Improving Primary Teacher Education: A Malawi Case

Across sub-Saharan Africa, it is becoming very clear that many, many children are not learning basic skills in primary schools. There are multiple reasons, but recent seminars at the Faculty of Education (Bob Moon and John Pryor/Jo Westbrook) have indicated that the inadequate preparation of primary teachers is a significant factor. This seminar builds on earlier contributions, reporting on work currently being undertaken in Malawi with primary teachers colleges and their partnership schools, with a particular focus on the school-based second year spent in often struggling primary schools. Issues to do with demography, funding and sustainability are considered and early evaluation findings reported.