Book Chapter: Issues Related To The Professional Development Program For Teachers In Tanzania

Abstract

This chapter examines the critical issues surrounding teacher professional development programs in Tanzania, exploring their historical evolution, current status, and future directions. Professional development is positioned as an ongoing process essential for teachers to acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for effective educational delivery. The chapter traces the development of teacher education in Africa from the colonial era to present day, highlighting how European educational models shaped initial teacher training and how post-independence reforms have attempted to address indigenous knowledge systems and contemporary educational challenges. Key topics discussed include: the historical background of teacher professional development; understanding teacher development and knowledge frameworks (including general pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and disciplinary knowledge); the organization of professional development programs; various professional development strategies; and evaluation methodologies for assessing program effectiveness. The chapter addresses significant challenges facing teacher professional development in Tanzania, including inadequate funding, lack of coordination among stakeholders, insufficient time for teachers to participate in training, poor infrastructure, and the gap between pre-service preparation and in-service needs. It also examines the implementation of competence-based curriculum and learner-centered approaches, exploring factors that influence teachers' ability to apply professional development skills in classrooms. Drawing on learning theories such as behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, humanism, and connectivism, the chapter provides a theoretical foundation for understanding effective professional development practices. The chapter emphasizes that quality teacher development is fundamental to improving educational outcomes and proposes that systematic investment in teacher professional development, supported by adequate resources and coordinated strategies, is essential for building effective education systems in Tanzania and similar contexts.