Teacher education in Sub-Saharan Africa: issues and challenges around teacher resources and practices

Abstract

The rapid expansion in education systems in Sub Saharan Africa, driven by the Education for All (EFA) targets is causing strain including around the recruitment, initial training and professional development of teachers. This chapter offers an analysis of the current contextual factors and conditions impacting on the situation of teachers across the globe. Then, drawing on this analysis and experiences with a number of international teacher education projects and programmes, we propose a new architecture for teacher education, arguing that fundamental shifts in thinking around the design of, and mechanisms for, teacher education are required if we are to be successful in improving the quality of primary and secondary education.