Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Teach in Rural Schools

Abstract

Teacher training institutions, have to date, paid little or no attention to train teachers to teach in rural schools. This paper examines what needs to be done by teacher training institutions in South Africa to address the issue. Pre-service teachers following the Bachelor of Education programme at a South African university were interviewed to ascertain what needs to be done in order to address the professional needs of pre-service teachers to teach in rural schools? The data indicated that preservice teacher were not given the opportunity to be exposed to teaching in rural schools during their teaching practice and the curriculum content of the Bachelor of Education degree did not include aspects that relate to aspects of rural teaching, making it difficult for rural schools to retain teachers. Based on the findings the following recommendations are made: modules that have a specific focus on teaching in rural schools be included in the curriculum and that every student is required to spend at least one practice teaching session in the course of the Bachelor of Education programme in a rural school. Education faculties must ensure that they have staff members who have experience in teaching at rural schools to teach the modules that relate to rural teaching. It is also recommended that incentives be offered to teachers who teach in rural schools.