I have not heard from my international contacts so I decided
to read the article.
While reading the UNESCO’s web page I discovered that there is a massive shortage of teachers in sub-Saharan Africa. With the shortage of well trained and motivated teachers is of particular concern in Africa, notably in Sub-Saharan Africa where 902 000 additional teachers are needed to reach the target (source: UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics, 2013). We know that every child in the world has the right to a quality education and with the shortage of qualified and motivated teachers is a major hurdle to this right. For too many children, more schooling has not resulted in more knowledge and skills.
The
present programs of teacher’s education and training have unsuccessfully to
provide the new teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to teach
effectively. One thing that happens is quality and equity are sacrificed to
deliver some type of schooling. We all know that there is no short cut to
quality education and learning. So with this in mind UNESCO Dakar is leading capacity-building projects for
teachers in the neighboring areas which will improve the different countries’
institutional and organizational capacities. They plan to outline and execute training programs, develop and review teacher-related policies, and contribute to knowledge production and sharing on teaching. Presently, there is a need for one million new teachers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Another important focus is the development of national and regional qualification structures for teachers in West African states. They wish to enable the definition of professional standards and clear professional pathways as key elements for the identification of teaching as a genuine profession and teachers’ mobility across countries.
The way this relates to my professional goals are because I believe in professional development to help educate teachers. With the help of UNESCO, teachers in Africa will have the same opportunities to provide quality education to all children through training and professional standards.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteIt is depressing and sad to hear that there is a shortage of that many teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa. I am sure that worldwide there are a lot of teacher shortages and so many children to go lacking in receiving quality education. It is detrimental that those that are rising fellow teachers and educators be taught and educated on the importance of reaching all children in order to help provide them with the opportunity to a quality education. We as educators and teachers can always grow in the area of learning new policies and different teaching techniques to ensure that the children are receiving the education that they need.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I also agree that professional development is important. Continuing education is also important to my professional goals!