TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Teachers, and the quality of their teaching, are critical for student learning. High-quality teaching can create learning environments that encourage critical thinking and lifelong learning. Yet not all students have access to qualified teachers. This is a priority for policymakers in partner countries.  

Addressing issues related to teaching and teachers through a systems approach requires better alignment between teacher education and development, curriculum, and the availability of sufficient teaching and learning resources. To be successful, approaches to supporting teachers must be tailored to the unique contexts in which they are implemented. 

Through regional knowledge exchange hubs, partner countries are increasingly leveraging GPE KIX to lead, shape and implement education system reforms related to teacher professional development grounded in evidence and innovation. Through activities such as communities of practice across 22 African countries, a multi-country teacher training coalition across Latin America and the Carribean, and country support initiatives to enhancing teaching and integration of essential skills in curriculum in Southeast Asia.  

A scoping study and consultations with partner countries identified two main priorities:  

• Improving the quality and scope of teacher education and development  
• Supporting teacher agency and well-being  

Regional Hubs also play a pivotal role in facilitating use of KIX-generated knowledge on ECCE, through intercountry learning, acting as knowledge brokers and responding to country-specific demands for evidence and capacity strengthening — particularly through the Country Support Mechanism (CSM). Much of KIX’s ongoing success is rooted in GPE partner countries’ active participation in Hub activities. 

Key results

Partner countries have used GPE KIX-supported work on teacher professional development for wide-ranging improvements in teacher training systems, curriculum delivery, and professional learning structures. In Honduras, the Ministry of Education began adopting the Peer Tutoring (TeP) methodology and training teacher‑trainers, while the national university integrated TeP into its Special Education degree program. Nigeria scaled GPE KIX-supported teacher‑training reforms on pedagogical skills, content knowledge, and technological application across multiple states, with universities integrating the model into pre‑service teacher education. Lesotho requested assistance from the KIX Africa 19 Hub to organize virtual learning exchanges with Uganda on Continuous Professional Development, which ultimately empowering education officials to design a framework that is coherent, locally grounded, and aligned with broader education and other legal frameworks. Overall, these efforts have enhanced teacher skills, modernized national training systems, and supported the uptake and institutionalization of evidence‑based professional development across multiple education systems.