How Effective Is In-Service Training- Teachers in Rural School Context

Educators in South Africa had to undergo a paradigm shift in the last fewyears. According to the White Paper on Education and Training (1995) thishas been a move away from the traditional aims and objectives approach toan outcomes based approach. Outcome based education (OBE), Curriculum2005 and National Curriculum Statement posed major problems to teachersteaching social sciences, mathematics and languages .Most of the teachersfrom rural schools are without resources and expected to produce quality resultsas those teachers from cities and affluent areas. The study was aimed atdetermining whether grade nine teachers benefited from the training in Curriculum2005 assessment techniques and whether training contributed tomeeting the intellectual and challenges facing South Africans in the 21st century.The study followed a qualitative approach. Data were collected fromgrade nine teachers, from rural schools, teaching grade 9. The study foundthat the teachers felt that they had not been trained adequately. Teachers regardedone week as inadequate for the training and training materials insufficientfor the participants. The study concludes with recommendations for thesuccessful implementation of Curriculum 2005 and for further research.Thebook will assist OBE teachers, researchers, and curriculum advisers to reflectand understand problems encountered by farm school teachers.