Priorities for the Preparation of Secondary School Teachers in Middle Africa

This document describes a cooperative venture in which leading African educators from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Mali, the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya examined the significant problems affecting secondary teacher supply, and questions related to the qualitative improvement of the individual teacher. The situation in each country is examined in separate chapters, and certain common priorities and problems are discussed in the concluding section. The priorities which emerge are 1) the redefinition of the objectives of education relevant to the needs of Africa, with emphasis on African history and culture, the addition of manual and agricultural arts to the curriculum, and an improved relationship between the school and community; 2) the Africanization of secondary school administrators and teachers to replace expatriate personnel; 3) the preparation of secondary teachers; 4) the preparation of teachers capable of initiating curriculum change in the secondary school; 5) training for leadership, management, and planning; 6) greater coordination between universities and non-degree granting institutions in the preparation of teachers for lower secondary levels; 7) an integrated course of general and professional studies at university level for the upper secondary schools. (MBM)