School-Based In-service Training Program: The Audacity of Hope for Teacher Professional Development in Tanzania

One of the most intriguing issues in Tanzanian education sector is the consistent low performance of students in national secondary school examinations. Studies conducted in 2012 by Laddunuri [1] and Hakielimu [2] indicated the shortage of in-service-training opportunities for teachers as one of the major reasons for the dissatisfying students' academic achievement. According to the studies teachers fail to attend in-service (INSET) training programs because of high registration fees. This paper shares the experience obtained from the ongoing INSET program in northern Tanzania. The program is called School-Based Training. SBT takes place in 40 secondary schools in seven districts and three administrative regions, namely Kilimanjaro, Arusha, and Manyara. It was set to provide INSET to more than 2000 teachers by the year 2016. It is conducted as a joint project between Mwenge University College (MWUCE), Asante Africa Foundation and AfricAid. The paper explains how the program is implemented to bring change in teaching practices among secondary school teachers from teacher-centered to learner-centered approach; and ensuring the program is affordable and sustainable.