The Imperatives of Research and Information Communication Technology Skills in the Training of Teachers for the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Programme

Abstract

This paper examines the ambitious targets of increased access, equity, quality and relevance in the provision of basic education outlined in programmes like the Universal Basic Education (UBE), the Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) against the background of inadequate supply and poor quality of teachers as the driving force of these programmes of reforms. The paper notes that teacher quality becomes an issue of major concern given the challenges posed by these programmes of mass education which not only devolve on large pupil enrolments but also the diversity of learner characteristics; relevance of education to societal settings; partnerships with communities; identification and use of local resources; and school-based management and assessment frameworks that are some of the innovative features of basic education. For teachers to rise to this challenge, their training needs to emphasize less content knowledge and more critical, reflective, analytical, collaborative and networking skills that will make them and the pupils they teach relevant to knowledge-based global societies. The paper explores the relevance of research and Information Technology (IT) in developing teacher competencies along these lines and emerges with recommendations for instituting research and IT in the training of prospective teachers for the UBE programme.