Contributions of workshops as a part of in-service training to teacher efficiency and effectiveness the case of secondary schools in Kilimanjaro region

The study sought to investigate contributions of workshops as a part of in-service teacher training to teacher efficiency and effectiveness in secondary schools in Kilimanjaro region. For the last ten years, Tanzania has been experiencing a trend of poor performance in both Form Two national exams and Certificate for Secondary Education Examinations. The reasons for mass failure provided by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training have raised a lot of questions among stakeholders, including those of the efficiency and effectiveness of in-service training. Thus, the objectives of the study were to compare and contrast between in-service-trained teachers and pre-service-trained teachers in terms of what they do and how they do; determine the attitude of in-service trained teachers towards teaching and students performance; and to compare the performance of students taught by teachers who went through in-service training with the performance of students taught by teachers who never had in-service training or exposure. The study was conducted in Kilimanjaro region. The study sample comprised 122 respondents of three categories, namely secondary school teachers, heads of school and students. The questionnaire, interview, documentary review and observation were used to collect the requisite data. The study established that in-service teacher training contributes towards strengthening teacher efficiency and effectiveness. In light of the study findings, it was recommended that sufficient and effective in-service training of teachers should be made available for enhancing the performance of the students as well. Among others, in-service training should equip a teacher with new pedagogical skills, shape teachers’ knowledge and raise awareness. This is because a teacher without in-service training is like a car without maintenance.