Egua says no teacher training institution at any level, whether private or government will be allowed to churn out finalists before undertaking the mandatory teaching practice.
“The ministry has only allowed candidates in schools and they are busy preparing for their examinations. We cannot recommend the placement of teachers in schools right now. Still, we cannot allow teachers to exit training institution because this is a fundamental aspect of teacher formation. We are warning, more so the private universities not to take this lightly,” said Dr. Egau.
Earlier on, educationists and principals of several training institutions had suggested that since schools are still closed to non-candidates, the institution could come up with means of ensuring that trainees conduct mock school practice (peer training) so that they can qualify together with their counterparts in other programmes upon completion of final examinations.
There were proposals that the aspiring teachers conduct mock classes with their colleagues where they will be assessed by their tutors. However, Dr. Egau emphasizes that school practice can only be carried out in a real school setting as it gives the trainee a better picture on not only the teaching-learning process and pedagogy but also the entire school environment.
“School practice is a technical part of teacher training. You cannot qualify to become a teacher without school practice. And the design of the curriculum is such that you must do school practice in a real setting. In other words, you must have the classroom. You must have the students or the children, and you must have a school surrounding. So for that matter, for us long as the schools are closed, we cannot do school practice. We’ll do school practice when the schools reopen,” Egau added.
Herbert Ssemuwemba, the principal canon Apolo Core PTC, Fort Portal, who also doubles as the vice-chairperson of PTC principals also notes that school practice is an important aspect of teacher training that cannot be by-passed in the name of COVID-19.
“The suggestion of mock class can’t work. Your fellow students cannot give a clear representation of a primary or secondary class learner. No, never. If schools are not opened, school practice should be deferred. And by the way, it is a full paper, which attracts marks as other learning areas,” said Ssemuwemba.
Secondary teacher trainees carry out two teaching school practices while their primary and early childhood counterparts undergo three of them, including one called child study in their first year of study and two others while in their final years.
During school practice, a student-teacher is attached to a school where he/she is assigned a class to teach under close supervision. Before the closure of schools in March, primary teacher trainees were in the middle of the second last school practice.
Currently, secondary school teacher trainees in different universities and other institutions are completing their final exams while their primary counterparts are left with one academic term before the final exams.