The transformation of teacher education in Namibia : the development of reflective practice

After obtaining independence from South Africa in 1990, the Namibian government saw education as central to nation building and the development of society. Transformation of the education system thus had to influence and contribute to societal reform aimed at equalising the society. The goals, demands and expectations of basic education after independence precluded a mere reorganisation of preindependence teacher education programmes. An entirely new programme had to be developed to take the lead in the transformation and to meet the demands of the postindependence education system. The Namibian teachers were seen to be both the agents and implementers of change. The design of the programme rested on the premise that deliberate policy interventions had to be made to enable teachers to take on these roles. A basic assumption underlying the study is that educational practice cannot be undertaken without practitioners thinking about what they are doing. The study thus attempted to sustain the assumption of the theory-practice relationship in exploring and interpreting the research questions: What education and training do student teachers receive through the BETD programme? In what context is this education and training obtained? How do student teachers conceptualise learning and teaching as a result of the reform? What model of reflective practice To what extent has is relevant for the Namibian system? the teacher education policy been understood and implemented? To obtain answers to these questions data was collected through questionnaires, interviews, participant observation and document analysis. The study puts forward a model for policy formation which could contribute to the successful implementation of policy. It also extrapolates pre-conditions for the development of reflective practice in any setting. The major findings of the study indicate a shift in attitudes to a more critical, transformative and learner-centred system at least in the way stakeholders talk and think about learning and teaching