The Ministry of Education is reintroducing the pre-service certificate course for secondary school teachers commonly known as the Secondary Teacher Training Certificate (STTC).
The exercise is part of the strategy to maintain the quality of education as a result of the retirement of teachers in April this year due to the new retirement age policy. The Ministry has to recruit graduate teachers without teacher training and this programme has been revived to train these teachers to become professional teachers.
About 120 teachers will be recruited in November to start the 12th Cycle of this programme and are expected to graduate in December 2010.
The first cycle of the programme which was funded by the Australian government began on 23rd November 1990 at the Nasinu Residential College currently known as the FCAE.
When Cycle 11 ended in 2003, a total of 1034 participants graduated with STTC Certificates.
Four subject combinations will be offered in Cycle 12, which are Accounting & Economic; Biology & Chemistry; Mathematics & Physics and English/History/Geography.
Stage 1 of Cycle 12 will begin on November 30, 2009.
Filipe Bole
Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment.