Become a teacher

The Jakes Gerwel Fellowship believes in the teaching profession as an aspirational career where the classroom is the vehicle for real change in South African education. JGF follows a rigorous selection process to identify and then fully support high-impact individuals who continue to qualify as a teacher and teach in schools across the country.

Jakes Gerwel Fellowship

Become a teacher

The Jakes Gerwel Fellowship believes in the teaching profession as an aspirational career where the classroom is the vehicle for real change in South African education. JGF follows a rigorous selection process to identify and then fully support high-impact individuals who continue to qualify as a teacher and teach in schools across the country.

After detailed conversations with all PGCE departments of JGF’s partner universities, it became apparent that (1) many of PGCE applicants were unsure if their undergraduate degree qualified them for PGCE enrollment, under the Department of Basic Education’s Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ) policy. And (2) many first year students were not sure on how to craft their undergraduate degree to ensure appropriate enrollment into PGCE.

As aligned with JGF’s mission of positioning teaching as an aspirational career, the Become A Teacher platform intends to provide information for any person intending to become a high school teacher.

After detailed conversations with all PGCE departments of JGF’s partner universities, it became apparent that (1) many of PGCE applicants were unsure if their undergraduate degree qualified them for PGCE enrollment, under the Department of Basic Education’s Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ) policy. And (2) many first year students were not sure on how to craft their undergraduate degree to ensure appropriate enrollment into PGCE.

As aligned with JGF’s mission of positioning teaching as an aspirational career, the Become A Teacher platform intends to provide information for any person intending to become a high school teacher.

Visitors can engage with the site in two ways.

  • The first way is to upload their current undergraduate degree courses and majors and then they receive guidance on what their teaching methods may be.

  • The second way of engagement is for third year university students or graduates to enter their degree information and learn which (if any) teaching methods they qualify to apply for.

First goal of this intervention:

To equip the South African public with information on their potential to enter the teaching profession. In the experience of the Jakes Gerwel Graduate Teaching Fellowship, many applicants are misinformed on the selection requirements for PGCE, often unaware of the DBE’s mandated MRTEQ policy.

Second goal of this intervention

To streamline national PGCE applications. PGCE admissions’ offices are tasked to evaluate every application and many of these applications are from candidates who don’t have sight of their eligibility or not.

The Jakes Gerwel Fellowship is excited to step into this leadership position and this intervention to accelerate qualifying teachers across South Africa.