Rethinking teacher preparation for East Africa’s changing classrooms

DAR ES SALAAM: FOR years, the conversation about education in East Africa has often centred on the need for more teachers. Classrooms need to be staffed, pupil-teacher ratios reduced and growing student populations matched with sufficient numbers of educators. But as education systems across the region confront rapid technological change, artificial intelligence, climate disruption, growing diversity and new approaches to learning, another question is becoming increasingly important: Are East African countries preparing teachers well enough for the classrooms they are expected to lead?

The challenge is no longer simply about having enough teachers. It is increasingly about ensuring that those entering the profession have the knowledge, practical skills and professional confidence to respond to the realities of today’s learners. This question is at the centre of a regional debate on the future of teacher preparation, as educators, policymakers, researchers, school leaders, development partners and student teachers come together to examine how teacher education can be strengthened.

The debate takes place at a time when the role of the teacher is changing significantly. The traditional model in which teachers primarily deliver information to learners is giving way to a more demanding role in which educators are expected to understand individual learning needs, facilitate critical thinking, assess progress, adapt teaching approaches and work closely with communities. The Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, East Africa (IED, EA), has brought together stakeholders from across the region for a Regional Learning Exchange under the theme “Reimagining Teacher Preparation: An East African Learning Exchange on Innovation and Practice.” The exchange provides a platform for participants to share experiences and consider practical ways of improving teacher preparation.

Prof Jane Rarieya, Interim Dean of IED, EA, says the future of education depends not only on the availability of teachers but also on how they are prepared and supported throughout their careers. “The future of education in East Africa depends not only on having enough teachers, but on how well we prepare, support and empower them throughout their careers,” she says. Her observation points to a critical gap in education policy: teacher preparation cannot end when a trainee receives a …