Roles of Distance Education in Improving Teachers Competency in Sierra Leone, A Case Study of Distance Education Programmes in Tonkolili Nothern Province.

In Sierra Leone about 60% of the primary school teachers are untrained and unqualified (New Education Policy, 1995). This alarming situation is even worse in the rural area where majority of the teachers are either high school leavers or drop outs. Those teachers lack basic teaching skills require for classroom management, delivery of content and knowledge of content matter. This ahs an implication of effective teaching learn gin transaction’ unlike developed countries where a primary teacher already ahs up to five G.E.C. ‘O’ Level subjects including English Language and Mathematic and some A level subjects before he/she is employed or identified to teach, in Sierra Leone the level of primary teachers is mostly far below GCE ‘O’ Level standard. Thus teacher training strategy for unqualified teachers in those countries is bound to be different without training, the lower his standard becomes’ whereas in developing countries the teacher already know the content of the primary syllabus and his teaching ability is very high and he only needs to be taught subject related to the principles of education and the methods of teaching the subjects.

To make him confidence he ash to be raise content wise above level of the primary school. Basic teaching skill and classroom management without knowledge of content is more dangerous than the reverse.

The practice of assigning untrained and unqualified personnel with no experience to teach in primary schools (foundation years) undermines the development of this practice on the quality of education is already apparent by the deteriorating standard of education at all levels. Ti is common to see that children enter Junior Secondary School unable to read and write comprehensively. Therefore continuation of this state of affairs negate the aims of the new policy on primary education which state “To give children early structural gross cultural socialization opportunities and elementary introduction to these fundamentals necessary to produce individuals, at a basic level, to improve and enrich their own circumstances and to contribute meaningfully to life in their community and thus to its development, (New Education Policy for Sierra Leone, P 14 1995).

The unqualified and untrained teachers also use faulty methods and lack the theoretical framework, which would increase their understanding of their roles and responsibilities as teachers.

Sierra Leone has a very low teacher retention rate. A poor condition of service and low social status of teachers has tendered teacher service unattractive. Most teachers merely use the teaching field as a springboard for more lucrative jobs. This may be greatly responsible for the high number of unqualified teachers in the teaching services.

Distance education is one such alternative, which needs to be supported in order to give untrained and unqualified serving teacher the opportunity to enhance their professional; competence. Through this means the 6-3-3-4 system of education would be more effectively implemented.

Even though some of these untrained and qualified teachers may wish to pursue courses to earn them the Teachers ’Certificate (TC), all the five teachers college in the country haven't the facilities to accommodate all of them.