The Quality Standardization of Teachers in Malawi Government Secondary Schools

Abstract

Understanding what is happening with teachers’ availability, training and quality is one of the most pressing issues facing education in Africa today. Over the past decade many African countries have been reducing their investments in teacher training and recruiting nonprofessional teachers both as a cost-cutting measure and as a quick - fix solution to the teacher shortage. In countries such as Malawi, there are a lot of challenges in education particularly looking at teachers’ quality standardization as much of the research has not been done to assess how they impact the performance of educational institutions. This paper therefore, aimed at assessing the impact of teachers’ quality on secondary school performance in Malawi. That was based on the premise that a good quality teacher can guide the learning process of children, making learning relevant and stimulating. The study took place in the Central East Education Division in Malawi and systematically examined teachers’ views on the impact of teachers’ quality on school performance in Malawi. Qualitative methods were used in order to get the in-depth perceptions from teachers because teachers play a crucial role in implementing the educational goals of any society. The results indicate that both the under-qualification of teachers as well as other social problems contribute to low performance in educational institutions in Malawi. Therefore, the Malawi government as well as other educational stakeholders should try as much as possible to address the teachers’ quality challenges as well as other challenges especially in the secondary schools.