Poor teaching practice
Teachers are the most critical factor in the success of a classroom. Their responsibility is to properly instruct and guide students in order for them to become competent learners who are capable of taking on challenges that come with adulthood. However, this has not been happening as teachers have failed to keep up with how children learn in today’s digital era.
This results into poor teaching practices, which include using the same teaching style and curriculum that was used when they were in school.
A lot needs to be done in training teachers on how to teach and what teaching practices are considered effective. Teachers should also be trained on how their roles as educators have changed over time, so they can adapt accordingly and provide students with a more engaging learning experience that is aligned with current demands.
Social issues
Issues such as alcoholism are a huge challenge faced by the education sector. Alcoholism poses a huge challenge when it comes to finding enough quality teachers who are willing and able to teach students effectively without being distracted or affected.
To address alcoholism, the government needs to strengthen its alcohol policies and promote sober lifestyles. The society should make it possible for workers with drinking problems to get support without fear of discrimination or shame.
Inadequate teaching practice
Getting a teaching practice with good terms is a challenge. Teaching practice is an essential part of teacher training as it provides a stepping stone for new teachers to develop the necessary skills.
A good practice should be based on three components: pedagogy, curriculum and assessment. It is important to have all these aligned with current demands in order to produce qualified teachers who are able to teach effectively.
The government should identify and work with key stakeholders to ensure that teachers get enough quality teaching practice before they are deployed. This will give them a chance of teaching and interacting with students , as well as refining their skills.
Lack of monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum is a key component of teaching as it ensures that the content taught by teachers are accurate and up-to-date. Monitoring also helps identify any gaps in curriculum, which can be used to improve what is being taught at school level.
The government needs to set up a system where the progress of teacher training can be monitored. The necessary data should also be collected and analyzed in order to identify how the training is progressing. This will help ensure that teachers are well trained for their task of teaching students.
The government can use a number of tools, such as questionnaires or interviews with trainees, to collect feedback on what they’ve learned during this process.
Lack of proper facilities
Most teacher training colleges are not well equipped. This means that trainees don’t have access to books or equipment they may need during their training period. Some also lack facilities such as libraries, laboratories and computer rooms.
The government needs to provide adequate facilities or allocate more funding to procure such facilities. For example, they may need better laboratories because labs are an essential part of teaching .
Lack of standardization in curriculum
The curriculum in teacher training colleges is not standardized . This means that, even if they have access to books and equipment during their training period, trainees are not guaranteed of learning the same thing.
The ministry of education needs to make sure that they offer a standardized curriculum for all institutions conducting teacher training. This is the main reason TSC has introduced a post graduate teaching diploma and scrapped Bachelor of education degree.
Conclusion
The challenges facing teacher training in Kenya are frustrating, but there is hope for the future.
The Ministry of Education and the Teacher Service Commission have started to take initiative to address these issues by developing a comprehensive curriculum that includes teacher training modules. This has been met with mixed reviews from stakeholders who feel it does not go far enough; however, this still provides some relief as it will provide at least an introduction into what teachers need to know before they enter their profession.
If we can work together towards improving education standards across Africa, then we may be able to make strides on alleviating poverty levels which would benefit everyone involved- including our own citizens.