The effect of teachers’ qualification on children’s learning outcome in early childhood education in northern Uganda

This study examined the effect of teachers’ qualification on the children’s learning outcome in nursery schools in Northern Uganda. Twenty lessons were observed from five teachers in two rural nursery schools. The findings indicated that three of the teachers were of low qualifications while the remaining two had no qualifications in ECD. The teachers’ low qualification or the lack of it, affected children’s learning outcome in such a way that the untrained teachers to a greater extent used classroom practices that encouraged rote learning as compared to the qualified teachers. The teachers’ perception on how their qualification shaped their classroom practices was different from what they practiced in their classes. In the findings, it was evident that teachers’ qualification seemed to affect learning, however, other aspects for instance poor classroom facilities and shortage of resources affected learning too. Thus, I argue that if satisfactory learning outcome is to be obtained, the government and other education stakeholders should invest in effective teacher training being that it is crucial in the learning process. Nonetheless, the implication of this study is that educators should not only dwell on only the teachers’ qualification but also provide an environment that is supportive of. Hence, improved teacher qualification in a learning environment that is conducive might support learning in early years