The inset strategies model: an effective inset model for unqualified and underqualified primary teachers in Namibia

Abstract

The problem of significant numbers of unqualified and underqualified primary teachers is critical in some African countries. As INSET (In-service Education and Training) is the only training these teachers receive, effective INSET practice is of concern to INSET planners seeking to address this problem. This article explores effective INSET strategies: the criteria for effectiveness being implementation of the training in the classroom. It presents an effective cyclical INSET model, entitled the INSET Strategies Model, which was used to guide a three-year (1995–1997) INSET programme for 145 unqualified and underqualified primary teachers in Namibia. The programme sought to develop teachers' basic teaching, English Language Teaching (ELT) and learner-centred skills, in order to support their efforts to implement reforms related to ELT introduced in Namibia in the early 1990s. The article discusses the stages of the model, each of which corresponds to an INSET strategy: needs assessment, organisation, determination of content, training process, follow-up and evaluation. The underlying change framework of the model, particularly the extent to which it takes micro-implementation factors into account, is offered as one explanation for its success. These factors are the objective and subjective realities within which teachers work.