Teacher Education in Tanzania:
The Experience of Pre-Service and In-service Teacher Preparation for Quality
Education
By: Albert Lawrence Lukanga,
Abstract
This paper presents in brief the conditions prevailing in teacher education in the process of preparing Pre-service and In-service teachers in Tanzania. It starts by conceptualizing teacher education. The conditions and the process of preparing teachers at Pre-service and in service levels is at the heart of the discussion in which several issues are exposed including the issue of content and methodology used by teacher educators.
A theory in practice in education, and in teacher education in particular is discussed as one of the influencing factors for realization of quality education. Thus, learner-centered approach and competency based teaching and learning have been given its weight. Moreover, the challenges towards provision of quality teacher education and the possible solutions have been highlighted.
It is concluded that to ensure that the process of preparing these teachers goes smoothly and ultimately results in quality education, the environment that suits the application of these current theories must be improved

Conceptualizing Teacher Education
Teacher education is perceived as service activity for the education system. It is a process through which prospective and in-service teachers are enabled to acquire knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and skills they require to perform their teaching tasks effectively in the classroom. The attainment of quality education depends on, among other factors, the process of preparing teachers in teachers’ colleges and Universities. It is assumed that teacher education can make a difference to teachers' pedagogical knowledge and skills, which are in turn, reflected in students’ learning outcomes (Dembele & Lefoka, 2007 as cited in