Provide Teacher Training and Professional Development in Tanzania
The population of the Babati District is approximately 320,000, with approximately 90% living in rural areas and relying on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood. Only 44% out of the 96 villages have health facilities with the other villages having to rely on mobile health services.
In the Babati District, primary school enrolment rates are above 95% with near gender parity; however, less than 40% of students pass the primary school leaving exam. Following the introduction of free primary education for all children by the Tanzanian Government in 2001, there has been a large increase in primary school enrolments. However, this has not led to increased learning and performance. The Tanzanian school system has been unable to keep up with the increasing need for new schools, classrooms, teachers, and learning resources. Due to a large deficit in trained teachers, schools are forced to merge classes, with large student numbers in each class.
The average ratio of pupils to qualified primary teachers is well above the desired 45:1 ratio and the situation is much worse in rural areas. In 2016, at pre-primary level, the pupil-teacher ratio in Tanzania was 131:1.
How So They Can’s project addresses this problem:
The objective of So They Can’s broader Education Program is to achieve improved teaching and learning conditions in government schools in Tanzania, thereby increasing the number of students moving through key transitional points of their education, enabling them to break the poverty cycle and provide for their own needs.
So They Can’s Education Program focuses on the following 6 education areas to ensure the delivery of quality education:
- Teacher training and professional development;
- Student wellbeing (feeding programs, access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation);
- Development of school boards and management;
- Government partnerships;
- Community and stakeholder engagement; and
- School infrastructure and resources.
Teacher training and professional development
In addition to pre-service teacher training (for students studying to be teachers), our Teacher Development Project provides in-service training and professional development to teachers already working in our partner schools.
Training and development activities include:
- Coaching and mentorship on the use of a variety of teaching pedagogies;
- Competence Based Curriculum delivery and the use of teaching aids;
- Classroom Management;
- Special Education Needs;
- Peer teaching and sharing of best practice in the use of participatory teaching techniques, lesson preparations and student assessment; and
- Coaching on effective leadership and management practice for Head Teachers, Deputy Head Teachers and Ward Education Officers (WECs).
The expected outcomes of the Teacher Development Project are:
- Increased number of teachers using participatory teaching techniques;
- Increased confidence in teachers to meet the diverse needs of their students;
- Improved school management and decision making; and
- Overall improved teaching competency leading to increased academic performance of students and an increase in the transition rate of students from primary school to secondary school.
More Information
Visit Website: So They Can