Embark on your PGCE Journey with Cornerstone Institute:
A message from Dr. Susan Gredley, Deputy Dean of Education
Hello future educators!
Are you ready for the next exciting chapter in your professional journey? Have you considered a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at Cornerstone’s School of Education?
At Cornerstone Institute, we currently offer two fully online PGCE programs, in the Foundation Phase and the Intermediate Phase. Additionally, we offer a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Alternative Education. Starting mid-2025, we hope to be launching a Senior Phase and Further Education and Training (SP/FET) PGCE, for those interested in high school teaching. And, for those eager to continue their postgraduate studies, we have plans to offer Honours, Master, and Doctoral degrees creating a comprehensive pathway for lifelong learning in the field of education.
Cornerstone’s rich legacy of over 50 years is built on the values of social justice, encapsulated in our motto: “Learn to change the world.” Our teaching philosophy is inspired by the critical pedagogical tradition, by scholars and educators like Paulo Freire, a Brazilian intellectual and educationist, and bell hooks, a feminist scholar, educator, and activist. Their vision of a student-centered, participative, and interactive pedagogy is central to our approach.
In the School of Education we aim to nurture empathetic, knowledgeable, collegial, and creative educators. We encourage our students to read widely, stay informed about national and global issues impacting education, and approach these topics with curiosity and a critical lens. Our goal is to develop educators who are committed to the holistic development of every student and who strive to challenge injustices in their own worlds through reflection and action.
Our diverse student body comes from across the globe, many balancing work and study as they pursue this qualification over two or three years. We understand the varied demands on your life and encourage you to see your PGCE as a journey—a journey of engagement, reading, writing, and research. It’s a chance to grow your knowledge, skills, and sense of professionalism as you progress toward becoming a teacher.
Please get in touch with us to explore the program that’s right for you. Let’s learn to change the world together! Email helpdesk@cornerstone.ac.za or send us a Whatsapp message on +276 8704 6496.
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“The classroom with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility. In that field of possibility we have the opportunity to labor for freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality even as we collectively imagine ways to move beyond boundaries, to transgress. This is education as the practice of freedom.”
– bell hooks