New online platform centralises CPTD opportunities for educators
The soon-to-be-launched Get SACE CPTD looks to bridge the gap between professional development (PD) providers and teachers, allowing for more widely accessible and cost-effective further development resources for educators. The information and service hub will be free to all South African educators and schools.
Source: Getty Images
"For over six years, we’ve worked hard to help teachers navigate the Continuing Professional Development System (CPTD) and better themselves as educators," says Paige Davidson, managing director of Get SACE CPTD (a division of Get SACE). "The last two years have seen a significant uptake in the number of teachers using the system as a tool to further their careers and embrace ongoing skills development. After spending years in this space, we identified the problem that many South African teachers do not have easy and affordable access to the full extent of the activities they can complete to earn CPTD points, many of which are available online. The Get SACE CPTD online platform provides a simple solution to this problem."
Launching virtually on 27 October 2021, Get SACE CPTD aims to serve as South Africa’s most comprehensive listing of PD providers - offering activities, workshops, webinars, online courses and resources to South African educators. The platform will offer solutions for PD providers and South African educators concurrently.
Earn PD points
Teachers who are looking to earn PD points, as per legislature set out by the South African Council for Educators (SACE), can use the site to browse and enroll in activities from anywhere, at any time. Providers will gain access to a comprehensive suite of services including assistance with SACE accreditation, an online listing of their offering to teachers, and the facilitation of their online webinars.
Through Get SACE CPTD, teachers and schools will be able to access webinars, workshops, online courses, helpful resources, Q&A sessions, panel discussions, conferences and more informal gatherings which could take the form of a Professional Learning Community.
Offerings will fall under the following categories: Teaching Tips; Teacher Wellness; Management; EdTech and Innovation; Diversity, Equality and Transformation; Inclusion and Intervention, “The Whole Child,” and; Leadership and Development.
“Through this platform, we aim to centralise CPTD by bringing together PD providers, teachers and schools on one easy-to-use online platform. Our desire is to reform CPTD through making quality opportunities easily accessible to South African teachers and schools. We are confident that this service will help to make the system more widely available and user-friendly,” Davidson comments.