According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Africa had the highest
proportion of repeaters in primary schools of any region in 2014
(7.87%). These statistics highlight persistent concerns education
standards across Africa and there is an acknowledgment that
inadequate teacher training and development is a major underlying
cause of these deficiencies.
A study published by the University of Sussex found that initial
teacher training programmes (ITTs) in a number of
sub-Saharan African countries failed to adequately prepare
trainees. The study covered English and Maths and found that there
was a large gap between what trainees were taught on ITTs and the
curricula in primary schools. This gap was further widened by the
lack of opportunity for further development once the trainee
teachers had qualified, as primary schools assumed that they
received adequate training on the ITTs.
