TEPATE

School enrolment rates in Mozambique have improved considerably over the last decade. Unfortunately, however, school completion rates and learning outcomes have not improved at the same pace. The Theory-Practice Balance in Teacher Education (TEPATE) Project aims at improving the quality and relevance of initial teacher training at the Mozambican partner HEIs and by so doing, the project supports the efforts of the Mozambican government to improve the overall quality of education in the country.

Teaching is a profession that requires theory-based pedagogical thinking incorporated into everyday actions of a teacher. In Mozambique, teacher education at the moment is regarded excessively theoretical, not providing graduating teachers with sufficient pedagogical skills to apply learner-centred pedagogy in practice. The TEPATE Project therefore focuses on enhancing the theory-practice balance of teacher education at the Mozambican partner HEIs.

The expected outcome of the project is increased capacity of the Southern partners to develop and deliver teacher education that provides teacher trainees with better skills to apply learner-centred pedagogy in practice. Besides academic teacher training, the Project also targets non-academically trained teachers of the country by providing them with in-service training materials to help them apply learner-centred pedagogy in practice.  The Project also targets school managers in order to support the rooting of new pedagogical practices on a school level.

Key results to be achieved in the project:

1. Capacities of selected teacher educators enhanced to deliver theory-practice balanced teacher education
2. The quality and relevance of the teacher training programmes at UP Maputo and ISET OW is developed
3. Refresher course material for teachers' in-service training developed
4. Capacities of selected school managers enhanced