Factors affecting status of the teaching profession in Kenya

  

Date Posted: 11/17/2012 11:41:07 AM

Posted By: jullieflavia  Membership Level: Gold  Total Points: 2188

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The status of teachers have always been seen as low even after several attempts to improve it.

a) Teaching profession engages untrained teachers. It is only in teaching where you find untrained teachers as compared to other professions where only qualified individuals perform their duties.

b) Remuneration is poor compared to other profession. Even after trying to level the teachers’ salaries with others, professionally, teaching is not at the same level with other professions.

c) Teachers have no autonomy, they teach syllabus made by other bodies.

d) They operate with a code of ethics made for them by other bodies.

e) Teaching profession lacks unity, it is fragmented for teachers and this has been a factor affecting the status of teaching.

f) Manning different levels of education have different academic and professional training. This results in different remuneration packages and the associated status and prestige. For instance University lecturers have high status almost comparable to status of other professions. Nursery and primary teachers have low status.

g) Teachers do not generate money like profit making industries.

h) Teachers are not perceived to deal with life threatening issues, like doctors, lawyers and others. Some people believe that they can still survive without school education.

i) Women dominate the teaching profession. On the whole women are placed low in the occupational ladder. Hence teaching has acquired low status because it is occupied by people who are disadvantaged in the society as perceived by other people in general.

j) Working conditions of teachers are very poor particularly in rural areas compared to other professions.

k) Teaching profession is mainly believed to be held by people of rural background. The status of an individual depends not only upon his personal qualities and functions he discharges but also upon his birth and social background. Rural folks have lower socioeconomic status compared to urban folks.

The teaching profession in most developing countries does

not meet most of these conditions. This failure has led to low prestige/esteem of the teaching profession.

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