Dr. Conley K. McMullen in the JMU herbarium.

Dr. Ina Joubert (left), a lecturer at the University of Pretoria, works with the Ntataise Project in South Africa, a nonprofit organization that brings together early childhood teacher educators and child care providers in a rural setting.

Dr. Teresa Harris, professor of early childhood education at JMU, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for spring semester 2010 to build collaboration between the university’s early childhood/elementary education programs and the University of Pretoria Early Childhood Development Department. In sharing her first-person article with “Madison Scholar” readers, Harris provides a valuable glimpse into another country’s educational system.

Fulbright Fellowship Provides First-Hand Look at South African Education

By Teresa Harris, Professor of Early Childhood Education

What comes to mind when you think of 2010? Well, for South Africans, 2010 is synonymous with World Cup soccer. Preparations that were under way in 2006, the year I first visited the country, culminated with great fanfare as countries from around the world came to celebrate the world of soccer. The airport was updated with more parking and more services, highways were extended and expanded and security was enhanced. And best of all, Fulbright awarded me a six-month fellowship to teach at the University of Pretoria in the early childhood education department.

Education in post-apartheid South Africa continues to undergo major changes at every level. Issues related to infrastructure of schools, teacher education and professional development, and learner performance are regularly in the news and on the minds of all the stakeholders. From my position within early childhood, I was privileged to visit preschools and elementary schools, work with pre-service and in-service teachers and conduct research with colleagues at the university.— Full story.