Today, South Africa is a nation built from the richness of many cultures, languages, traditions and beliefs. Au
(2004:393) believes there is a trend towards greater diversity in the student population and teacher educators
have an essential role in preparing teachers to teach in multicultural classrooms. However, Smolen, Colville-
Hall, Liang and Mac Donald (2006:47), highlight the futility of preparing teachers for diversity if the teacher
educators themselves lack multicultural competences. They believe that in America 40% of the school
population was racially and culturally diverse and was projected to become more diverse. Many of the white
middle-class teachers have a monoculture perspective and they view culturally diverse students as less capable of
achieving academically. Valentin (2006:198) states that all students should have the knowledge and skills that
will enable them to succeed in both academic and real-life situations and to be skillful as well as professionally
equipped to address the learning needs of all students. If such changes are happening in the economical, social
and technological worlds then a global consciousness needs to be evident and embraced as the philosophy of an
academic environment.