Quality of Life Through Capacity Development in Junior Primary Teacher Education

Abstract

"It's a dream come true." Over the last 4 years, this is a common sentiment echoed by two groups of teachers in Namibia: in-service teachers selected to participate in a university program designed to upgrade teaching skills, and teachers participating in a national research project who received a toolkit of educational resources as an intervention to address challenges in the classroom. A multi-disciplinary capacity building project in teacher education brought together Namibian educators from the University of Namibia (UNAM), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Namibian Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC), all sharing a vision to improve primary education in Namibia. The project began with a national needs assessment, involved pre- and lower primary school teachers, officials from the MoEAC and UNESCO, and UNAM teacher education lecturers in an action research study. The entire education community shared a common vision and sense of responsibility for improving the quality of teaching, especially for literacy and numeracy programs in Government pre- and lower primary classrooms. The 2-year action research project provided the foundation and model for a large scale national project aimed at elevating the qualifications for approximately 3000 un- and underqualified teachers teaching in the preand lower primary phase. This chapter describes the research, innovative practices and impact on the quality of life for the educators from varied educational sectors, who are participating in this national project.