Research article

The Uphill in technical Teacher upgrading in Malawi: enhancement TEVET outcome programme

Noel Kufaine

Department of Technical Education, University of Malawi, P/b 303, Chichiri, Blantyre 3, Malawi

Author E-mail: noel.kufaine@yahoo.com, nkufaine@poly.ac.mw

Abstract

There have been efforts to achieve TEVET reform in Malawi whose emphasis has been to develop TEVET training system, capacity building, teaching and learning methods. The Enhancing TEVET Outcome programme was designed to upgrade technical teachers in order to improve the training outcome. The study looked at the technical teacher upgrading programme purpose, detailed explanation of the unit organisation and implementation. The study also explored the perceptions of the different student and program implementers. The study sampled the first two cohorts from the ETO programme and interviewed 20 graduates from the programme and four (4) principals from technical colleges two (2) from publish and two (2) from private where students were based. The study reveals that technical teacher training is complex and upgrading and professional development is inevitable. From the results it shows that the technical teacher upgrading programme concentrated on masterly of teaching methodology only. However, from the principals’ response there is change being experienced after the programme. The technical teacher development programme that promotes two areas of masterly represents a new paradigm and needs to be understood before implementing.

Keywords: Upgrading, professional development, skills, knowledge