In 1966, teachers’ courses that led to diplomas in commerce, physical education, home economics and industrial arts were introduced at the ML Sultan Technical College. In 1973, teacher-education courses were restructured to meet projected needs in tandem with the new system of differentiated education.
In an effort to make teaching more attractive to potential students of high academic ability, the Department of Indian Affairs awarded bursaries to students enrolling for teacher-education courses at the colleges and the university. The bursary scheme provided for a composite sum to cover tuition, transport, board and lodging.
The University of South Africa and the University of Durbanwestville were the institutions that offered part-time studies and made a vital contribution to the raising of the academic and professional status of Indian teachers.
From 1968, the department made provision for in-service training of underqualified teachers through orientation courses, seminars and workshops.
When the Administration: House of Delegates assumed control of Indian education in 1984, in-service education was made available through the inspectorate, subject advisory service at Teachers’ Centres. Through the courses at the Teachers’ Centres teachers were upgraded from matriculation plus 3 years (M+3) to matriculation plus 4 years (M+4).
A College of Education for
Further Training (Orion College) was established on a temporary basis in Chatsworth, Durban, in 1986. In 1987, it was transferred to the campus of the Springfield College.
The teacher training colleges, universities and teachers centres helped to ensure that Indian schools had highly qualified teachers.
By the early 1980s, almost all teachers at Indian schools were qualified.