Assessing The Effectiveness Of TDC’s Activities In Influencing Professional Development Of Primary School Teachers In Malawi

Abstract

This paper discusses the current situation of the continuous professional development (CPD) programs carried out at the Teacher Development Centers (TDCs) at primary schools in Malawi. The CPD activities at TDCs warant more future research to determine their efficiency and sustainability. It was discovered that workshops, making lesson plans, and borrowing books for classroom use were the most common CPD programs at the TDCs. Other key CPD programs stipulated in the government’s framework of TDC activities, meanwhile, were hardly offered and infrequently aligned with the teachers’ needs for professional development. Additionally several factors have been determined to hinder the longevity and success of the CPD activities at the Teacher Development Centers. The amount of CPD activities that teachers participated in was also found to be low due to issues like a lack of proper TDC management mechanisms since PEAs who responsible for the management and training are often occupied with other activities and demonstrate lack of interest and motivation. The study concludes that the current CPD situation of teachers in TDCs reflects lack of a fully implemented CPD policy framework. In order to effectively provide, participate in, and monitor CPD activities for teachers in Malawi's TDCs, a more comprehensive CPT policy framework in  is necessary.