AKU empowers teachers on CBC implementation

In light of these changes, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology recognised the imperative to enhance teacher competencies, aiming to elevate educational outcomes for students across the country.

However, this transition has proven to be a substantial challenge for many educators.

The Aga Khan University, through its Institute for Educational Development (IED), has conducted teacher development workshops with the goal of creating tailored, needs-based programmes that have a positive impact on teachers, their work, and communities.

“The programme we offered today was on the topic of active learning to develop learners’ competencies,” said the Dean of AKU-IED, EA, Prof Jane Rarieya, who stressed to The Citizen yesterday the importance of these initiatives.

With the adoption of the CBC, educators face the challenge of understanding and implementing active learning effectively.

Prof Rarieya explained; “One of the requirements for CBC is that teachers have to engage in active learning for students.” She noted that the workshop seeks to demystify active learning, break it down for the teachers, and show them how to practically implement it in their classrooms.

The workshop focused on active learning strategies, demonstrating how they can be used to develop competencies and assess student understanding.

“Throughout the workshop, we were picking the active learning strategies, showing them what competencies they can develop as well as how they can be used for formative assessment,” Prof Rarieya added.

These workshops are part of a broader effort to professionalise the teaching profession and elevate the skills of teachers, she remarked.

According to her, teachers have to be skilled, just like other professionals.

“…We run a number of series, offering short courses to teachers on various topics informed by our research,” she said.

A teacher from Aga Khan Primary School, Ms Muyenga Kasongo, attested to the importance of ongoing learning. “This training helps us a lot because a teacher needs to learn every day, every time, because the world is moving fast and changing a lot, and education is also changing. If such training is available in abundance, it will help us a lot.”

The Head Teacher of Resing English Medium School, Mr Micah Wilson, also said; “As a teacher, you should always learn something new because the world is changing. A workshop like this gives us new knowledge, and we have been able to learn other methods and ways to teach professionally while we are in the classroom.”

An expert in education, Dr Thomas Jabir, noted that initiatives like the one undertaken by Aga Khan University play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between traditional teaching methods and the demands of the CBC.

“By empowering teachers with the knowledge and skills to effectively implement active learning strategies, these programmes are not only enhancing the quality of education but also ensuring that teachers