The IIE Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior Phase (SP) and Further Education and Training (FET), available at Emeris, is a professional teaching programme that seeks to ‘cap’ a suitable undergraduate degree or an approved diploma in appropriate and scarce fields. The programme offers entry-level initial professional preparation for undergraduate degree or diploma holders who wish to develop focused knowledge and skills as classroom teachers in the Senior Phase and Further Education and Training band in their chosen subject(s).
Minimum Admission Requirements
An approved Bachelor's Degree or equivalent qualification, as stipulated in the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ) (DHET, 2015), but consideration may be given to holders of a 360 credit Diploma in appropriate and scarce fields as identified by DHET. The access qualification must include sufficient disciplinary learning in appropriate academic fields, as outlined in the tables below, to enable the development of teaching specialisation in the Senior Phase and Further Education and Training band of schooling.
Important Note:
Student's competence in the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) (English) plus ICT and a second language (excluding Afrikaans) are required components of fundamental learning for this programme. For this, applicants will have to provide evidence that they have these competencies which will be endorsed on their certificates (LoLT and LoCC) or they will be required to achieve these competencies. Students will not be able to graduate without them.
LoLT:
1. Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) endorsement: 1.1 After completing the PGCE in English You will have your certificate endorsed as “Proficient in the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) – English.
LoCC: Second Language (excluding Afrikaans):
2. Language of Conversational Competence (LoCC) endorsement:
2.1. If you have an African language (excluding Afrikaans) or SA Sign Language as part of your NSC OR
2.2. If you have completed a module in an African language at first year level at an accredited higher education institution OR
2.3. If you are claiming proficiency in an African language, excluding Afrikaans, and you do not have certified competence (such as through a degree or your NSC) you are required to pass a competency test for certification purposes. Competency tests are offered in 3 official languages only, namely, isiXhosa, isiZulu and Sepedi.
You will have your certificate endorsed e.g. LoCC: isiZulu.
If you do not have any of the above (2.1 or 2.2 or 2.3) you will need to:
2.4. Register for such a Conversational Competence Short Learning Programme (SLP) at The IIE concurrent with your PGCE and pass this SLP in order to get the endorsement for LoCC.
ICT:
3. ICT competence
3.1 If you have done Introduction to Personal Computing or equivalent (NQF L5) , in a prior qualification and not longer than 3 years before year of admission to the PGCE, you need to provide evidence of this; OR
3.2 You need to write the Introduction to Personal Computing (INPC) competency test. If you pass, your Academic Transcript will reflect the ICT competence. If you fail, you need to register for the INPC Short Learning Programme.
Didactic Specialisations:
At least two didactic specialisations must be taken in the qualification i.e. one Senior Phase Didactic specialisation and one FET didactic specialisation. Didactic specialisations may only be taken in modules that meet the entrance requirements as per factsheet.
Year 1 – Semester 1
Professional Didactics: Senior Phase Teaching (one to be approved from the list below):
Professional Didactics: Further Education & Training Teaching (one to be approved from the list below):
ICT Short Learning Programme*
*Only if competency test is not successful or entrance criteria are not met
Year 1 – Semester 2
Communicative Language Short Learning Programmes - Electives*
*Only if competency test is not successful or entrance criteria are not met
Teaching Experience (TE) involves placing student teachers in South African school environments where they engage in structured, practical learning and apply their theoretical knowledge in real classroom settings. This school-based Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) component is a critical requirement in all Faculty of Education qualifications.
Students will be required to complete a minimum of 9-weeks in school-based WIL (across the SP and FET Phase Grades).
The nine (9) weeks Teaching Experience (WIL) must take place in a suitable school (as determined by the institution) within reasonable range of one of the Emeris campuses.
Access on to School-based Work Integrated Learning (i.e. Teaching Experience):
The following is important in this regard:
All students registered for an initial teacher education qualification with Emeris are required to provisionally register with SACE.
All students undertaking an academic qualification with a school-based WIL component will be required to have a valid police clearance certificate on commencement of their Teaching Experience component in a school.
Students will be allowed access to the main school-based WIL [referred to as Teaching Experience (in semester 2)] per relevant year if:
The student has met the 80 % lecture attendance requirement for each of the identified modules as is aligned to Teaching Experience for that year.
The successful completion of The IIE Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior Phase (SP) and Further Education and Training (FET) enables you to progress into the IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education, subject to meeting the admission requirements.
The IIE Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training (Distance) is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and is registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as a 127-credit qualification on level 7 (SAQA ID No. 101984).
Teaching (Grades 7-12)
Tutoring
School Management (may require further study and/or experience)
Educational Consultancy (may require further study and/or experience)
At Emeris, we believe that effective teaching is about creating experiences that foster student growth. Our academic team design activities that challenge students and identify their strengths, allowing for real-time adaptation in the learning journey. By combining subject expertise with teaching insights and digital tools, we extend learning beyond the classroom. This approach ensures students not only keep up but thrive.
For students based in South Africa, online students may select any campus of Emeris as their Examination Centre.
An alternative examination centre is only permissible for students studying abroad and those located in a province of South Africa where there is no Emeris campus. If there is no Emeris campus within reach, an alternative venue will need to be sourced by you. For non-Emeris venues, there is an alternative venue levy per module.
Duration
1 year full-time / 2 years part-time
Intakes
February
Campuses
Mode/s of study
Information
Explore your options, plan your future, and discover life at SA’s top private institution.
An educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education
Formed by the strategic evolution of The IIE's Varsity College, IIE MSA, Vega and
the School of Hospitality and Service Management, uniting under the Emeris name.
Emeris is an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd which is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (reg. no. 2007/HE07/002). Company registration number: 1987/004754/07. View certificate here.
