a survey of the effectiveness of the primary teachers' colleges in the preparation of kiswahili teachers in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the primary teachers' colleges were effective enough in preparation of Kiswahili teachers. The problem of shortage of Kiswahili teachers and ineffectiveness of some of those few who teach the language are common topics in the education circles and yet the primary teachers' colleges are known to be putting forth every effort to train every student teacher as a Kiswahili teacher. There was therefore a rationale for the desire to find out the variables which might prevent the achievement of the goals and objectives of producing enough primary school Kiswahili teachers and of the needed quality. This is because the degree of success of any educational endeavour depends, to a large measure, on the quality and strength of its own teaching force. The survey consisted of several phases: the first one involved surveying and analysing literature and official documents on Kiswahili . For instance the national language policy was looked into as contained in various documents. For example in the consti tution, the Ominde Report and in the Ministry of Education annual reports and syllabi on the language. The other stage involved eliciting views from selected teacher-trainees, tutors and college principals from selected colleges, by means of questionnaire filling. Other education officials such as the Kiswahili inspector, the Kenya Institute of Education Officials in charge of Kiswahili besides the college principals were given personal interviews. The research findings were intended to help in the improvement of Kiswahili programme in the teachers' colleges and in doing so uplift the standard of language and its teaching in the primary schools as well. For instance it was found out that lack of well defined national language policy in education, exclusion of Kiswahili in the Certificate of Primary Education (C.P.E.) examination and compulsion of all teacher trainees to study the language irrespective of their Kiswahili background , were at least contradictory and deterrent to the goals and objectives of Kiswahili course in the colleges.