29 June - 2 July 2009, Johannesburg

A variety of policy instruments have been developed that support or impact on teacher development. Some of these instruments contain prescriptive requirements, and educators therefore have to comply with different types of mandatory instruments. However, it is not clear whether these obligations have equal status or priority, or whether they have equal status or priority when seen from the different perspectives of employers, employees and unions. The Teacher Development Summit will explore and clarify this issue.

When it comes to implementation of teacher development, it is possible that the various policy prescriptions and mechanisms may be competing for the same scarce resources (notably money and time) when there is in fact one common purpose – the achievement of quality education that is delivered in an equitable, redress-based manner. The Teacher Development Summit will address the question of how teacher development is and will be resourced.

Clear roles and responsibilities need to be allocated in the design and delivery of CPTD, and the relationships between the different teacher development initiatives need to be clarified to ensure that they are appropriate and feasible. In the arena of teacher development there is a need to move from a framework to a policy; the policy must provide greater clarity to all parties on the purpose and nature of teacher development, and must give a powerful impetus to the equitable and efficient allocation of resources. The Teacher Development Summit will culminate in a declaration by stakeholders that will support this impetus.

Two processes will inform the Summit deliberations:

• engagement with stakeholders, including teachers; and
• commissioned papers that will form the basis for a Summit concept paper.