Quality teachers key

THIS letter reiterates DHERST Minister’s statement on teacher’s upgrade of qualification to achieve quality education.
Standards-Based Education (SBE) requires quality teachers to deliver quality education in the country.
SBE reform entails elementary, primary and secondary education and teacher training colleges.
The concern raised about qualification upgrade of teachers to improve quality of education is a global concern.
PNG is an affiliate member of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Unesco body which deliberate on quality teachers and contributed to SBE reform to achieve quality education.
The education minister in his three-year appointment has contributed to quality education through presenting progressive education assessment report in achieving Millennium Sustainable Development Goals and facilitate recommendations within education plan, policy, legislation, act of parliament; issue ministerial and secretarial directives and circular for teachers and stakeholder’s implementation.
The SBE proposed teacher qualification and other frame work of the education reform respond to this recommendations.
The Unesco education assessment report in 2012 show poor quality of students achievement and identified that one of the factors was attributed to poor quality and development of teachers to meet the needs of education at all levels.
Also research reports asserted a close link between the quality of education in a country and the quality of education in a country and the quality of teachers within the system.
The SBE reform and teachers quality improvement exercise is a government directive derived from researchers, different intervention reports finally embedded in National Teachers Standard Framework.
The NTSF is a regulatory legislative document that provide for a transformative structure to facilitate pre and in-service teacher training programme with practical relevance to professional skills and competence required in the classroom.
The Bachelor Education in Primary teaching and a Master’s Degree qualification for teachers college lecturers are new set of benchmarks against set of Teachers Standard.
Furthermore, upgrade of teachers qualification address the education quality imperative through innovative approaches aimed at recognising and promoting teaching as a profession.
The exercise of improving quality of teacher qualification comply with the 1966 International Labour Organisation and Unesco recommendation on the status of teachers.
It stresses that teaching as a profession, form a public service, require teacher’s expert knowledge, specialise skills, acquire and maintain rigorous continuing study.
Having quality teachers calls for a service of personal and corporate responsibility for the education and welfare of all pupils in their charge.

Alexander Tagi
Madang Teachers College