This blog was submitted by the GPE Secretariat in the framework of the Teacher Task Force #TeachersMissing advocacy campaign to showcase members' good practices in addressing teacher shortages worldwide.   

The shortage of teachers is a crisis undermining education systems globally. To achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030, 44 million additional teachers are needed. This shortage impacts sub-Saharan Africa the most: on average, there are 56 students per trained teacher.

The consequences of teacher shortages include large class sizes, increased teacher workload and financial strain on school systems, which impact the quality of education.

For GPE, quality teaching is a priority and, as such, GPE aims to invest in quality teachers and teaching in all partner countries.

Continuing teachers’ professional development in Cambodia

In Cambodia, the availability of well-trained teachers remains a critical issue, and teachers have had scant opportunities for professional growth. A GPE grant funded the Ministry of Education’s reform program—Strengthening Teacher Education Programs in Cambodia (STEPCam). Implemented by UNESCO, STEPCam focused on in-service training and mentoring of teachers.

Thanks to STEPCam, 4,000 primary school teachers have been trained in early-grade Khmer and 3,000 in early-grade math. In addition, over 3,000 mentors, school directors and education staff have been trained to support teachers in their professional development. “My mentor taught me the methodologies I lacked,” says Chhay Kimsak, a teacher at Chambok Haer Primary School in Siem Reap. “This helps fill the gaps in my class activities.”

Upskilling primary school teachers in Punjab, Pakistan

The TALEEM program (Transformation in Access, Learning, Equity and Education Management), funded by a GPE $50.6 million grant, is helping the government of Punjab bring more children to school to receive a quality education—by giving teachers the right skills. More than 126,000 primary school teachers had received training on basic teaching skills as of January 2024.

Under TALEEM, the School Education Department set up the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), a centralized data platform that helps the government better manage the teacher workforce, among other things. In IMIS, a school locator application helps assistant education officers easily find the schools they visit twice monthly to provide feedback to teachers, coach and mentor them, and track their progress, all of which can easily be recorded and shared via the system.

Developing early childhood education in Djibouti

GPE and partners supported the education ministry in developing a new skills framework for preschool teachers—approved in 2022—accompanied by pedagogical guides that encourage learning through play. The primary and lower secondary curricula were also revised to focus on the building blocks of early literacy and numeracy, life skills, and other relevant content.

The program—partly funded by GPE and implemented in partnership with the World Bank and the Education Above All Foundation—supports 252 schools and has trained 2,000 teachers on the revised skills framework and curricula. In addition, classroom observation tools adapted from the World Bank's TEACH/COACH tool serve as a basis for the national preschool inspector and pedagogical advisors to support and monitor teachers. "Although preschool is important, specific practices for this age group are not yet common. So it is necessary to support teachers through in-person and in-classroom training," says Naglah Mohamed, National Preschool Education Inspector.

Improving teaching quality in Nigeria

Nigeria’s North East region has experienced civil armed conflict since 2009, significantly impacting education delivery. With GPE support, the government has increased the number of certified teachers and improved the quality of teaching in three states severely affected by the conflict. In 2021, GPE funding, with UNICEF as grant agent, supported a training program for 18,360 teachers in need of minimum level qualifications.

Also, in partnership with Teaching at the Right Level Africa—which groups children according to learning level rather than age or grade—the GPE-funded project provided over 3,600 teachers with professional development and mentoring to deliver remedial education to children in grades 4–6. Thanks to the project, 176,000 students from 386 schools strengthened their foundational learning skills: after 9 months, only 7% were considered beginners in English (compared to 54% at the start of the program) and 3% in mathematics (compared to 28%). These promising results have led GPE and partners to advocate for more investment to sustain and scale the program.

Increasing the number of female teachers in Yemen

Since 2015, ongoing conflict in the Republic of Yemen has disrupted learning for millions of children, but the majority of out-of-school children are girls. Girls face barriers to education such as early marriage, parental concern about long distances to schools, and unsafe schools. Also, “Most parents do not want their daughters to be taught by male teachers,” says Jawaher, a 16-year-old student at Al-Haj Naser Muthana School for Girls, AlDhale’e Governorate. There is a lack of female teachers, particularly in rural areas.

A GPE program enabled 2,162 female teachers to be hired to work in remote areas. This funding continued support to 1,600 teachers for eight years, and to almost 700 more teachers whose salaries were at risk due to the suspension of a World Bank program. In rural communities, female teachers play a key role in advocacy and outreach to families around the importance of education for girls, and GPE has pledged to support these teachers for another three years through new grants.

Photo credit: GPE/Roun Ry

The #TeachersMissing advocacy campaign is supported by:

“There are so many teachers willing to go the extra mile, but they shouldn’t have to risk their lives. If there are supportive systems and structures in place, it gives them the tools they need to help their learners.”

Just a decade ago, Oke-Odo Senior High School in Lagos, Nigeria was one of the most underperforming, hard-to-staff schools in the country. Today, its students are excelling in international competitions, and the exam results have set the standard for other schools to follow. 

How did they get here?

Situated in the district of Alimosho, Oke-Odo is one of just four secondary schools serving an impoverished community of over 1.3 million people. It is just a few miles from two of Nigeria’s biggest markets, and one of the region’s main refuse dumps. The noise, the crowds, and the smell of rotting garbage can often be overwhelming for first-time visitors. 

But when Adeola Adefemi began teaching there in 2013, she looked past the environment and saw the potential in her students.  

“I looked into their faces, and I thought, ‘this is not their fault’. Where they were born shouldn’t affect their future. I realized how resilient they were, and I knew that I was here to spark change in them, so that they could transform their communities.”

Oke-Odo was just one of thousands of schools around the world struggling to attract qualified teachers. According to research by the Center for Global Development, schools in poor areas that perform badly are difficult to staff. Schools in high-poverty urban areas may have less discretionary funding or lack other amenities. This makes recruiting and retaining teachers—especially highly-qualified teachers—a consistent challenge.

Creating opportunities for her students to excel

Adeola didn’t allow the lack of resources at the school to negatively impact her teaching. Instead, she started several extramural clubs for poetry, writing, public speaking, debate, and drama at the school. Then she started entering her students in inter-school, state, and national competitions to build their confidence. 

Within a year, the school had won over 30 local and international competitions.

“One of the main things I did right from the beginning, was build connections with my students. Many of them come from very harsh environments. Some are the main breadwinners for their families, so they come to school in the day, and work in the market at night.

“I wanted to help my students believe in themselves and to realize that they weren’t trapped by their environment. So I started the Every Child Counts mentorship programme and the Child Not Bride campaign which uses poetry and plays to raise awareness about the dangers of female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage.

“One of my most encouraging moments was seeing a student overcome his stutter and learning difficulties to represent Nigeria at a competition in the UK,” recalls Adeola. “He won the essay competition! Now he is studying metallurgical engineering.”

“His story is motivating for me, and all my other students too. But, imagine how much more we could do with more access to resources and support?”

Obstacles to attracting teachers to hard-to-staff schools 

Besides low teacher salaries, Adeola believes there are three main obstacles that prevent qualified and passionate teachers from taking up positions in hard-to-staff schools like Oke-Odo. 

“One of the main issues is overcrowding in classrooms. It’s not just that it’s difficult to teach with such a high teacher-learner ratio, it’s the extra work that needs to be done. Teachers end up marking 1000 or more papers a week. It’s just not feasible.”

Adeola also believes that safety is a key issue when it comes to hard-to-staff schools. 

“When you teach in a school like this, there are lots of social issues and safety issues you face every day. In such an overcrowded and impoverished population, there’s a lot of violence in homes, and that comes into the classroom. I’ve had to help a number of my students report sexual abuse, and identify suitable support for them to deal with the trauma. And I have had to visit a girl’s parents to persuade them to allow her to continue her education instead of getting married. I have been at risk many times, inside and outside of school.”

Support for teachers is something that Adeola believes is critical. “We need support to do our jobs. From access to simple things like books and stationery to digital tools and social and governmental support structures.

“We carry a huge burden of responsibility for our learners. We’re not just teaching lessons, we are advocating for our students, and helping them to build better lives for themselves. We need to know that when we raise an issue - like one of my learners being raped, or forced into marriage – that it will be dealt with speedily by the authorities.

“There are so many teachers willing to go the extra mile, but they shouldn’t have to risk their lives. If there are supportive systems and structures in place, it gives us the tools we need to help our learners.”

What can be done to attract more teachers to hard-to-staff schools?

To help address the issue of overcrowding and lack of support, more government funding can be allocated to schools in poorer areas to help employ more teachers, build more classrooms, and develop more supportive structures. 

Research shows that in low-income countries, the share of public education resources that goes to the poorest children is 10%, while 38% goes to the richest. Governments need to adopt resource allocation policies that explicitly focus on the most vulnerable children. 

UNESCO-IIEP’s teacher toolkit highlights the difficulties of attracting female teachers and ensuring their safety. To help make schools a safe space for teaching and learning, school policies should tackle gender-based violence, promote a supportive peer network for teachers, and include mentorship programmes. 

The success of Adeola’s students proves that passionate teachers can help transform the lives of learners and their communities. But imagine how many more children could be reached if more was done to help meet the needs of teachers in hard-to-staff schools?

“I think the major thing every teacher wants is support - from other teachers, the head teacher, parents, the community, and the government. We need to know that we are not alone.”

Read more:

•  #TeachersTransform advocacy campaign
• Closing the gap – Ensuring there are enough qualified and supported teachers in sub-Saharan Africa

Photo credit:  Adeola Adefemi