| dc.description.abstract | The single most influential school-based factor affecting student achievement is teacher
quality. Teacher quality is a function of, among other variables, the training
programme, teacher experience and the competence of the teacher educator. The quality
of pre-service training to prospective teachers in teacher training institutions goes a
long way to influence their performance in the field. This research paper examines the
role of academic qualifications of college tutors, areas of specialty i.e. their major and
minor teaching subjects at the college/university level , and the assigned subject area.
The paper also evaluates the effectiveness of the Teachers Service Commission
deployment policy. This is a case study of Mosoriot Teachers Training College, in
Nandi County, Kenya. Data was collected by use of questionnaires, face-to-face
interviews and staff establishment records. Of the total teaching force of 71, 65 (91.5 %)
tutors participated in this study. The data was descriptively analysed using
percentages. The findings reveal that a) there is great disparity between teacher
recruitment and deployment policy and practice where the college tutors were not
teaching subjects for which they were not deployed to teach, and b) there was out-offield
teaching in teacher education institutions. The researcher recommends that the
Teachers Service Commission re-examine the staffing norms in Teachers Training
Colleges with a view to maximize the human resource and enhance quality of training | en_US |
