Evaluation of the In-Service Basic Education Teacher Diploma Programme in Namibia

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The In-Service Basic Education Teacher Diploma Programme (BETD Inset Programme) is a Namibian educational programme under the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture. It is a unified general preparation for unqualified and partly qualified teachers in Basic Education, with opportunities for specialisation in both phases of schooling and in subject areas. It seeks to strike a balance between professional insight, skills and subject knowledge.A process of evaluation was implemented to assess the programme management and the programme workers' knowledge, skills and expertise, including their choice of methodology for implementing the BETD Inset Programme. The aim of the programme evaluation was to determine the effectiveness and sustainability of the BETD Inset Programme.The problem statement of this study takes as its point of departure the prevalence of development programmes that are not implemented in an effective and sustainable manner, particularly in Third World countries. Many researchers and scholars have identified programme management as crucial to the effective implementation of development programmes. It is in response to this argument that this researcher decided to conduct a study on the National Institution for Educational Development (NIED)'s implementation of the BETD Inset Programme. The objective was to establish whether the existing programme management strategy implements the BETD Inset Programme effectively, and to explore the possibilities of recommending supporting strategy. This study also referred to the issue of gender balance in the appointment of BETD Inset Programme management staff.Qualitative methodology was used to obtain information from the BETD Inset Unit and Regional Education Offices, who play an important role in the implementation process of the BETD Inset Programme. The senior managers were interviewed and they provided information about the BETD Inset Unit management structures and the objectives achieved during the BETD Inset Programme implementation process. The implementation process plans set by the NIED were based on terms of reference provided by the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture to determine their effectiveness in achieving the set objectives.The literature review of this study reflects the conceptual categories identified from an overview of programme management objectives in development programmes and distance education programmes. These conceptual categories are based on management models that are useful for programme management evaluation. The conceptual categories point out characteristics fundamental to the effective implementation of the BETD Inset Programme. These characteristics were used to formulate measuring criteria, and they formed the basis for the analysis of the study's results in chapter 5. BETD Inset Programme is defined as a distance education programme.It was deduced that the BETD Inset Programme faced a number of challenges, and that consequently the NIED management had to implement the programme with a limited infrastructure and work force. All these challenges are linked to one major factor, which is the lack of sufficient resources required for the effective implementation of the BETD Inset Programme in a sustainable manner. This study recommends that a strategy for potential stakeholder participation should be redesigned and effectively implemented, in order to secure sufficient resources to support the programme in a sustainable manner.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University