Background

Background

For several decades, in South African universities research has been prioritized over teaching in the hiring and rewarding of academic staff. Furthermore, university teaching generally has not been viewed as a professional activity, requiring appropriate knowledge, skills and dispositions and, like any professional activity, continuous professional development.
To address this, in 2018, the Minister of Higher Education and Training (Naledi Pandor) signed the National Framework for Enhancing Academics as University Teachers (NFfEAUT).

In her Foreword she wrote:

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Effective undergraduate and postgraduate student learning requires a scholarly and professional approach to teaching. Academics are appointed primarily for their disciplinary expertise and research capacity and it is not reasonable to assume that they will automatically be well-equipped to carry out this task. It is therefore essential that, across the career continuum from emerging academics to established professionals, there are development opportunities for university teachers and teaching support professionals, including those in teaching leadership roles. Equally important is the need to recognise, affirm and reward good and experienced Teachers, drawing on their capacities and accommodating their aspirations.

Good teaching is a sine qua non for success for the majority of our students.
Good teaching is a sine qua non for success for the majority of our students. The Framework is intended to support and promote the development and recognition of academics in their role as university teachers. It identifies six imperatives for action:
  1. Enable continuous professional development (CPD) for university teachers.
  1. Establish and maintain university teacher development structures, organisations and resources.
  1. Ensure that academics are recognised and rewarded for the work that they do as university teachers.
  1. Advance university teaching through leadership development.
  1. Promote knowledge production and knowledge sharing about university teaching and learning.
  1. Develop expectations of academics in their role as university teachers.