Projection of enrolment in b.ed programme to meet the demand of teachers for integrated English in public secondary schools in Kenya

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Date
2003
Authors
Mbeche, Ferdinand George
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Abstract
The role of teachers in the teaching-learning process is indispensable if quality education is to be attained. It is therefore imperative to ensure that schools are adequately staffed with qualified and well-trained teachers. However, the problem of inadequate supply of teachers for Integrated English in public secondary schools in Kenya has persisted for a long time. Very little efforts have been invested to find a tangible and long-lasting solution to this problem. The purpose of this study was to project enrolment in Kenya's Universities B.Ed programme to meet the demand for this cadre of teachers. Literature related to the problem revealed that the demand for teachers depend on numerous factors such as; the school size, subjects taught, need to replace those who retire or resign from the teaching profession, and need to relieve overcrowded classrooms due to increased enrolment. Similarly, these studies have indicated that the supply of teachers cannot be entirely left to market-forces. This therefore calls for systematic planning. The study population comprised of all teachers for Integrated English in public secondary schools in Kenya and all student teachers for Integrated English in Universities. This data was collected from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) headquarters and Kenyan Universities. Ex post facto research design was employed. The researcher gathered data on the entire study population. Data analysis mainly involved carrying out the destred projections. The model of compounded relationship was employed for this purpose. This involved the computation of weighted average survival rate and weighed average graduation rate. The researcher used this typical flow pattern to project enrolment in universities to meet the projected demand by 2015. Descriptive statistics such as mean, percentages and frequency tables were used to analyze some of the data. The following were the major findings of the study; .:. There was a mismatch between the demand and supply of teachers for Integrated English in public secondary schools in Kenya . •:. The total number of public secondary schools countrywide was 2895. These schools were inequitably distributed throughout the country . •:. The compounded relationship between graduates and corresponding enrolment at the entry point was computed to be 0.885. The following were some of the key recommendations of the study; .:. The training of teachers should be market driven. Hence, a clear policy linkage between universities, the TSC and Ministry of Education Science and Technology needed to be established . •:. Provision of adequate security, highly subsidized foods and medical facilities, and increase hardship allowances may go into improving the situation of teacher attraction and retention in Arid and Semi- Arid Lands (ASAL) . •:. There was need for the universities to diagnose the causes of student wastage in order to put in place austerity measures to solve the problem.
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Master of Education in Economics of education Kenyatta University, 95p, 2003
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