Status of teacher preparedness in public Junior School in Kirinyaga County, Kenya
Keywords:
Junior Secondary, Teacher preparedness, Teacher qualification, Years of ExperienceAbstract
Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) was introduced in 2017 to replace the 8-4-4 system but this new system has been marked by several challenges that potentially could impede quality standards of education. Specific objectives for this study were to assess how well teachers were prepared in Public Junior Secondary (JS) Schools in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. The study was guided by Dewey's Social Constructivism theory in 1968 and it emphasizes education's role in social and moral development. A descriptive research design was adopted. Target population were 819 respondents comprising 195 head teachers and 623 JS teachers in Kirinyaga County, Kenya and the County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers. The study used Krejcie and Morgan (1970) Table to determine samples size and arrived at 132 head teachers and 242 regular teachers. Purposive sampling was used to select head teachers while random sampling was employed to select regular teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides. The study was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis was used to for qualitative data. Results show that there was moderate positive and statistically significant relationship between teacher preparedness to teach and quality of education (r=0.324, p= 0.000). Additionally, the findings indicate that JS teachers were ill prepared to implement CBC. Although teachers had attained minimum qualifications of a teacher, their teaching qualification(s) do not adequately prepare them for the CBC. The professional development program that teachers attend enhance their teaching skills for CBC and teachers who do not attend any additional professional development program after graduation have serious challenges handling the CBC. Main challenges facing JS teachers include; inadequate resources, teaching subjects they never specialize in, lack of cooperation with the school management, and teacher shortage. Recommendations are the Ministry of education should properly prepare teachers for curriculum implementation, should provide teachers with the necessary training, resources, and expertise.
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