Challenging the assumptions about teacher education and training in Sub-Saharan Africa: a new role for open learning and ICT.

Abstract

This paper argues that that the nature and quality of teacher education and training is going to be a key element in expanding educational systems to achieve universal primary education (UPE). It is suggested that new forms of school-based, supported, open learning programmes will be the only logistically feasible and economically sound means of educating the millions of unqualified and underqualified teachers within the primary sector. New programmes, the authors suggest, will need to exploit the potential of information and communication technologies. They point, however, to a number of impediments to the development of innovative teacher training policy and practice, including the regulatory constraints that inhibit developments in many countries. Finally they argue for a radical reconsideration of the traditional divide between pre-service and in-service training. Teacher education, the authors propose, is a career-long process.

Citation

Nhlanganiso Dladla; Moon, B. Challenging the assumptions about teacher education and training in Sub-Saharan Africa: a new role for open learning and ICT. Presented at Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, Durban, South Africa, 29 July-2 August 2002. (2002) 12 pp.

Challenging the assumptions about teacher education and training in Sub-Saharan Africa: a new role for open learning and ICT.

Published 1 January 2002