Teaching Service Commission
Better Teachers, Stronger Nation
Registration and licensing of trained and qualified teachers is a pathway to the professionalization of the teaching workforce that will change perceptions of the status of teachers and illuminate expectations of teachers in their delivery of quality education in Sierra Leonean schools and classrooms. It is designed to inspire teachers to keep abreast with new instructional methods and approach and encourage self-motivation for professional growth. It offers teachers, as professionals, new hope of advancement into higher levels in the occupational ladder.
Teacher Registration is the entry of names on the Register of Teachers, signifying that the teacher has the qualifications and has met other conditions to practice teaching in a professional capacity. Licensing, is a statutory mandate given to a teacher to practise in Sierra Leone, indicating the teacher’s proven competency level.
Registration and licensing of teachers as a quality promotion initiative, adds relevance and credibility to the process of translating policy into action as the country strives towards achieving quality education.
Under the TSC Act of 2011, the Teaching Service Commission is mandated to “manage the affairs of teachers in order to improve their professional status and economic well-being and for other related matters”. In line with this mandate, the TSC shall adopt a comprehensive approach that enables all teachers and education leaders to: continuously develop their competencies, improve their performance, and enhance their status as professional teachers and education managers.
B. The Teacher Development & Performance Department (TD&P) within the TSC deals with promoting teacher effectiveness, to ensure that all students can be engaged successfully in the learning processes and experiences offered in the classroom. The overriding objective of the department therefore is to disseminate information on ideas, strategies, and provisions for improving the performance of teachers and by extension the quality of schools and the education system.
For this purpose, the teacher development and performance policy has been designed to promote a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across the teaching force. The driving force of this culture is an on-going appraisal of teachers and assessment of their development needs, linked to the provision of continuous professional development opportunities within schools and districts, as well as at other levels of the teaching force.
C. The Process for Teacher Professional Development
Understanding Teacher Professional Development (TPD):
Teacher Professional Development in Sierra Leone shall be comprised of the following processes:
(a) An initial teacher education and training process in tertiary education institutions, leading to the acquisition of formal qualifications that are recognized by the TSC as a basis for recruitment of prospective candidates into the teaching force;
(b) Induction training processes provided during a probation period. First induction shall be immediately after graduation from a teacher education institution, and a second induction shall be within the initial 6-month period of employment;
(c) Processes of continuous and career-long professional development provided through formal and informal opportunities.
D. Continuous Professional Development Activities
The breakdown below highlights the list of professional development courses that have been organized and managed by the Teaching Service Commission so far. The tables also show the districts where the training took place and the number of teachers, head teachers, and principals that have been trained
A. Teacher Professional Management Course Phase I
This course is based on the Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders (TSC 2017).These standards provide benchmarks of teacher quality. The activities in this course are aligned with the professional standards and competencies for school leaders. The content, learning experience, and implementation of a school-based teacher performance management plan are designed to give school leaders the skills they need to meet school leader standards as they help teachers in their schools develop their competencies according to the professional standards for teachers.
The standards for school leaders include all of the standards for teachers plus the following:
• Nurture self for leadership excellence
• Lead professional knowledge
• Lead professional practice
• Lead professional engagement
• Lead organizational management and transformation
B. Training on Teacher Professional Management Course Phase II
This course is based on the Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders (TSC 2017).These standards provide benchmarks of teacher quality. The activities in this course are aligned with the professional standards and competencies for school leaders.The content, learning experience, and implementation of a school-based teacher performance management plan are designed to give school leaders the skills they need to meet school leader standards as they help teachers in their schools develop their competencies according to the professional standards for teachers.
The standards for school leaders include all of the standards for teachers plus the following:
• Nurture self for leadership excellence
• Lead professional knowledge
• Lead professional practice
• Lead professional engagement
• Lead organizational management and transformation
C. Pilot of the Communities of Practice
The World Bank Sierra Leone team was awarded a competitive grant to pilot alternative and lower-cost model (a Community of Practice or COP model) of strengthening capacity of teachers of early grades for effective utilization of early grade reading books and supplementary materials by strengthening early grade reading instructional practice.
Overall, this community of practice exercise will add quality to teacher’s knowledge methodology in line with the professional standards for teachers and school leaders. It will also not only increase the teacher’s knowledge base but also serve as a path towards achievement of his career goals in the teaching profession.
D. Saturday Competency Classes for primary School Teachers
This on-demand system consist of a catalog of different half-day micro-courses (4 contact hours) and full-day micro-courses (8 contact hours) offered on Saturdays from March through May 2019. These Saturday Sessions were situated in secondary schools in 4 districts.
E. Training on Teacher Professional Management Course Phase III
This course is based on the Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders (TSC 2017).These standards provide benchmarks of teacher quality. The activities in this course are aligned with the professional standards and competencies for school leaders. The content, learning experience, and implementation of a school-based teacher performance management plan are designed to give school leaders the skills they need to meet school leader standards as they help teachers in their schools develop their competencies according to the professional standards for teachers.
F. The standards for school leaders include all of the standards for teachers plus the following:
G. • Nurture self for leadership excellence
H. • Lead professional knowledge
I. • Lead professional practice
J. • Lead professional engagement
K. • Lead organizational management and transformation
The Teaching Service Commission has, among other responsibilities, the recruitment of teachers as stated in Section 9 (2F) of the Commissions’ Act of 2011 which is to “recruit, promote, post, transfer and dismiss teachers in Government and Government assisted schools”. As employees of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) they would need to be managed, supervised and regulated. It then becomes the responsibility of the Teacher - Employer Relations (TER) Department as stipulated in Section 9(2) g, h, I, j & k of the Act of 2011 to develop and set up rules and regulations governing the teaching profession like the Code of Conduct for Teachers, ensure that there are improved and better conditions of service for teachers, promote healthy work life balance and advocate for the general well-being of our employees. Furthermore, the department ensures that duties/responsibilities/obligations are carried out and or met, working terms/conditions of the teachers are favorable and in the interest of all parties concerned, entitlements/rights/privileges are maintained in line with best practices.
The Teacher-Employer Relations Department is principally about how teachers and their institutions relate to the TSC and vice-versa. These relations also concern owners and proprietors of educational institutions, and those officials and agencies that facilitate and manage the operations of educational institutions on behalf of proprietors. Ensuring teachers’ discipline, professional conduct and responsible classroom management by teachers duly rests on the Teacher-Employer Relations department.
The need to address grievances is pivotal in our function and the department handles all complaints, concerns or grievances objectively and in line with the Teachers’ Code of Conduct which embraces other Acts that are relevant to the stakeholders. The Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is done and now accessible at https://grm.tsc.gov.sl. The teaching profession has gone through large-scale changes, especially in terms of teacher management which is now handled by the Teaching Service Commission; this justified a review of the Code of Conduct for Teachers and other Education Personnel. The newly revised 2019 Code of Conduct articulates shared professional values and aims to provide some guidance for action around recognized issues special to the profession but it is also an instrument of regulation which positions teachers in sanctioned roles. Popularizing the Code and ensuring that teachers sign up to, adhere, abide and receive a copy each of the Code has been the vision and mission of the TER department. The popularization of the Code of Conduct has kept teachers abreast with up to date regulations, guidelines, sanctions and the profession’s best practices.
The Teaching Service Commission aspires to be a Center of Excellence in the Management, Development and Oversight of the Teacher Workforce in Sierra Leone