The Foundation for Professional Development’s (FPD) vision is to build a better society through education and development and the best place to start is with the foundation of society – our teachers – developing their ability to manage classrooms and inspire them with the latest international teaching methodologies.  However, professional development programmes are not always feasible for teachers given their busy, demanding days in the classroom and the negative impact on learners’ performance if they take time off from school. FPD, an accredited private higher education institute in South Africa, has recently partnered with Hibernia College in Ireland, the largest online teacher development institution in Europe, to provide a solution for teachers. From 1 August 2010, FPD will offer on-line, flexible professional development courses for teachers that can be accessed from the comfort of their homes.

Each short course runs for 20 hours of on-line contact time facilitated by an expert in the subject area and can be completed within a three month period. At R900 per course, prices are reasonable for the local market. Courses range from the latest in Maths and English teaching methodologies for primary schools to practical applications of ICT, such as interactive whiteboards, in the classroom.  Special needs education techniques, early childhood education approaches and the prevention of bullying in classrooms are further examples of some of the short courses on offer.

FPD specialises in management, clinical and education professional development programmes, having trained over 100,000 professionals to date across 15 countries in Africa. FPD CEO, Dr Gustaaf Wolvaardt, sees the FPD partnership with Hibernia College as a great asset for South African teachers. “Combining FPD’s practical learning approach with Hibernia’s teacher development expertise will offer the South African education sector a compelling professional development opportunity.”

Mr David Wylde, ex-head of St Stithians and currently heading the Principals programme for Penreach believes that Ireland primary school teachers are some of the best in the world and hopes that these short courses will bring some of the UK best practices to our country. When asked what he thought of the FPD/Hibernia course offering, he quips: “Sign me up”.

To find out more information or register for the FPD/Hibernia short courses, visit FPD’s website at www.hiberniacollege.net. For further information, contact Joanne Brink at 012 816 9000.