School-university partnership for effective teaching practicum experiences: A study of an initial teacher education programme from Brazil, India and South Africa

• The paper explores how three Initial Teacher Education programmes in Brazil, South Africa, and India cultivate school-university collaborations to support the teaching practicum. • The research identifies key elements for effective school-university partnerships, analysing their role in the teaching practicum through three lenses: governance structures and processes, the quality of relationships, and the allocation of resources. • The paper emphasises that robust school-university partnerships are a prerequisite for delivering meaningful and effective teaching practicum experiences for student teachers. • It highlights the central role of the mentor, who acts as a crucial bridge between the school and university and is a key agent in shaping the quality of the practicum. • The paper underscores the need for strong partnerships that foster more active mentor engagement to enhance student teacher development and reflective practice. This paper studies three university-based Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes – at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), Mumbai University (India), and Nelson Mandela University (South Africa) – focusing on how each institution’s school-university partnerships (SUPs) are structured to support the teaching practicum. These three programmes, selected from BRICS nations, represent contexts where teacher education is primarily university-based and share comparable socio-political features, including federal and democratic systems and diverse political economies . They are further united by a shared belief in educational transformation, which guides the delivery of teacher education. Drawing on data from documentary analysis and interviews with lecturers, school mentors, and student teachers, the paper examines three elements of effective partnerships that support a meaningful teaching practicum. First, it considers the structures and processes governing school-university collaborations and their impact on the practicum. Second, it analyses the nature of the relationships between schools and universities in delivering the practicum component. Finally, it assesses the physical and human resources that shape the effectiveness of the practicum experience for student teachers. The paper argues that while effective SUPs are essential for quality teaching practicum experiences, key challenges impede their realisation in the three programmes studied. These challenges pertain to the governance of school-university relationships, the dynamics between school-based and university-based mentors, and the availability of resources. This research enriches the existing literature on effective SUPs by providing a nuanced, fine-grained analysis of the teaching practicum from the perspectives of lecturers and student teachers. Consequently, the paper advocates for effective strategies to strengthen school-university collaborations, ensuring the teaching practicum effectively supports the development of student teacher competence for high-quality and equitable learning for all.