The role of teachers resource centres (TRC's) in improving the quality of primary education in Tanzania :a case study of eastern zone.

This study assessed the effectiveness of Teachers Resource Centres (TRC's) Training programmes. The study was conducted in Eastern Zone, which comprises of Dar-es Salaam, Morogoro and Coast Regions. The main respondents in this study were the TRC Coordinators, head teachers, trainees, pupils and TRC's alumni. The data was mainly collected through questionnaires, interviews, documentation, and focused group discussions. The data collected was subjected to simple statistical and qualitative analysis techniques. It was found out that there were a considerable number of school teachers who had poor mastery of subject content, poor communication skills and poor teaching methods. It was found out that TRC training programmes were not effective since there was no circular from the Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC) for appointment of tutors. Most of the tutors in TRCs were under qualified, incompetent and had never attended any in-service courses to equip them. Furthermore there was serious inadequacy of material resources for running of the TRCs. However, teachers who had already attended TRCs programmes proved to be more competent, efficient and more accurate than those who did not attend, but they lacked commitment and the positive attitude to their work. It was also revealed that the TRC programmes were not operating efficiently. They thus failed to contribute towards the improvement of the county's quality of education. It is recommended that, training programmes in the future should be improved by providing adequate teaching materials and by employing qualified, competent and experienced teachers. Furthermore, MoEC should set up a clear and specific curriculum for TRCs including a mechanism to ensure that there is effective assessment.