Assessing the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs to Improve the Quality of School Education in Nepal

Inadequate transfer of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours from the training environment to the workplace environment has emerged as a global issue. Teachers’ training has not been an exception. Available literature on teacher training indicates that the contribution of training can be assessed at least on six dimensionsquality, access, equity, efficiency, teacher development and overall school development. Studies conducted in the area of teacher training or teacher professional development in the context of Nepal are also evident of lack of sufficient transfer of knowledge and skills from training to workplace. There are several factors facilitating or inhibiting the extent of such transfer. Research shows that the training of teachers has contributed and can positively influence quality of education if stakeholders are made aware of and well informed about the quality and relevance of training and development interventions carefully designed and implemented for the capacity development of teachers, teacher educators or trainers. This article has been derived from the synopsis of a comprehensive study conducted in Nepal and concluded in March 2010. Data bases of 4033 trained teachers of 45 schools from 25 sample districts were studied. This study was a blending of quantitative as well as qualitative approaches. Nine education experts and 22 field researchers were involved. The author was the team leader of the study. The only academic purpose of this article is to inspire excellence in teaching, learning and performance by means of professionalism and capacity building of teachers, teacher trainers and their employers.

Nepal?" Six thematic areas of possible contribution (quality, access, equity, efficiency, teacher development and overall school development) were then derived from the purpose and scope of the study to address the key question and nine other subsidiary research questions included in this study.
Trends and gaps established from a comprehensive review of related literature and previous research, including studies conducted so far before the establishment of institutional arrangement for teacher training and after, revealed that there is not sufficient national literature on teacher training in Nepal.Such literature is available in different forms.Trends showed that most authentic of the literature could be categorized basically under three major clusters: literature compiled under different reform oriented commissions or government documents, experience or observation-based technical reviews or assessments and limited field based research studies.Almost all of these studies were found to have been carried out in a ritualistic fashion as if they were commissioned simply to comply with the program targets.They have contributed very little in the fundamental knowledge base on the learning behaviour of students or teaching behaviours of teachers.They also have contributed very little toward theory building on teacher training.
Major gaps of those studies could be identified thatthese studies were carried out mostly by commercial motives and did not constitute fundamental studies to add significantly to the knowledge base, the studies were not comprehensive to include important aspects of teacher training, they lacked in both theory and practice based significance, they largely failed to pay attention to the actual behaviour patterns of trained teachers.Those studies have in general not covered the environment under which the trained teachers have to work in schools, and above all, none of those studies examined teacher training from the perspective of its impact on the various aspects such as quality, access, equity, efficiency, teacher development and overall school development as the major aspects of education system development as a whole.This review showed that earlier studies were confined to classroom analysis.Only a few studies mentioned about quality and equity, for example.Thus the present study is a comprehensive research ever done in the field of contribution of teacher training.Quantitative information and qualitative inquiries included in this study represent a sample of 25 districts and 45 schools that represented districts where teacher training institutions exist, 15 other districts where such institutions do not exist and Jumla from Karnali zone.In addition to Jumla, the nine districts included Kavre, Surkhet, Bhojpur, Sunsari, Doti, Bara, Tanahun, Dhanusha, Rupandehi.Likewise, specific school case studies taken from 15 additional districts included Panchthar, Siraha, Dhading, Makawanpur, Baglung, Parbat, Puthyan, Kapilvastu, Bardia, Dolakha, Sindhupalchok, Dailekh, Rasuwa, Lalitpur and Mustang.Altogether, individual records of 4033 school teachers of 25 districts-from mountain, hill and terai-were analyzed.Of them, teachers who were observed and studied-90% were having more than 5 years' experience; 52% were SLC graduates, 35% were higher secondary school completers, 11% were bachelor degree holders, and 2% were masters' degree completers.All of these teachers had attended ten months' teacher training over the past 10 years or before.
Methodological approach adopted in this study was a blending of quantitative analysis and qualitative inquiries.Eleven sets of tools were used in this study.They were (a) School information forms (b) Student 10 JTD 1, 1

Methodological approach
1. Teacher training has contributed to improve teacher-student relations, students are more actively involved in learning and more project works are given by trained teachers.
There is an apparent increase in the students' motivation to learn and succeed.Varieties of teaching methods are used by trained teachers and better results are achieved due to improved objectivity in assessments.GPI has been improved in terms of enrolment, 2.

repetition, promotion, and dropouts.
There is an increasing rate of female students in primary grades; underprivileged, backward, dalits and deprived communities are encouraged by the trained teachers to send their children to schools.Apart from this, the field researchers prepared 15 case studies of the teachers and the schools as well, following the school case study guidelines.
Analysis and cross-checking of the quantitative data obtained from different sources were conducted by using Microsoft Excel software in the computer.Likewise, qualitative information was clustered thematically and analyzed on the basis of informant wise classification.On the basis of these classifications, the team of researchers and educationists together, organized series of discussion sessions over the crude data and information for common understanding of the meaning and implications on the themes of inquiry.Following the discussions, individual experts from the core study team prepared the thematic chapters of the report.
Analysis of the data/information was done through periodic mutual sharing and feedback given to and received by the team of writers and the client on the thematic outcomes.
Major findings of the study showed that: 6.

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5. Based on field experiences, trainers must train the teachers not only theoretically but also practically.This provision demands a rigorous but field based master trainer programs.If provisioned this way, the training guidelines and directives should be reformulated.Since every stakeholder is interested to know the difference between the behaviours of the trained and the untrained teachers, it is worthwhile to keep log on teachers' initiatives and demonstrated behaviours in the schools' contexts.For increased ownership of the process and outcome, such work-log could be prepared in consultation with teachers themselves, teachers unions and SMC/PTAs and be distributed to the teachers for their record keeping purpose.Researchers could cross check the findings of the log and prepare report for wider consumption.

3.
12 JTD 1, 1 With few exceptions, teachers and all stakeholders of education have acknowledged the importance of teacher training.Following this acknowledgement, teacher training providers should develop a form to obtain through individual schools, their intended contents and methods to be incorporated in the teacher training modules.This will help identify the gaps for designing effective teacher training courses and curricula.Materials thus collected should be analyzed at the resource centre level and be with head teachers who were also trained in school management are better performing both teaching and non-teaching assignments.To encourage their initiatives for school development and improved community relations, head teacher training should also be revised by incorporating behaviours that could enhance possible contribution of teacher training to different aspects of quality education.