TOWARDS ENHANCED TEACHER QUALITY IN KENYA FOR THE 21st T CENTURY LEARNER

Abstract

Education is the chief determinant of social, political and economic development of a country. Achievement of the Kenya Vision 2030 relies on teacher quality. Teacher quality is critical in determining quality of education of any country and research shows that good teaching matters. In countries like Israel, a teacher must be a holder of a post graduate degree and then train to teach in their area of interest. This paper seeks to answer the research question: Is Kenya developing teachers for the 21st century? The methodology employed was document analysis. Literature on what constitutes a profession was explored; teacher quality and teacher classroom practice in Kenya were reviewed. The findings revealed that the quality of teacher training is considered poor owing to low entry requirement into teacher training institutions, observed transmission approach in classroom teaching, and general perception about the teaching career. It was concluded that Kenya needs to enhance teacher quality. Teachers of all levels should hold at least a first degree and should have chosen teaching as their first choice. In addition, teacher training should be improved.