Professional Development Programmes

Professional development is defined as a ‘process in which individual teachers acquire knowledge, skills and values for constant improvement of their services’ (Mosha 2004, cited in Kwakman, 1998:53). Teachers like other workers need in-service training for their professional development to improve their teaching. Up grading courses assists them of new developments which are taking place around the world in relation to their work perhaps helping them to attain higher qualifications. Moreover; professional development is also known to the highest motivation factor to individuals. With regard to upgrading teachers training, both ETP (URT, 1995) ESDP (URT, 2001b) and PEDP (URT; 2001a) recognize the importance of improving teacher’s profession. In the ETP (URT, 1995:50) it stipulates:

Teacher professional development constitutes an important element for quality and efficiency in education. Teachers need to be exposed regularly to new methodologies and approaches of teaching in consonant with an ever changing environment. The teaching effectiveness of every serving teacher will thus need to be developed through planned and known schedules of in-service training programmes. Therefore in-service training shall be compulsory in order to ensure teacher quality and professionalism.

Thus, PEDP realizes that the teacher in the classroom is the main instrument for bringing about quality improvement in learning. The quality is maximized where there is an enabling and supportive environment. In this state, the learners can participate actively in the learning/teaching process and can have opportunities for personal and institutional development. One of the objectives of this aspect in PEDP is to enable teachers to acquire

and develop appropriate pedagogical skills that are academically sound, child friendly, and gender-sensitive.

However, besides the above commitments, one of the findings in this study revealed that some of the teachers use lecture the method, where a teacher dominates the class by writing on the blackboard and explain; and later, pupils are asked to copy into their exercise books. This would suggest that perhaps due to the lack of up-grading courses this is why they fail to apply appropriate methods on teaching in the new curriculum and reforms.

Despite the fact that in-service training has been organized for teachers, the PEDP review of 2003 found that there was no coherent and integrated programme of in-service training for teachers. Various in-service teacher training events like meetings, seminars and workshops had been staged by district authorities in collaboration with Teachers’ Colleges or through Teachers’ Resource Centres, but these were infrequent and had benefited few teachers 5 percent or less in of the district visited ( URT,2003:47).

Regarding professional development, the following teachers had this to say about the need for the up-grading courses:

I have been teaching for more than 20 years but I have never attended any upgrading course. This is a challenge to me because I cannot register myself for the privately offered courses due to my poor financial position (Interview, teacher July 2006).

I think the government should consider providing in-service training to teachers. It is very important for me to receive this training because it is difficult to cope with new things which are happening in my profession. For example: curriculum changes and introduction of new subjects (Interview, teacher August 2006).

The above responses are also supported by Mosha (2004) who claims that, due to limited opportunities for regular in-service training and development programmes, teachers are unable to keep abreast with the developments in knowledge and innovations and more effective strategies for improving teaching and enhancing pupils’ learning.

The challenge of professional development was also observed by the PEDP Review Report of 2004 (URT, 2004b: 34) especially for some of the old teachers. The report states:

Overall quality of teaching was poor. Most classrooms teaching observed was teacher centred. Children sit in regimented rows and little interaction with each other occurs. In nearly all the classes observed, few questions originated from the pupils who were simply recipient of what the teacher was transmitting.

The present study is also in concurrence with the findings of Athman of (2004) in Dodoma and Kondoa district who observed that, knowledge and understanding of the curriculum by the teachers was generally poor and was delivered via the lecture method rather than through participatory methods. The report argues that, the practice was attributed to teachers’ poor knowledge and training.

The significance of using participatory methods in teaching is evident when both teachers and learners share experience and new knowledge. These methods have, for so long, proved to be productive to pupils who in their learning process they become inquisitive. The idea of being inquisitive and challenging is also supported by Freire on his proposal of banking system of education. That in the teaching and learning processes, teacher should not dominate the class by pouring information to the students’ heads. On the other hand, students should not just wait to receive every thing from the teacher rather they should challenge. This means that there should be a dialogue between teacher and students and in practicing this students become creative rather than passive. Freire (1997:53) advocates:

Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other (ibid).

Thus according to Freire, teachers should not feel that they know every thing and students are ignorant. Teachers should be ready to listen to students because students also are capable of thinking and can present their opinions concerning the subject matter. Hence the system should allow sharing of experience from each other because this will bring meaningful knowledge as every one is benefiting.