Abstract

This study was out to investigate the teacher’s educational competence and the management of Diversity in some selected primary school in Buea Municipality. The study was guided by questionnaire and adopted the survey research design. Data was collected from 60 teacher from different schools and analysis the management diversity using the descriptive statistic.

The major findings shows that teacher’s education competence has to do with a lot of management diversities in the classroom. The main recommendation of the study was the need to see how teachers could enhance the various types of diversities in the classroom.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Generally, it is quite evident that the word ‘Teacher Educational competent’ has become an essential factor in the management of children of school going age ranging from primary level of education to tertiary level of education. In an attempt to answer this burning issue, some selected primary school in the Buea municipality will be examined in the light if the problem face by some pupil in school. Thus, this work attempt to seek ways by which teacher’s educational competence can be intelligibly communicated to manage diversity in primary schools. Following this brief introduction , the rest of the chapter continue with background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, specific objective  of the study , general research question and specific research questions, significant of the study, scope of the study , operational definition of terms and summary of the study.

1.1 Background of study

There has been confusion and suspicious over the use of the term ‘competence’ as an element of life role or occupation (lamb, 2000) . It seems as if the myth of handling children with diversity in primary schools have not yet been broken. Even in the USA, the use of the term “competence’ has largely been attributed to performance.

Both education where the curriculum design demands assessing children base on their level of competence in any particular sphere of endeavor. As that is not enough, teachers educational competence varies from one culture to the next. With a multiplicity of culture in Africa, policy makers and institutions has greater share in what obtains. For example, what obtain in Nigeria may be marked different obtain in Cameroon.

Within the Cameroon context, the Anglophone sub system of education and francophone sub system of education even with harmonization law of education in (date) still has some diversity among them. Talking about management, Horby (2001) defines it as the control and organization of something. In the light of managing diversity in the educational setting the role played by socialization becomes much more relevant.

Children come from diverse background with different mindset and competences. The family as an informal sector of education has proven to be an important indicator in the performance of children in school. In the Buea municipality with diversity of children from different walks of life, it becomes much more complicated. Hence, careful and adequate competence by teachers must be employed to manage these diversities.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Before the arrival of the Christian missionaries in Africa, diversity among children has existed. Thus, the word “diversity” is as old as mans and as new as space travel. Literally, speaking the creation narrative in the Bible reveals to us that the first humans were not the same. No two persons on earth are the same. In the school milieu, children differ in terms of level of comprehension, age, size, intellect etc.

Hence, this topic was highly conceived with the idea that some children suffers because adequate educational competence have not been employed by some teachers to curb the situation. The problem is if teachers employ adequate learning paradigm with the help of scientific methods, these will help to curb the problem of diversity among pupils in some primary schools in Buea municipality.

Teachers ability to develop relationships among learners, teachers knowledge of learners, teachers ability to inspire and influence learners are some of the characteristics that can help boost diversity among learners.

1.3 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of this study are to find out:

1. The root cause of diversity among pupils in some primary schools in Buea municipality.
2. The approach needed to bridge the gap between diversity among pupils in Buea municipality.
3. The effect of teacher’s educational competence on the management of diversity among pupils in Buea municipality.

1.4 General Research Question

Generally, the study attempts to investigate how teacher’s educational competence maybe employed to solve problems of diversity among pupils in some selected primary schools in Buea municipality.

1.4.1 Specific Research Question

1. What is the root cause of diversity among pupils in primary schools in Buea municipality?
2. What approach is needed to bridge the gap in management of diversity among pupils in Buea municipality?
3. How does teachers’ educational competence affects management of diversity among pupils in the Buea municipality?