An examination of Locally and ExternallyInitiated Teacher Professional Development
Programmes for Science and Mathematics
Teachers in Ugandan Secondary Schools

1Charles Kyasanku
Makerere University, Uganda
Visiting Professor, Center for the Study of International Cooperationin Education – Cice, Hiroshima University- Japan.
Presented on 15/12/2016 In Cice Seminar Room

Presentation outline
2

 Background to the study Problem statement
 Objectives
 Conceptual framework
 Methodology
 Findings
 Challenges
 Suggestions
 Conclusion

Background to the study3

Uganda introduced Universal Primary education (UPE) in 1996,by 2004, a bulge of primary school leavers started putting pressure
on the Secondary Education (SE) sub-sector in terms of access.
Other factors that contributed to the huge demand for Secondaryeducation included especially lower secondary education included;
abolition of school fees, change in legal framework, rising rate ofprimary school completion, slow growth of publicly provided SEand the Dakar Framework for Action 2000.
This increasing demand for SE resulted into the Universal PostPrimary Education and Training (UPPET) policy in 2007. This waspreceded by the science policy introduced earlier on in 2005 which
made all science subjects (biology, chemistry, and physics inaddition to mathematics) compulsory at Ordinary (lowersecondary) Level (O-Level).
However, performance in Science subjects and Mathematics has
been unsatisfactory. For example, between 2000-2004, grade
attainment in Science subjects and Mathematics was appallingly
low (about 45% of the students failed) (Ministry of Education &Sports, 2007b)
In 2009, 50% of the students sitting the Ordinary Level
examinations failed to obtain the lowest grade of a pass 8. (DailyMonitor, February 2010)

Problem statement4 Therefore, the need for CPD among Scienceand Mathematics teachers has become crucial.
In fact, several attempts have been made atpolicy, school, and individual levels as well as
through other agencies to improve on theknowledge, skills, attitudes and competences ofteachers in teaching of science andMathematics. However, little research has been
done on the complementary benefits of both
locally-initiated and externally-initiated CPD
programmes.
 It is on that basis that this exploratory case study
was carried out to assess the contribution ofvarious initiatives of CPD in the improvement ofscience and mathematics teaching insecondary schools in Uganda.

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Objectives
To examine the arrangements that are in place atnational level to continuously develop science andmathematics teachers.
To find out what externally donor-initiatedprogrammes are available for continuously developing
science teachers’ proficiency
To find out how practicing science and mathematics
teachers continually enhance their professional
practices
To establish the various strategies that secondary
schools employ to continually develop their scienceand mathematics teachers
To analyse the perceptions of individual teachers
towards the contribution of the various forms ofteacher professional development to their professional
practice.
To assess the ways in which the donor-initiatedprofessional development programmes complement
local initiatives (at personal, school and national level)

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Conceptual framework(Mulkeen et al, 2007)

Figure 1: Levels of Teacher Professional Development

Retraining or Continuing Professional
7Development (CPD) is the main focus of thisstudyPrevious research (Mulkeen et al, 2007)shows that In-service professional
development (INSET) programs have
served three different purposes:(a) upgrading untrained teachers’
qualifications;(b) providing postgraduate degree-level
programs for qualified teachers; and(c) offering short-term training related tosubject and pedagogy areas

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CPD is necessary for supporting
teachers so that they can:Extend and deepen subject matter knowledge forteaching
Extend and refine knowledge and skills in curriculum,instruction and assessment
Strengthen skills and dispositions to study and improveteaching
Expand responsibilities and develop leadership skills
Develop a professional identity.
(Conway et al. 2009: 51).
Nevertheless, it has to be noted that CPD is yet to beappreciated as a crucial component of teacher
development (in the context of Uganda etc)

Methodology
9This was an exploratory case study on theattributes of CPD.
This was done through qualitative semistructured interviews with: policy makers from theMinistry of Education and Sports (MoE&S), DES
and the NCDC, school administrators, and scienceand mathematics teachers.
The interviews complemented policy documents(GWPE, ESSP, policy instruments on compulsory
teaching of science subjects, Education policies,Reports)
For verification, Questionnaires wereadministered among students in the participatingschools(3 students per school)Data analysis was by thematic content analysis.

10Findings
Factors that create the need for CPD
 The dynamic nature of Maths and science Policy and curriculum change
 Changing nature of students and their needs
 Need for new ways of adapting to the changes
 General low performance in Maths and science General negative attitude towards Maths andscience Personal development and need to refresh self
 To develop teacher confidence and interest as
they grow in the profession
 Need to interact with others in the sameprofession

Voices from the field

11“In the past sciences were for exceptional
students, and the mode of delivery was ok. CPD
provides a simpler approach of teachingsciences”. (ATal-04-11)“Most science teachers join teaching not
because they love the profession but becauseof circumstances. Hence CPD is important inorder to make them learn to love teaching ofscience (attitude), get more practical skills toenable them teach well because the majority
lack interest, and also to be able to handle
large classes and improvise”. (ALub-04-11)

Existing CPD programmes
Initiated by Schools

Initiated byteachers

Gov’t agencies
and donors

Initiated by otheragencies

Workshops

Teacher associations

UNEB workshops &sharing exam findings

Mak subject workshops
and other projects

Seminars

Further /additional
studiesSESEMAT workshops

Africa Development
Bank workshops

Departmental meetings

Research andpublishing

NCDC workshops andpartnering with teachers

World Vision workshops

Team teachingPeer-teaching &assessment

Cyber (ICT) programme

Lottery International lab
training

Science clubs

Consult peers & otherschools (locally/abroad)

MoE&S TechnologyshowsKampala
PharmaceuticalIndustries (technical)

Support teachers
upgrading

Science exhibitions

UNCST workshops

Other NGOs e.g.
Revolution Walk Pure

Expert teachers fromother schools

Outreach activities e.g.
UNEB marking

Science exhibitions

Joining student
discussion groups

12

Collaboration withoverseas schools

Delivery of CPDs (organised / conducted)
13
SchoolinitiatedTeacherinitiatedGovt &donors

Otheragencies

Departmental
meetings

One-on-one
consultation

Short-termworkshops& training

SWOT analysis

Peerteaching

1-2 weeks
workshops(mainly duringholidays orweekend) byselection &invitationOrganised

1 day
seminar/worksho Individualp focussed on an research
identified need
Local expertiseand guest
speakers
Team planning

Evening orholiday
study

Area of focus
chosen byagency
Sharing
evaluation
reports

Knowledge/skills targeted by the CPDs
14

Initiated by Schools

Initiated byteachers

Pedagogy/methodology
Assessment /examination skills

Gov’t agencies anddonors

Initiated byotheragencies

Pedagogy/methodologyAssessment/examination
skillsInstructional materials design(creativity)

Assessment/examination skills
Instructional materials
design (creativity)

Professional conduct
Practical & science application

Practical & science
application

Practical &science
application

Technical e.g. equipment handlingTechnicalTechnicalICT

ICT

ICTScience
concepts &content

Science concepts &contentScience
concepts &content

GeneralGeneral
Curriculum issues

Perceived knowledge/ skills gained from across the various CPD
programmes & impact on teaching and learning
Perceived
15 gains & impact

Attributes/Evidence

Enhanced professionalism andteacher identity

Relationship building with fellow teachersMore self esteem and confidence, more ethical…
Teacher approach to science is positive

Improved knowledge

All CPDs involve sharing knowledge
Improved research skills, improvement in theory teaching, ICT knowledge…

Improvedpedagogy/methodology andassessment skills

Teaching is more practical now (innovativeness)
Ability to demonstrate e.g. in physics
Ability to involve learners
Activity-based learning
Ability to set examinations and marking guides with confidence

Improved student understanding& better performanceStudents understand concepts better
More students getting distinctions in science subjects“last year the best student in our school was a science student”

Improved teacher-student
relationshipGap between teacher and learner closed
Students seen as clients
Better guidance and counseling skills

Enhanced student attitudes
towards sciences

Students more confident
Students enjoy learning
More science students at A-level

Enhanced professional esteem
and increased personal benefits

Some teachers have become consultants for UNEB as examination officers orfor NCDC as subject coordinators
Research skills: Teachers have published books and pamphlets
Increased salary due to improved student performance or higher credentials

16Voices from the field“By scoring 10 for 8, it is evidence that CPD programmes are working. The best candidate for UCE scored D1 for all science subjects.
Therefore, there is improvement in the performance of students at
both “O” and “A” levels. (ATal-04-11)

There has been an improvement in performance at S4 and S6science. In the past we couldn’t access “A” in Maths and Physics,
today we have “A” and “B”. For O – Level, performance has
improved particularly in Maths and Physics. (ASum-04-11)

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Challenges in provision of CPD in generaland for science teachers specifically Discrepancy between CPD ideals and reality on theground (e.g. Resource constraints)
 Heavy workloads /large classes/lack of time for CPD
 Overcrowded syllabus/curriculum Exam-driven system Deep-rooted negative attitudes towards science Lack of harmonisation between UNEB & NCDCsyllabus
 Lack of a mandatory institutionalised CPD
programme means some teachers missopportunities (e.g. SESEMAT requires subscriptionfees) Feeling that CPD participation is not synonymouswith personal gains e.g. promotion, increased pay…

Suggestions for improving CPD18

 CPD should be part of the national school calendar & ensurethat every teacher benefits
 Curriculum review with a focus on meaningful and relevant
content
 Harmonise the teaching syllabus (NCDC), the examination
syllabus (UNEB) and CPD activities
 CPD gains would be greater if it goes hand in hand with asupportive/conducive environment on the ground.
Schools and teachers need to be provided with resources
for any effective change at the classroom level to take place(Hall 2000).
 Strengthening the interface between schools andUniversities (ITE & CPD)
“Everything should go back to colleges of training toemphasise hands-on skills e.g. use of computers inteaching”. (Thil-04-11)
 Down-size or further decentralize clusters from regionaldistrict to school-based clusters in a given locality

19Voices from the field

For SESEMAT, although they do regional training/facilitation, It is high timethey came down on ground. The practicality in workshops is simple but afollow-up at the bottom is needed (TKcb-04-11).
Monitoring and evaluation: to generate solid evidence that CPD interventions
workInstitute a reward system for teachers who develop through CPD

Conclusion There are several factors that account for the need for CPD. All are
20 necessary and important for holistically developing scienceeducation
 Gains from CPD cannot be overemphasised Different actors in CPD provision (sometimes duplicating efforts):
need for a more coherent approach Possible to have a mandatory institutionalised CPD model
benefitting all teachers? How could it look like?
 CPD should be viewed as an essential component of Teacher
Education & Development (see Mulkeen model)
 CPD could be deliberately & systematically organised tocater for core professional attributes (Deepen subject matterknowledge for teaching, extend and refine knowledge andskills in curriculum, instruction and assessment, strengthen skills
for improved teaching (methodology), develop leadershipskills, develop a professional identity(Conway et al. 2009: 51).

References
21

Conway, FP, Murphy, R, Rath, A and Hall, K (2009). Learning to teach and its
implications for the continuum of teacher education: A nine-country cross-nationalstudy. Dublin: The Teaching Council.
Daily Monitor, 4 February 2010. Retrieved from www.monitor.co.ug
Hall, K (2000) A Conceptual Evaluation of Primary Assessment Policy and theEducation Policy Process in the Republic of Ireland. Compare, Vol. 30, No 1.
Mulkeen, A, Chapman, DW, DeJaeghere, JG, and Leu, E (2007). Recruiting, retaining,and retraining secondary school teachers and principals in Sub-Saharan Africa. WorldBank Working Paper No. 99. African Human Development Series. Washington DC: TheWorld Bank.
MoE&S (2007a) Project proposal for the expansion of the Secondary Science
Education and Mathematics Teachers’ (SESEMAT) pilot project. Support towardsimplementation of Universal Post-Primary Education and Training (UPPET). Kampala:Ministry of Education and Sports.
MoE&S (2007b) Statistical Abstracts. Kampala: Ministry of Education & Sports
MoE&S (2010) Statistical Abstracts. Kampala: Ministry of Education & Sports

I thank you for your attention