Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Management)
Apprentices in South Africa must attend a technical college for
their theory training. A major problem is that technical colleges
experience difficulty in attracting suitable people to be appointed
as lecturers in their technical departments. The majority of technical
lecturers are artisans who are drawn from industry as they
are needed to teach trade theory to apprentices.
In most cases the young lecturer who teaches technical subjects
does not have the necessary professional qualifications. One cannot
assume that someone who is suitably qualified in a technical field
of study is necessarily capable of successfully passing on his
knowledge to the students.
,
The functions and tasks of the lecturer must be examined. Once
these have been defined, one can concentrate on the recruitment
of lecturers. The following factors must be considered: admission
requirements, evaluation and acknowledgement of qualifications,
promotion and conditions of service. It is not only important to
recruit the most suitably qualified person but just as important
to ensure that this person remains in the teaching profession. The
problem is that salaries and benefits are determined by the education
department and colleges cannot compete with industry. In most
cases the suitable lecturers, as well as those with a few years
teaching experience, are offered well-paid jobs with excellent
benefits in the industrial sector.
The technical lecturer is a member of the college staff. As many
lecturers have the required professional qualifications, it is
imperative that all lecturers fulfil the requirements set by the
teaching profession. This means that most of the newly appointed
technical lecturers must be professionally developed.
The principal of the college plays a vital role in the professional
training and development of the lecturer. He can promote this by
adopting the correct managerial attitude and by creating the appropriate
college climate. A good evaluation system is also important...