Managing teachers: the centrality of teacher management to quality education: lessons from developing countries

This report, published jointly by VSO and CfBT, gathers together learning from primary research undertaken in thirteen developing countries and from other available national level research and international synthesis reports concerning the human resource aspects of quality education and in particular the role of teachers. The headline message of the report is that the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.

For the quality of teaching and learning to be improved the report argues that:

• the role of head teachers is crucial for improving teacher management and teacher motivation, and ultimately for improving learning outcomes for girls and boys. The introduction of management training for school leaders should be prioritised

• management of education has many dimensions, but the biggest investment of funds and human resources has always been and should always be in teachers. With 18 million new teachers needed by 2015, it is vital that governments and donors prioritise teacher management
  

• the quality of teacher training dictates the quality of teaching. Moves to reduce the length and quality of pre-service teacher training to cut costs and meet the demand for 18 million new teachers by 2015, are damaging the quality of teaching and learning

• gender and inclusion should be addressed in teacher management and training systems: to ensure that there are a representative number of positive role models for girls, boys, children with disabilities and those from other excluded groups; so that teachers enjoy equal pay and conditions; and so that girls and so called ‘hard to reach’ children have a better chance of improved learning outcomes.

Specifically, chapter one of the document argues that improvements to teacher management systems are central to the achievement of the 2015 Education For All goals, whereas chapter two examines issues around teachers' rights. In chapter three, the constraints and consequences of poor teacher management are outlined. Examples and case studies from VSO’s Valuing Teachers and other research into how education managers, governments and donors are approaching teacher management in developing countries is provided in chapter four. Chapter 5 provides a number of recommendations to governments of developing countries and to donors, inter-governmental organisations and teachers' unions.

The document concludes that improved teacher management will have positive effects on teacher deployment; teacher working conditions and salaries; the quality and capacity of Teacher Training Institutions (TTIs) to produce a sufficient number of appropriately trained teachers; and will reduce teacher attrition and turnover rates whilst increasing teacher retention. All of these factors will then have a direct positive impact on teacher morale and motivation and will reduce the economic and quality costs of poor teacher management, making the education systems of developing countries more efficient and effective and giving them a greater chance of achieving the education MDGs.