The role played by the International Training Programme in professional development and institutional competence in southern Africa

This research examines different ways in which the International Training Programme (ITP) is contributing to professional development in the Ministry of Education and Training of the Kingdom of Swaziland. The study illustrates how the knowledge, skills and attitudes gained through the ITP are decoded into practice, enabling capabilities within the Ministry to develop and initiate action on educational transformation by implementing Education for Sustainable Development. I argue that the ITP has enabled professionals in the Ministry of Education and Training to apply their capabilities in the form of a personal, relational and collective agency, which in turn has facilitated a cumulative professional agency. The study further postulates that the ITP has gone beyond developing the individual by enabling institutions to initiate and access an emerging ESD community of practice in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Findings demonstrate that the more an institution develops its professionals, the more it can enhance the potential for organisational capability and institutional competence. I contend that although most of the ESD initiatives cited are not entirely new to the institutions' activities, the ITP came at an opportune time to propel ESD activities forward by introducing a different way of operating, which pooled available resources, enabling the Ministry to participate effectively in ESD activities at national and international levels. The emergence of professional capital disrupted the structure on which pedagogical solitude was thriving even though there were times when participants became paralysed and unable to act when their competences were challenged, resulting in what I term 'action deficit syndrome' (ADS) or 'action deficit disorder' (ADD). Continuing professional development (CPD) will need to invest more in sustaining change in order to make a lasting impact. Although the introduction of ESD may not be a panacea, it is indeed a prominent ingredient in mainstreaming quality in educational transformation. According to the research, guarding against the unintentional exclusion of the uninitiated, being circumspect of the symbolic power that overwhelms the amateurs, and exercising caution to circumvent apathy are essential capabilities required to grapple with tensions that need to be surmounted to overcome a "tacit jinx" which functions at variance with CPD.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo