Transcript REDEFINING THE ROLE OF MULTI

REDEFINING THE ROLE OF
MULTI-GRADE TEACHING
CHALLENGES AND POLICY
IMPLICATIONS
THE CHALLENGE AHEAD
• Achieve EFA & education related
MDGs
– Completion of quality universal primary
education
– Promote gender equality and empower
women
The context of basic education in
Africa/problems and issues
• Rural/urban and gender inequalities in terms of
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access, retention and completion.
Supply side: shortage of teachers to meet
enrolments growth.
Emergence of new categories of teachers –
under-trained and low-paid “contractual”
teachers.
Fiscal and budgetary constraints to train and
recruit additional teachers.
HIV/AIDS epidemic impact:
– Expansion of education systems
– Quality education
– Costs
The context of basic education in
Africa/problems and issues
• Demand side: overcrowded classrooms:
high pupils/teacher ratio.
• Poor teaching and learning conditions in
schools.
• Specific problems in rural settings:
– Few teacher incentives to work in rural and
disadvantaged areas;
– Lack of teacher professional development
programmes;
– Prevalence of incomplete primary schools in
some countries, e.g. Zambia and Mozambique
Multi-grade Classes – an inevitable
option
• MGT is not a new idea nor a prescribed
approach for developing countries.
• In Africa, MGT is probably more common
than we realise or care to admit.
• Some illustrations
• Ethiopia Education Sector Development
Plan (ESDP III) 2005/06-2009/10
– “… MGT shall be enhanced for improving
Multi-grade Classes – an inevitable
option
access and internal efficiency of the first cycle
of primary education for hard-to-reach remote
rural communities, sparse settlement areas,
pastoralists, semi-agriculturalist societies;
– Appropriate training courses and material
development shall also be made for teachers;
– Teachers shall also be trained in pedagogy
and management for MGT…”
Multi-grade Classes – an inevitable
option
• Zambia, MGT was introduced to:
– Increase access to education provision to
disadvantaged areas;
– Increase access to learning in understaffed
schools;
– Maximise use of available teachers and
classroom space.
Multi-grade Classes – an inevitable
option
• Tanzania
– Education and Training Policy (1995) and
Primary Education Development Plan put
emphasis on quality education and equitable
access to primary education.
MGT – alternate pedagogic tool to
improve quality education
• MGT programme demonstrates that
pedagogy is about what and how teachers
teach.
– It analyses the core of learning and question
the age grade system of formal education
delivery.
– All teaching and learning is multi-grade
teaching.
Multi-grade Classes – an inevitable
option
– Even in a mono-grade class there is always a
considerable range of interests, abilities,
maturity and needs.
– Paradigm shift from teacher to learner-centred
is a main feature of MGT.
– Multi-grade makes it possible to provide basic
education for small and scattered settlements.
– Small moving populations such as nomadic
people create the need for MGT.
Multi-grade Teaching and Rural
Education
• Socio-economic factors in rural and
sparsely populated communities have
often changed the traditional way of
organising schooling.
• MGT is a workable alternative to
traditional modes of teaching – it caters
for the needs of teachers and learners in
rural areas.
Policy implications
• For children to learn effectively in MG
environment teachers need to be:
– well organised
– well resourced
– well trained and hold positive attitudes on
MGT
• Key challenges to be addressed
Policy implications
• The Policy Challenge
– MGT as an important strategy that can
improve the quality of teaching and learning.
– To mainstream MG courses within existing pre
and in-service training programmes.
• Changing Attitudes
– To develop positive attitudes among teachers,
parents and education officers of the value of
MGT
Policy implications
• The Curriculum Change
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– Appropriate teaching learning methodology.
– Teachers should be skilled to handle
combined grades.
Resource Challenge
– To design, reproduce and distribute of selfstudy materials.
– To establish mechanisms for regular
supervision, monitoring and support at
regional/district and teacher/classroom level.
Policy implications
– To define minimum standards and
benchmarks for pupils learning achievement
assessment.
– To define minimum standards and
benchmarks for physical facilities (classrooms
size and set up, equipment, water and
sanitation – toilets particularly for girls).
– Introduction of ICTs in education – use of
Distance Education methods to enhance MGT.
Conclusion
• Investment in the skills of MGT should be
seen as contributing to the goal of quality
basic education for all.