| dc.description.abstract | One of the major goals of the Ministry of Education and Sports is to improve equitable access to quality education at all levels of education. However, the quality of education is largely dependent on the quality of its teachers. The TISSA study (2013) identified one of the major challenges facing Ugandan teachers to be the need for them to undertake continuous professional development (CPD) and to link it to their career development and teacher training. CPD helps to address the inadequacies in the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. CPD programmes for teachers help to equip them with the knowledge and skills that are relevant and current to match the changes that have occurred in the education system such as those due to advances in Information, Communication Technologies (ICTs). This CPD Teacher Framework is an attempt to address this challenge.
The aim of the CPD framework is to enable the development of a coherent and robust plan to improve effectiveness of the Ugandan teacher at all levels of education. The framework provides a basis for appraisal, recognition and interpretation of training acquired after the initial teacher training and for ensuring that the teacher is a lifelong learner. The framework will help the Ministry of Education and Sports to implement the Scheme of Service, motivate teachers and improve their professionalism and status. This framework is therefore a useful addition in that direction.
The development of the framework was done in phases, namely: (i) Situational analysis and drafting (Phase I), (ii) formation of a CPD Framework team (Phase II), (iii) development of the Framework (Phase III), and (iv): the validation of the draft framework (Phase IV). The first phase was undertaken by a Consultant who drafted the key components of the Framework. The second phase was the formation of a team of experts based on their areas of specialization to finalize the framework. The third phase focused on the finalization of the framework for teachers across the different levels. The last phase was to validate the several drafts prepared by the team. Validation has been carried out twice; once in October 2016 and then in December 2016 to ensure that as many stakeholders as possible were consulted.
The framework is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 examines the theoretical aspects of the Framework including the nature and purpose of CPD, CPD Models and an overview of CPD principles. Chapter 2 is an exposition of the country context. It includes the situational analysis, education sector experience and the problem statement. Chapter 3 provides the Framework rationale, objectives, guiding principles and expected impact. Chapter 4 provides an overview of competences and standards for teaching and leadership. It suggests how to link CPD to teacher training, career progression and the quality of learning and leadership in schools or education institutions. Chapter 5 looks at the implementation of CPDs using the Cycle approach. It also looks at the resources needed for effective implementation to take place, and the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders. The last Chapter (Chapter 6) examines Teacher assessment and appraisal including the M&E framework and basic tools that can be used for monitoring the progress of implementation.
It is recommended that some aspects of the CPD Framework should be mainstreamed into the National Teacher Policy in order to strengthen implementation. Other recommendations include the formation of CPD committees, the Teacher Council, TDMS and giving more supporting to the Directorate of Education Standards to assure standards. In conclusion, this framework complements the provisions of the Initial Teacher Training Framework and the suggested National Teacher Policy as together they provide useful policy tools in Uganda’s educational institutions. | en_US |
