Are teachers facing a motivation crisis?

Achieving the education-related Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of basic education for all by 2015 will be a major challenge for national governments, especially as concern is growing that teachers are becoming increasingly demotivated. Is there a crisis in motivation among teachers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and if so, why? How can teachers be adequately motivated?

If the MDG is to be reached, an adequate number of teachers need to be competent and committed to delivering high quality basic education for all children. Primary school teachers now face enormous pressure to provide a high standard of education, but the question is whether they will rise to this challenge, given current poor salary levels and living and working conditions. There is growing concern that teachers are becoming increasingly demotivated, leading to declining teacher performance and poorer learning outcomes.

A book issued by the UK Department for International Development reports the main findings and recommendations of an international research project involving case studies on teacher motivation and incentives in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The studies were carried out in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Interviews were held with key education stakeholders including head teachers and teachers, and extended case studies were carried out in six countries, involving surveys in primary schools in rural and urban areas. 

The research reports that a large proportion of primary school teachers experience low job satisfaction and poor motivation levels, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, millions of children are not being taught properly and do not receive an education that is even minimally acceptable. Most schooling systems face a teacher motivation crisis that has serious implications for achieving the MDGs for basic education.

Teacher motivation is low due to:

• teachers being severely underpaid, the key factor affecting morale and motivation
• low accountability to their clients (children and parents) and managers
• a lack of safety due to war, insurgency and insecurity (for example in Nepal and Sierra Leone)
• higher workloads and larger class sizes where teacher recruitment has failed to keep pace with rapid enrolment increases (which are due to the MDG on basic education)
• the low and declining status of primary school teachers
• poor living and working conditions affecting classroom performance
• dysfunctional management systems and structures.

The motivation crisis among primary school teachers in most low-income countries must be tackled if the ‘education for all’ MDGs are to be achieved. While each country study presents recommendations for improving teacher job satisfaction and motivation, the following four key areas are the top priorities in almost all the reports:

• Major improvement is needed in the incentives for teachers working in rural schools, such as providing rural allowances and good quality housing with running water and electricity.
• Teachers’ wages need to be increased significantly – at least doubled in most countries in Anglophone Africa. External funding should be considered for supplementing current salaries.
• Attractive career structures must be introduced, with regular promotions, especially at hard-to-staff rural schools.
• Teacher accountability to school management, parents and the community must be increased.

Source(s):
‘Teacher Motivation in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia’, UK Department for International Development, Educational Papers 71, DFID: London, by Paul Bennell and Kwame Akyeampong, 2007 Full document.
Further details about this research project ‘Teacher motivation and incentives in developing countries with special reference to sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia’ Full document.

Funded by: UK Department for International Development (DFID)

id21 Research Highlight: 26 August 2008

Further Information:
Paul Bennell
Knowledge and Skills for Development
60 Rugby Road
Brighton BN1 6ED
UK

Tel: +44 1273 503259
Contact the contributor: bennell_swainson@ntlworld.com

Kwame Akyeampong
Centre for International Education
Sussex University
Brighton BN1 9RE
UK

Tel: +44 1273 907755
Contact the contributor: a.akyeampong@sussex.ac.uk

Centre for International Education, Sussex University, UK

ORDER THIS AND OTHER DFID EDUCATION PAPERS FREE OF CHARGE: Please provide your name, address and the titles of the papers you require
DFID Education Publications Despatch
PO Box 190
Sevenoaks TN14 5SP
UK

Tel: +44 1734 748661
Contact the contributor: enquiry@dfid.gov.uk

Other related links:
'What makes teachers tick? Improving staff motivation in Africa'

'Job satisfaction: a hierarchy of needs for teachers?'

'Teaching Africa’s teachers about ICTs'