New Energy Among Ethiopia’s Teachers
Once every ten years.
That's how often teachers in the Tigrai Regional State of Northern Ethiopa said they received professional development in 1995.
Now, teachers are going to in-service professional development sessions once a month, and sometimes once a week. And the sessions aren’t held for just one or two teachers from a school, as they were ten years ago.
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As a result of the increased teacher training in Ethiopia, students are more involved in education. |
Today, every teacher participates. “The teachers love it,” said Elizabeth Leu, the team leader on AED’s Basic Education System Overhaul, or BESO I project in Tigrai State. “If you had virtually no professional development and suddenly the education bureau is paying attention to you, giving you good feedback and support, you are going to feel better as a professional.”
Teachers from “clusters” of two to eight schools each meet on a regular basis. Together the teachers learn new techniques, collaborate on projects, and share resources and materials that are scarce almost everywhere in the country.
The clusters discuss such topics as classroom management, leadership styles, helping girls succeed in school, learner-centered teaching, and assessment techniques. Improving in-service teacher training was one of the goals of BESO I, which operated in two regions of Ethiopia from 1995 to 2002.
Program officers for the project also worked with local education officials to improve pre-service teacher education, redesign curriculum materials, and improve planning and management.
The work that started with BESO I has continued with AED’s Basic Education Strategic Objective, or BESO II. However, instead of working in just two regions, AED is now working with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education to assist the education bureaus in 11 regions.
As the country’s education system becomes more decentralized—which is a priority for the education ministry—the regional education bureaus are more responsible for the way their schools operate.
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Teachers in Ethiopia share resources during a training meeting. |
Because in-service, school-based professional development was so successful in the regions AED worked in, the national education ministry adopted the model for the whole country.
The impact of the BESO I and BESO II projects is evident in the schools. Student participation has increased, school directors are initiating more improvement strategies, and teachers are more sensitive to the needs of their students.
Overall, the teachers “work with more energy, more commitment,” Leu said.
And that energy rubs off on the students and helps them learn, she added. “You can’t encourage your students to be motivated if you aren’t motivated yourself.”
The BESO projects are funded by USAID/Ethiopia. AED and its partner, the American Institutes for Research, are working with USAID/Ethiopia and the Government of Ethiopia to enhance the quality and equity of basic education in Ethiopia.
For more information, please contact: Brenda Arrington.
