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

Educators in South Africa had to undergo a paradigm shift in the last few years. According to the White Paper on Education and Training (1995) this has been a move away from the traditional aims and objectives approach to an outcomes based approach. Outcome based education (OBE), Curriculum 2005 and National Curriculum Statement posed major problems to teachers teaching social sciences, mathematics and languages .Most of the teachers from rural schools are without resources and expected to produce quality results as those teachers from cities and affluent areas. The study was aimed at determining whether grade nine teachers benefited from the training in Curriculum 2005 assessment techniques and whether training contributed to meeting the intellectual and challenges facing South Africans in the 21st century. The study followed a qualitative approach. Data were collected from grade nine teachers, from rural schools, teaching grade 9. The study found that the teachers felt that they had not been trained adequately. Teachers regarded one week as inadequate for the training and training materials insufficient for the participants. The study concludes with recommendations for the successful implementation of Curriculum 2005 and for further research.The book will assist OBE teachers, researchers, and curriculum advisers to reflect and understand problems encountered by farm school teachers.