Strengthening teacher professional development and mentorship in Tanzania, Kenya and South Sudan

Effective teacher professional development is relevant for improving educational outcomes, particularly in regions facing significant challenges like Sub-Saharan Africa, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4's objective of achieving quality education for all by 2030. Despite efforts by governments and development partners, existing programs often fall short in enhancing teachers' pedagogical skills, content mastery, and overall well-being, leading to suboptimal teaching quality and student learning outcomes.
09. August 2024

From July 2024 till December 2026 a 30-month research-based initiative called “Strengthening Teacher Professional Development and Mentorship in Tanzania, Kenya and South Sudan” will be implemented using the inclusive School-based In-service Teacher Training (SITT) innovation. This initiative, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is part of a regional, multi-country research and development venture involving Tanzania, Kenya and South Sudan, and is based on a further development and scaling up of the Inclusive School-based In-service Teacher Training (SITT), an innovation  developed by HELVETAS and presently implemented in selected primary and secondary schools in the Northern, Southern and Central Corridor of Tanzania, involving Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST) and President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) at different levels including Teachers’ Colleges, LGAs, Communities and Schools.

The project will be jointly implemented by the Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) the Lead and HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation for Tanzania, Kibabii University for Kenya and the University of Juba  for South Sudan. This project aims to address these challenges through the adaptation and scaling of the School-based In-service Teacher Training (SITT) innovation, with a focus on generating and mobilizing evidence to strengthen teachers' professional development, well-being, and agency. SITT involves training college tutors to facilitate the training of teachers, who will then train, coach, and mentor their fellow teachers through team teaching, model lessons, and peer learning.

The overall objective of the project: To generate and mobilize evidence to adapt, contextualize and scale the impact of promising or proven approaches to strengthen teachers’ professional development, their well-being and agency with reference to the SITT approach.

The specific objectives intend to: Generate evidence on how to scale the impact of promising or proven innovative approaches to enhance teacher professional development and mentorship, strengthen the capacities of relevant stakeholders to apply knowledge and innovation to improve teacher professional development and mentorship, strengthen Gender Equality and Inclusion through enabling women's participation and leadership in decision making processes at all levels and mobilize the evidence developed to improve policy and practice in the education system.

The project intends to work with 21 Teachers' Colleges (7 from Tanzania, 7 from Kenya, and 7 from South Sudan) and 105 Primary Schools (35 in Kenya, 35 in Tanzania, and 35 in South Sudan): Each TC will provide mentorship and coaching support to 5 selected primary schools. In Tanzania, HELVETAS  will work with the Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) in the following regions: Coast, Morogoro, Singida, Dodoma, Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam by engaging 7 Teacher Colleges Vikindu TC - Coast, DUCE University - Dar es Salaam, Morogoro TC - Morogoro region, Kinampanda TC -Singida region, Bustani TC - Dodoma region, Patandi TC - Arusha region and Singachini TC - Kilimanjaro region and 35 primary schools from 7 Districts Councils, namely, Mkuranga DC - Coast region, Temeka MC - Dar es Salaam region, Morogoro MC - Morogoro region, Iramba DC - Singida region, Kondoa DC - Dodoma region, Meru DC -Arusha region, and Moshi DC - Kilimanjaro region.

For more information: Strengthening teacher professional development and mentorship in Tanzania, Kenya and South Sudan | GPEKIX