Funding teacher training institutions
can compete internationally with the best, if we prepare them to do so. Therefore, this new curriculum is asking our children to think, and so we must now get ready to encourage their questions and observations. This new approach requires a cultural shift for our teachers, and as we know, change does not happen overnight. Sustained and focused support is required for our existing classroom teachers to help them in this regard. We can no longer be afraid that children will ‘show us up’ when they challenge us with an alternate or new perspective. Critical thinking calls for critical thinking and a new level of confidence.
Teachers must be supported to attend professional develop-ment courses at a pace aligned to their individual learning needs and personal circum-stances, rather than the brief summer interventions that currently prevail. On this note, we at The Mico stand ready to assist in this regard through online programme content, and convenient workshops. in the diaspora connected so that we can mutually benefit from this arrangement.
2) Do we offer our services to train teachers for
these nations in need at a cost?
3) Do we address the elephant in the room and fix wages in order to attract and retain the brightest to the profession?
The final perplexing issue relates to the funding of teacher-training institutions (TTIs). There really isn't a chicken-and-egg dilemma regarding where the government should invest. In order to develop our human capital along the lines valued by global standards, we need to produce teachers who are imbued with all the skills and competencies required to chart a new course. Investments must be made in our TTIs to ensure that they have the right facilities (smart rooms, labs, access to robotics, etc); well-qualified staff with terminal degrees strong in research and innovation; and adequate administrative structures to assure sound quality. It is ‘business unusual’, so we can't keep putting the cart before the horse. Investments in teachers and TTIs afford the greatest multiplier effect.
So as we say goodbye to 2018, we can conclude that we are headed in the right direction. We can now hope 2019 will be the time to address the other big-ticket obstacles in the path of our 2030 goals.