Addressing Inefficient Distribution of Teachers Between Schools
Teachers are the single most important input to learning, and in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa teachers’ emoluments account for most of the spending on basic education (Bold et al., 2017). However, in many countries in the region teachers are poorly distributed between schools. Schools in remote areas are frequently understaffed compared to those closer to towns and large villages, reflecting a reluctance among teachers to accept postings in areas with significant hardship (Mulkeen, 2010). By contrast, schools in or close to towns and larger villages, where more facilities and amenities are available, often have more teachers than required by government standards, even where the overall supply of teachers nationwide is inadequate. An estimated 28 percent of the variation in staffing between schools in the region cannot be explained by variation in the size of enrollments in schools (Majgaard and Mingat, 2012). This represents a major source of inefficiency in public education expenditure, with significant shares of finance being spent to maintain teachers in comparatively overstaffed schools where they have limited marginal impact on learning outcomes. The impacts of these inefficiencies may be exacerbated by the need to ensure a suitable range of subject expertise among the teachers at a school.
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| Format: | Brief biblioteca |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2023-11-20
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| Subjects: | TEACHER DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION IN REMOTE AFRICA, RESULTS-BASED EDUCATION FINANCING, PUBLIC EDUCATION EXPENDITURE, PUBLIC EDUCATION REFORM, TEACHER ASSIGNMENT POLICY, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099103123163585721/P17813509aefbe0850bf040557752fcb8ca https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40630 |
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| Summary: | Teachers are the single most
important input to learning, and in many countries in
Sub-Saharan Africa teachers’ emoluments account for most of
the spending on basic education (Bold et al., 2017).
However, in many countries in the region teachers are poorly
distributed between schools. Schools in remote areas are
frequently understaffed compared to those closer to towns
and large villages, reflecting a reluctance among teachers
to accept postings in areas with significant hardship
(Mulkeen, 2010). By contrast, schools in or close to towns
and larger villages, where more facilities and amenities are
available, often have more teachers than required by
government standards, even where the overall supply of
teachers nationwide is inadequate. An estimated 28 percent
of the variation in staffing between schools in the region
cannot be explained by variation in the size of enrollments
in schools (Majgaard and Mingat, 2012). This represents a
major source of inefficiency in public education
expenditure, with significant shares of finance being spent
to maintain teachers in comparatively overstaffed schools
where they have limited marginal impact on learning
outcomes. The impacts of these inefficiencies may be
exacerbated by the need to ensure a suitable range of
subject expertise among the teachers at a school. |
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