Ideas & Debate

Why teachers should embrace continuous learning programme

TSC

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) building in Upper Hill, Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Over the past few weeks, a debate has been raging over the Teacher Professional development (TPD), licensing and certification programmes proposed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

Teachers through their unions, the Kenya National Union of teachers (Knut) and the Kenya National Union of Post Primary Education teachers (Kuppet), have registered their dissatisfaction especially with the design of the TPD programme, terming it outdated and unpalatable.

In the recent past teachers enrolled for self-sponsored school-based learning programmes that were not recognised by the employer, demoralising a majority of them. Now the employer has come with its own compulsory learning model that is mandatory.

The manner in which the proposed service providers were procured has raised eyebrows. The TSC must shift in how it handles teachers’ matters.

Continuous professional development (CPD) is a global practice of ensuring that professionals in every discipline keep pace with developments and advances in their careers and field of practice.

CAREER-LONG PROGRESSION

Professional development world over involves career-long progression and related systems and policies designed to enable practitioners to acquire, broaden, and deepen their knowledge, skill, and commitment in order to effectively perform their work.

The quality and performance of teachers have for a long time been considered as determining factors for the success of educational transformation. Different professions have different CPD programmes for practitioners as provided for by their respective professional bodies.

The overriding need for CPD arises because professional knowledge and the environment in which professionals work are constantly changing and developing.

A professional can only remain relevant and competent in his or her area of practice through continuous study. Research has shown that through CPD, quality services are provided and the capacity of professionals enhanced. The main purpose of CPD is to ensure that professionals retain and continuously develop their attitude, skills and knowledge to maintain professional standards and ethics that promote excellence in their industry.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, professionalism is a tool for organising work and controlling workers in contrast to the hierarchical, bureaucratic and managerial controls of industrial and commercial organisations.

Professional work environment is changing and being changed, with the changes in technology across the globe.

Professionals such as supply chain managers, accountants, doctors, architects, actuaries, engineers, journalists, and even social workers are required to be technology-savvy, and to acquire skills and competencies in areas such as data analytics and artificial intelligence to make them effective in service delivery.

The Kenya Institute of Supplies management (KISM) through a gazette notice recently warned of dire consequences for supply chain professionals practising without a licence.

The accounting profession regulated by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) requires certification and licensing beyond the attainment of a Bachelor's degree. To practise as an HR professional in Kenya, one must be registered with the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) and be a holder of a practicing certificate.

The Kenya School of Law offers an advocates training programme which focuses on preparing of young law graduates for entry into the legal profession. No medical practitioner or dentist can act as or engage in private practice or be employed by a private practitioner, unless he or she holds a licence to engage under the provisions of section 15 of the Medical Practitioners and Dentist ACT, Chapter 253.

Compared to supply chain management, medicine, accountancy, law and human resource management, the teaching profession is lagging in developing adequate standards for teachers’ registration, licensing and continuous development programmes.

There is need for a friendly comprehensive policy framework in the TPD programme, registration and licensing of teachers in line with recent legislative provisions.

To be effective, teacher professional development must be of high quality and relevant to teachers’ needs.

FRIENDLY MODELS

The proposed TSC teacher’s continuous professional development must be in line with CPD best practice all over the world. There are various friendly CPD models that can be explored by the TSC, putting into consideration the various needs of teachers. Teachers must not be subjected to professional development that is archaic and won’t improve the quality of the services they provide.

Professional development delivery can take various forms, including conferences, seminars, or workshops; collaborative learning among members of a work team; or a course at a college or university. However, professional development can also occur in informal contexts such as discussions among work colleagues, independent reading and research, observations of a colleague’s work, or other learning from a peer.

To integrate 21st century skills into the current teaching content, teachers have to be open to the proposed TPD. Teachers must not only focus on routine practice of instruction in their respective classrooms but must rethink their own professional learning.

Panya is a Lecturer and Researcher, Jomo Kenyatta University