What is a ‘quality TVET lecturer’? Problematising the concept of quality in vocational education

Abstract

Notions of ‘quality’ in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and the ‘quality TVET lecturer’ are often referred to in policy and public discourse in South Africa but are rarely defined. This leads to only partial identification of what is necessary for driving up quality. This article reports on a review and survey of how the ‘quality TVET lecturer’ is understood in academic literature and public and policy discourse in South Africa. Through the Bourdieusian lens of fields, we identify the quality TVET lecturer as a player in two fields – education and the economy, which have distinct identities, rules and power dynamics. We argue that knowledge, skills, expertise and qualifications from both the education and the economic fields are important. Therefore, attempts to improve quality by focusing on the competence and commitment of TVET lecturers according to their teaching is likely to have a limited impact on TVET lecturer quality. While the model presented is based on work in South Africa, this framing of quality is relevant to Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the challenge faced by many TVET systems of linking TVET to industry.