Initial primary teacher education in Lesotho. Multi-Site Teacher Education Research Project (MUSTER) Country Report Two
Abstract
The Multi-site Teacher Education Research (MUSTER) project was a collaborative endeavour investigating teacher education in Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa. The main aim of the project was to study four areas in primary teacher education, namely characteristics of student teachers, the teacher education curriculum, careers and perspectives of teacher educators, and the cost and financing of teacher training in the five countries.
In Lesotho, the study focused on primary teacher education as offered at the only teacher training college in the country, the National Teacher Training College (NTTC), with particular reference to the new Diploma in Education (Primary) (DEP). The College was in the process of phasing out one of its oldest programmes, the Primary Teachers' Certificate (PTC), and introducing the DEP programme. The specific research areas that the Lesotho study addressed were guided by the overall MUSTER project objectives and were grouped as follows:
(1) The entry characteristics of new student teachers and what they bring in terms of their experiences, images, perceptions, and motivation;
(2) Some aspects of the primary teacher education curriculum as documented, as delivered, and as experienced by the student teachers themselves;
(3) The impact of teacher education: how the newly qualified teachers (NQTs) value the programme, how far it changes them, and what sources of support are afforded the novice teacher.
(4) The College: the career patterns, professional development and views of the lecturers, and some aspects of management
(5) The NTTC primary teacher education programmes, the College output in relation to national demand and supply of teachers, and its internal organisation, cost and efficiency.
Citation
Educational Paper No. 49c, DFID, London, UK, ISBN 1 86192 547 64, 126 pp.
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