Exploring internal school quality assurance teams’ readiness to supervise instruction in Tanzanian secondary schools

The purpose of this study was to explore the readiness of the Internal School Quality Assurance Teams (ISQATs) to supervise instruction in Tanzanian public secondary schools. The study employed a qualitative approach, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews and documentary reviews. A purposeful sampling technique was used to select 18 participants from the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. The findings indicate that many Internal School Quality Assurance Officers (ISQAOs) had limited professional profiles despite having adequate teaching qualifications. Their supervisory practices included regular checking of academic records, reminding teachers of their responsibilities, and recommendations on academic matters. It was also found that ISQATs faced challenges such as heavy workloads, poor cooperation from teachers, a lack of supervision guidelines, and different perspectives regarding lesson planning. This study concludes that ISQATs were not fully ready to supervise instructions as professionals, implying that the existing ISQAOs need to receive professional training and that a supervision policy that requires possession of instructional supervision skills as a pre-requisite for teachers’ promotion to an instructional supervision role be implemented.