The usefulness of lesson observation in in-service education and training in a developing country is examined. Research data from a three-year INSET programme in Namibia is adduced with the aim of contributing to the relevant literature on lesson observation in INSET. The aim is to use the data to begin to fill a gap in the INSET literature concerning lesson observation. The usefulness of lesson observation as a follow-up tool is the main focus rather than other functions. The processes involved when efforts are made to apply various lesson observation strategies are discussed. The extent to which lesson observation is subsumed within the literature on coaching and clinical supervision is examined. It proposes that neither approach is suitable in a developing country.