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World
Education Forum
Dakar, Senegal 26-28 April 2000 |
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| Enabling
teachers to enable learners |
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Issues
Paper
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| Strategy
Session I.8 |
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Original
: English
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 "Teachers
at all levels of the education system should be adequately trained,
respected, remunerated, and able to participate in decisions
affecting their professional lives and teaching environments."
(Excerpt from strategy 5 of the "Draft Dakar Framework of Action)
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| 1. Introduction |
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Education is largely a matter of a learning process that involves
interaction between teacher and learner. When this process works
well, real learning takes place. When teachers are enabled to
do their job effectively, their students are enabled to learn
effectively. What are the factors that affect this interaction
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2.
The status of teachers
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Reports from teacher organisations are unanimous in stating
that the status of teachers has declined, often drastically,
in recent years. This decline is due both to material and non-material
factors. It is clear that the vast majority of teachers believe
that they do not receive the moral support and material recognition
appropriate to their level of qualifications and responsibilities. |
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3.
Class size
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There is a trend in several countries to increase the number
of students in each class. Class sizes have reached unacceptable
levels in many developing countries. Many teacher organisations
report class sizes exceeding 100 pupils. Obviously, learning
suffers under such conditions. Smaller classes allow teachers
to use more personalised instructional techniques and develop
and apply new teaching methods. Furthermore, teachers with smaller
classes report less stress and higher morale, and turnover rates
among these teachers are also lower . |
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| 4. Increasing
workload |
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There is strong empirical evidence that the workload of teaches
has increased. Reports from a range of countries are striking.
The number of teachers eligible for disability pensions has
steadily increased. Teachers report problems with sleeping,
marital problems and higher frequency of depression due to the
job situation. Teachers generally are used to working hard for
a good cause, but if their good will is exploited, the results
can be counterproductive. |
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5. Professional freedom
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There has to be a general trust in the competence and creativity
of the teacher. How teaching is done in the classroom should
never be prescribed by persons outside the classroom reality.
This does not mean that education authorities should not encourage
new teaching methods through in-service training, professional
development and other means. It is important annecessary to
propose different approaches and good models for teaching, but
teaching methods should not be dictated to teachers. |
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| 6. The
work environment |
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The working conditions of teachers are closely related to learning
conditions for the students. A school environment that allows
teachers to do a good job will automatically improve the learning
conditions of the students. |
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There is an obvious and close relation between the infrastructure
of the school system and the quality of education. In many countries
investment in school equipment has been neglected during recent
decades. It is essential to provide at least the basic teaching
equipment and materials in each school. Studies have reported
a consistent relationship between pupil achievement and the
availability of books . An important investment to improve educational
quality is to ensure that all students have at least one textbook. |
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Research has pointed to the importance of teacher motivation
for effective learning. The obvious relation between motivation
and good working conditions is thus a strong argument for improving
the status and working conditions of teachers. Another factor
affecting motivation is the ability to influence one's working
conditions. |
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| 7. Teacher
education and professional development |
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All too often, teachers begin their duties without proper or
sufficient pedagogical and psychological training. Some studies
of factors affecting the academic achievement of school children
conclude that the influence of classroom variables, like the
education of the teacher, is of greater importance in developing
countries than in other countries . This is a powerful argument
in favour of improving teacher education especially in developing
countries. |
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Teaching is a life-long process of learning. Continuous professional
development through in-service training to up-date the teacher's
knowledge and teaching methods is of crucial importance in providing
quality education. In several countries there has been a debate
about the importance of in-service training. Sometimes it has
even been argued that resources should better be shifted from
pre-service to in-service training. Experience shows, however,
that such reduced funding for pre-service training does not
necessarily benefit in-service programmes . In-service training
is most effective when based on pre-service education that has
laid a good foundation. |
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Still today, in many parts of the world, persons with insufficient
training are engaged as teachers. So long as the hiring of untrained
teachers is used as a temporary and transitional solution, it
can be tolerated. But governments coping with teacher shortages
would be well advised to follow the guidelines contained in
the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers:
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142. In developing countries, where supply considerations
may necessitate short-term intensive emergency preparation
programmes for teachers, a fully professional, extensive
programme should be available in order to produce corps
of professionally prepared teachers competent to guide and
direct the educational enterprise.
143. (1) Students admitted to training in short term, emergency
programmes should be selected in terms of the standards
applying to admission to the normal professional programme,
or even higher ones, to ensure that they will be capable
of subsequently completing the requirements of the full
programme. (2) Arrangements and special facilities, including
extra study leave on full pay, should enable such students
to complete their qualifications in service.
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| 8. Teachers'
salaries |
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Another factor affecting teacher motivation and commitment to
teaching is the financial remuneration. Real salary rates in
low-income countries have deteriorated in recent years. In many
countries salaries are not paid regularly, with delays often
of several months. Consequently, many teachers are forced to
look for other jobs in addition to teaching and some are driven
to leave teaching altogether. According to reports from some
African countries, it has become almost impossible to convince
good students to choose a teaching career, as the prospects
of job security and adequate income are too uncertain.
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| 9. Negotiations
and consultations |
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Government decisions regarding education are more likely to
succeed when planned and implemented with the full participation
of teachers and their organisations, since the teachers are
directly concerned and have far-reaching knowledge and experience
of classroom realities. No education reform can be fully effective
without the agreement and active partnership of the personnel
who will ultimately be responsible for implementation. |
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Education workers' organizations contribute to the policy-making
process by representing their members' views. Negotiation and
consultation with these organizations should be encouraged at
all levels. Sufficient time, transparent procedures and effective
communication with all interested parties are key factors in
ensuring that consultations and negotiations achieve their objectives.
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| 10.
Improve the status of teachers and involve them and their organisations |
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Among the key strategies to improve the quality of education,
governments can well begin by applying the principles contained
in the joint ILO/UNESCO Recommendation Concerning the Status
of Teachers, approved by the Member States of both organizations.
In brief, governments and their partners in education must ensure
that teachers: |
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receive the moral and material recognition appropriate
to their level of qualifications and responsibilities;
have a salary comparable with other professions requiring
a similar level of qualifications and responsibility,
making it possible for them to live with dignity on the
salary from their work and not be forced to take on additional
jobs;
have an adequate working environment, including the technology
and resources necessary today for good teaching, as well
as real protection in terms of occupational health and
safety;
can do their work in adequately equipped school buildings,
where the students have access to a school library, as
well as on-line information services where possible;
receive a good initial teacher education at university
level to prepare them for their work as teachers;
receive in-service training and professional development
within the profession in order to keep in touch with new
research findings in their subjects and to obtain continuous
support for the improvement of their teaching methods;
be given professional and academic freedom to use the
methods and classroom approaches that best meet the democratically
decided objectives of the education system;
have the right to be consulted and to participate in the
process of formulating education policies;
have
the right to form and control their own representative
organisations; and
have
the right, through their organisations, to undertake comprehensive
collective bargaining and, where necessary, industrial
action.
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| For
further discussion in the Strategy Session : |
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To enable teachers to enable learners, |
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- What
is needed in the classroom? -
- What
is needed in the school?
- What
is needed in the education system?
- What
can teachers themselves do?
- What
can teachers' organisations do?
- What
can government and education authorities do?
- What
can intergovernmental organisations do?
- Are
there other actors who can help to enable teachers to enable
learners?
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