Provision of teachers and education management personnel: the impact on the quality of education delivery in post-primary education

Access to primary/basic education has expanded significantly in recent years,especially in response to the EFA and MDG initiatives. As a result of this expansion,there is now an increasing pressure in many sub-Saharan African countriesto widen access to post-primary education. This study analyzes the findings offive country studies (Ghana, Mozambique, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia) intothe provision of teachers and other education personnel for secondary schoolsand TVET institutions.It has been found that, despite official recognition of the importance of TVETto national economic development, it remains a relatively undervalued andunder-resourced field. The demand for secondary school teachers is such thatgood primary school teachers are often redeployed to fill vacancies, a practicewhich not only could be damaging to secondary education, but which could threaten the progress made recently in the provision of quality primary/basiceducation. Countries are now starting to turn their attention to defining therequired profile of the teacher educators, who are seen as key to the provisionof quality in education delivery, but often there remains a mismatch betweenmethodologies being promoted as part of national policies and those which arepracticed in teacher education institutions. Teacher education courses still tendto be academic and theoretical in nature, with little emphasis on the professionaldevelopment of the student. Opportunities allowing teachers to engagein realistic career planning through involvement in professional developmentprograms are limited in all the countries and programs for the training of othersector professionals such as senior school managers, inspectors/advisers etc.are rarely found and then only on an ad hoc basis.Good practice has been recognized and possible pitfalls identified, so thatministries can benefit from the experience of other countries facing the sameor, at least, similar challenges in the expansion of post-primary educationprovision