Revisiting high school teachers’ education: Solution to sustainable development in rural Africa

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of high school teacher on the learning challenges experienced by undergraduates in selected institutions of learning in Nigeria and South Africa. Mixed methods research design was adopted for data collection. Quantitative data were obtained from 600 randomly selected undergraduate university students through the use of questionnaires while the qualitative data for the study were collected through interviews conducted with purposively 8 selected university lecturers and 8 high school teachers from 2 selected high schools from Nigeria and South Africa. The quantitative data were analysed through the use of descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data were thematically analysed. The outcome of the study suggests previous learning experiences as a major cause of learning challenges encountered by undergraduates. The paper recommends that the curriculum of teacher education and the type of training given to high school teachers should be revisited, only qualified teachers should be recruited and empowered.