UNMASKING THE TENETS OF TEACHER PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE KENYAN EXPERIENCE

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a dual challenge in Kenya’s education sector. This necessitated the need to train teachers for remote teaching at the same time as the country was implementing a new Competency-Based Education (CBE). While teacher professional support, invariably referred to as the “trinity pillars” (teacher retooling, resource provision and psycho-social support), was helpful in preparing teachers in readiness for transition to online teaching and effective implementation of CBC, this paper documents the inadequacies in teacher professional support during the COVID-19 disruption in Kenya. This study employed a cross-sectional research design. Two-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to select the schools and teachers as well as the principals. It was based on the Responses to Educational Disruption Survey (REDS) data from the national centre, school principals and teachers’ self-administered questionnaires. Data was collected during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequencies and percentages were used to present the data, while the Chi-Square test was used to explore relationships. The data on teacher professional support exposes several inadequacies that compounded teachers’ inability to implement CBC and transition to remote teaching effectively. The changes in the education system occasioned by COVID-19 demanded immediate attention, some of which had to be supported by plans and policies to govern the new dispensation in the education sector. In line with these, the Ministry of Education developed a response plan to address COVID-19 educational disruption. In the teacher re-tooling pillar, there was low or no training on online safety, use of ICT and working with underprivileged groups. These gaps in teacher professional support during the COVID-19 disruption need government intervention.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0422/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>