DATE: MONDAY, JANUARY 19 th 2015 VENUE: CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINISTER, LONDON. 1
1.0 Teacher Quality Teacher quality has been an issue under review and today remains a relevant policy issue. This is because the quality of education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and neither can the quality of teaching exceed the quality of the system in place to recruit, train, develop and advance teachers (Barber & Mourshed, 2007; Asia Society, 2012) 2
Teacher quality is perceived to be the main driver that has salient influence on student achievements and their cognitive, affective and behavior outcomes of schooling (Barber & Mourshed, 2007; Asia Society, 2012). For Kenya, quality teaching has a direct bearing on Kenya s goals of development as espoused in the tenets of Education for All 3
It is also instrumental in the realization of the MDG S for industrialization by 2030 (Kenya Development Plan, 2008) So who is a Quality Teacher? A quality teacher refers to one with high intellect, sound subject mastery, classroom behavior, academic ability, advanced degrees and great aptitude for engaging learners (Tucker, 2011) 4
It is also considered as an output measure based on student performance and also describes well qualified teachers as those holding state certification. For purposes of this paper, the clearest and potentially useful definition is that adopted from the centre of high impact philanthropy (2011, p7). 5
Where quality teacher is defined as one who has positive effect on student learning and development through a combination of content mastery, command of a broad set of pedagogical communication and interpersonal skills. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES STRATEGIES EMPLOYED TO ACCELERATE TEACHING QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN KENYA 6
2.0 Strengthening Teacher Governance Quality teacher governance is vital to reduce disadvantage in learning as well as to maintain teacher discipline and maximize returns (UNESCO, 2014) The Constitution of Kenya (2010)has effectively delinked teacher management from mainstream MOEST by creating a constitutional body Teachers Service Commission (TSC). Autonomy of TSC is expected to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of teaching services countrywide. 7
3.0 Teacher Recruitment The first step towards ensuring quality is to get highly qualified candidates into the profession. The minimum qualification for primary teacher applicants in Kenya is set at grade C constant and C+ for Bachelor of Education programmes. Potential candidates must also exhibit strength in other relevant aspects of the curriculum such as co- curricular activities as well as favourable interview assessment. 8
4.0 Ini=al Teacher Educa=on and Training Initial teacher education should impact skills needed to teach learners of differing capabilities as well as lay the foundation for ongoing training. At all levels of teacher training in Kenya, the curriculum combines training in both subject content and pedagogy in a concurrent mode. Teacher training curriculum therefore seeks to facilitate acquisition of competencies in diverse content areas including Special Needs Education (SNE) and Guidance & Counseling 9
5.0 Con=nuous Professional Development of Teachers As observed by UNESCO 2014, continuous professional development is essential for several purposes including updating of teachers knowledge of subject and teaching skills in light of new techniques. It also enables teachers to apply curriculum changes Enables institutions to develop innovations in teaching practice and enhances teachers effectiveness 10
In Kenya, the Education Act 2013, National Education Sector Plan (2013-2018), Sessional Paper No. 14 of 2012 have placed significant emphasis on continuous professional development of teachers. The above policy frameworks have empowered the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa ( CEMASTEA) to coordinate in- service training programmes on behalf of MoEST 11
6.0 Engagement of Teachers in Educa=onal Reforms Reforms invariably fail if teachers do not understand them or when they do not have the capacity to implement them. This is the gap between policy and practice. Teachers must therefore be engaged actively both at Institutional level and at the level of teachers organizations. In Kenya this has been the practice as evidenced by engagements between MoEST and Teachers Unions. 12
7.0 Supervision Supervision of Education programmes is known to enable teachers achieve both quantitative and qualitative instructional delivery outcomes. Supervision is thus an indispensable in the teaching and learning process and the overall school educational objectives. 13
How has this been facilitated in Kenya? Strengthening of education oversight institutions including Education, Standards and Quality Assurance Council (ESQAC) and Commission for University Education (CUE). Current move to strengthen institutional quality assurance countrywide Strengthening of public private partnership in the provision of educational quality by involving stakeholders. 14
8.0 Con=nuous Improvement of the Terms and Condi=ons of Teachers Service MoEST addresses issues of teachers welfare through implementation of a structured systems of incentives. This involves salaries and allowances that are regularly reviewed in tandem with economic circumstances. 15
9.0 Conducive Teaching and Learning Environment Focus is currently on institutionalization of the child friendly schools (CFS) concept by education institutions countrywide. Provision of teaching and learning materials through Free Primary (FPE) and Free Day Secondary Schools (FDSE). Integration of ICT into the curriculum. 16
10.0Teacher Accountability Designing effective teacher evaluation system requires careful balancing of the objectives, improvement and accountability. Teacher evaluation in Kenya is conducted by several professionals in and outside the Institutions, including departmental heads and administrators. The Principal of the Year Award (POYA) and Teacher of the Year Award (TOYA) are examples of strategies employed to award teachers following appraisal based adoption of best practices. 17
11.0 Conclusion We have made good progress in establishing Universal Primary Education (UPE) However, in the quest to accelerate improvement of teacher quality, we have had to deal with a few challenges. These are quality of teacher preparation, inadequate supervision, and perennial issue of industrial action by teachers in relation 28 January to 2015 salaries demands. 18
THANK YOU 19
REFERENCES Asia Society (2012) Teaching and Leadership for the Twenty- First Century. The 2012 International Summit on the Teaching Profession. http://asiasociety.org/files/ 2012teachingsummit.pdf Barber &Mourshed, 2007 Basic Education Act (2013). Government of Kenya 20
Constitution of Kenya (2010) Government of Kenya EFA (2010) Early Reading: Igniting Education for All. Report by the Early Grade Learning Community of Practice- EGLCP EFA Global Monitoring Report (2005) UNESCO 21
EFA Global Monitoring Report (2014) UNESCO Hightower, A., Delgado, R., Lloyd, S., Wittenstein, R., Sellers, K., &Swanson, C. B (2011).Improving Student Learning by Supporting Quality Teaching: Key Issues, Effective Strategies. Centre for High Impact Philanthropy 22
Kenya National Development plan. (2002-2008). Government of Kenya National Education Sector Support Programme (NESSP). Priorities and Proposed Sector Programmes (2013/2014-2017/2018). Government of Kenya 23
Phillips, D. & M. Schweisfurth. (2006). Comparative and International Education. An Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. Sahlberg, P. (2011). Finish Lessons. What can the world learn from educational change in Finland? New York. Teachers College Press. 24