Teachers’ Professional Development in Tanzania: Policy and Practice Interplays

Abstract

This paper challenges the policy and practice in Tanzania to embrace the expanded view of teachers’ professional development. It takes stock of the trajectory of teachers’ professional development with focus on policy and practice in Tanzania. Through this lens, the paper unveils that government policies and practices do not support institutionalisation and sustenance of teachers’ professional development. Existing professional development in Tanzania is mostly characterised with traditional professional activities such as attending one- shot workshops, conference and seminars, which fall short in helping teachers acquire new skills because teachers themselves were treated as passive learners. This paper offers suggestions for reform in teacher education institutions, policy and practice including the manner to improve teachers’ professional development that meets the demand for 21st century. The most significant of these suggestions is to have professional learning that could produce teachers with potential ability to meet the growing demands for the work of teaching in a post-modern era.