ABSTRACT
The beginning of the education reform in Namibia had certain features that made it different from many other national reforms in Africa and beyond. Teacher education spearheaded the reform when the Basic Education Teacher Diploma program was introduced in January 1993, less than three years after independence. The new philosophy of education was to develop "the new teacher," perceived during the liberation struggle as someone who encourages free inquiry and expression, critical judgments, and a sustained search for the truth. The dominant trend in the world today is to attempt to incorporate teacher education into university systems. The initial aim was to create educational experiences for teacher educators that followed the same approach as the new philosophy of education adopted in Namibia, and to introduce study areas relevant to the reform efforts. Course participants were clustered into regional groups together with a regional facilitator who was a staff member of Teacher Education Reform Project.
