Abstract:
This study attempts to identify the professional development
needs and aspirations of graduate teachers and assess their problems and
issues to fulfil such needs and aspirations under the post-war context in
three Vanni districts of Sri Lanka which have been undergoing devastating
experience for the last three decades due to civil war. The main purpose of
this study is to make recommendations to relevant regional and national
policy makers to formulate effective strategies to develop a network to
continuously upgrade professional competencies of graduate teachers. Using
a mixed research method the survey design was applied to collect data from a
sample of about five hundred graduate teachers and also from other
stakeholders such as education officers, principals and In-service advisors
mainly through questionnaires and interviews. The data were analysed using
descriptive statistical techniques. The analysis revealed that the majority of
the graduate teachers in the three districts did not have any professional
training for a long time and whatever training they received were limited to a
few components of professional development. Incidentally about fifty
percent of the graduate teachers did not receive any pre-service training
before their recruitment. They identified various factors such as personal
problems, official bottlenecks, transport difficulties, lack of higher education
institution in the districts and lack of motivation due to civil unrest etc. for
their current status in professional competency. However almost all the
teachers expressed their willingness to get their professional skills updated
and requested for appropriate networking and structures to be established in
their districts. There is a solid demand for the Open University of Sri Lanka's
educational programmes. Many respondents also regretted that their
working environment was not conducive to show the best of their
professional performance and requested immediate inputs to improve their
working environment. The study has put forward many suggestions and
recommendations for the relevant authorities with regard to the professional
improvement of the teachers in the Vanni districts.
