Prof Funke Omidire, the Director of the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment and Dr Diane Rodriguez from the Fordham University in the United States of America (USA) co-presented on Pedagogical Multicultural Communities in Teacher Preparation at the Education Association of South Africa hosted its annual conference on the 14th to the 17th January 2024 at the Mount Grace hotel and Spa in Magaliesberg. Fordham University and the University of Pretoria are on a faculty collaboration partnership to enhance multicultural pedagogical communities.

The presentation was based on research that was conducted among teachers in New York and Pretoria, to understand their views on teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The objectives of this Faculty collaboration are to explore methods to improve teacher training programs for fostering cultural integration and effective pedagogical intervention. The focus of this study is to uncover and analyze perspectives of school teachers in Pretoria, South Africa, and New York in the USA with the emphasis on teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners in a multicultural school context. The key findings of the study are the identification of challenges faced by teachers in linguistically diverse classroom environments as well as the exploration of how multiculturalism can be a valuable tool to address these challenges.

Other presentations included the presentation entitled “Outlining SAQA’s Responsibilities” by Dr Makhapa Makhafola, “My journey from an autistic adult to a Postdoctoral Fellow” by Dr Emile Gouws, “Respice Prospice: Re-imagining education in a complex 21st Century” by Josef de Beer as well as “The role of Umalusi in education and training in South Africa” by Matsie Agnes Mohale.