Unpacking SACE and CPTD in South African education

Don’t be overwhelmed upon first glance at the SACE and CPTD acronyms, we’re here to help unpack what each of them mean in the context of South African education. If you’re a teacher, you’ll know that you have to gather points each year to keep doing what you’re doing. No doubt there are a lot of questions that spring to mind, so here are some of the questions we’ll address:

Who is SACE?

What is CPTD?

How do CPTD points work?

What does this mean for South Africa?

Why is The Eduvation Network relevant to this discussion?

Who is SACE?

SACE is the South African Council for Educators and was established to uphold the education profession in South Africa. SACE registers all qualified South African teachers, which means you need a SACE registration number before you can teach. This ensures that all teachers adhere to the same standard. SACE also manages the CPTD system and encourages the development of teachers through the system.

What is CPTD?

Continuing Professional Teacher Development (commonly known as CPTD) is the system that helps teachers grow professionally. Each teacher will have a Professional Development Portfolio (PDP), developed according to SACE guidelines, which will act as a record of your development journey.

In the same way that professional people (such as doctors or lawyers) are expected to develop their skills and knowledge every year, teachers are now also expected to further develop their professional skills.

How do CPTD points work?

From 2016, all high school teachers must achieve CPTD points in order to meet the mandatory requirements of the CPTD system set out by SACE. CPTD requirements for primary school teachers only start in 2017.

Teachers must achieve at least 150 points every three years by participating in various activities. These include doing short courses (online), reading or writing education articles, attending seminars, or mentoring other teachers. These activities can be initiated by the teacher, the school, or externally.

What does this mean for South African teachers?

Quite simply, teachers can continue to teach. That said, a CPTD course cannot replace the need for a formal qualification. In other words, a CPTD course does not provide you with a Certificate with which you can look for employment at a school or pre-school. CPTD courses offer already qualified teachers the opportunity to extend their professional development.

Why is The Eduvation Network relevant to this discussion?

All our courses are endorsed by SACE and will give educators many of the necessary tools and insights they need to continue to develop their skills and expertise. Courses are developed by reputed and celebrated industry leaders and cover only the most relevant and topical issues. Find out more about our courses here.

For more information about SACE, visit their website by clicking here.