Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...

The strong demand for newly qualified teachers is likely to persist for some time to come.
This problem is compounded by the inability ofteacher education to attract new recruits,
especially young people (Welch 2002). Welch also draws attention to the varying quality
ofmuch ofteacher education programmes across various institutions, an issue that needs
urgent attention (Welch 2002: 18).
Parker asserts that while it is too soon to fully understand or to evaluate teacher education
policy post 1994,
...the DoE has (however) acted decisively in regard to teacher education policy in the
period from 1995 to 2000 in those areas for which it has responsibility and that these
efforts have been undermined by a broader systemic dysfunctionality linked to the
complexity of the governance arrangements within the higher education system and the
epistemology that informs these arrangements (Parker 2002: I)
This complexity is also identified by Sayed who argues that the "restructuring ofteacher
education reveals a new state coping with multiple and contradictory demands" (Sayed
2004:254). It has to create the conditions for a 'more just and humane society' and at the
same time create the conditions for economic growth and development. Finding the right
balance has proved to be a major challenge.
1.3.4 A brief note on Curriculum 2005 (C2005)
As mentioned above, the advent of a new democracy in South Africa in 1994 presented
many challenges to the new democratic government. A serious and urgent challenge was
to set out a new philosophy of education for South Africa. This philosophy necessarily
had to be based on the principles ofequity and democracy where the"... goal of
education and training policy (should be) to enable a democratic, free, just and peaceful
society..." so as to achieve the political vision ofthe new democratic government
(Department ofEducation 1995:22)
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