Teachers

Teachers How does fee abolition affect teachers within the larger context of FPE? Teaching conditions have remained poor, particularly in rural areas, and teacher salaries are low and payment unreliable. Under-funded and poorly managed UPE programs have resulted in low teacher morale and some teachers are choosing to leave the profession. Moreover, teacher/parent relationships appear strained by various misunderstandings. Teaching conditions have remained poor, particularly in rural areas, and teacher salaries are low and payment unreliable. Under-funded and poorly managed UPE programs have resulted in low teacher morale and some teachers are choosing to leave the profession. In Kenya, teachers viewed the ban of extra tuition payment under FPE as detrimental to their motivation. It had previously served as an incentive for them, and allowed teacher to have additional time to finish teaching the syllabus and to help special needs children. This extra tuition for additional classes supplemented their income (UNESCO, 2005). (Multi-stage sampling was used within nine districts of Kenya, resulting in a sample of 162 schools. Focus group discussions were held with pupils, teachers, community members, and parents. Additionally, all headteachers completed a questionnaire, research teams completed a classroom observation checklist, and the district education officer was interviewed.) Ugandan teachers are not provided housing at most rural postings, increasing their need for supplemental income. Teachers are leaving the profession due to lack of accountability, late payment of salaries after UPE, and problems with donor-led UPE – which often do not fund recurrent expenditures or engage in local processes (Dauda, 2004). (This article was based on interviews with government officials, a case study of seven schools in Jinja, Uganda, and secondary sources.) Despite a drastic increase in the number of students teachers must teach and thus a changing work environment, Tanzanian teachers have not received an increase in remuneration. A primary school teacher interviewed feels this has led to decreased motivation (Bjorkdalh & Lundqvist, 2006). (This thesis was based on research that took place in Tanzania in 2006. The authors interviewed a SIDA employee, a primary school teacher, and an employee of the Tanzania Teachers Union. Additionally, government documents and secondary sources were reviewed.) In Nigeria, where UPE is under-funded, the government and teacher unions dispute the use of constrained funds. Teacher morale is low due to the basic condition of service and low salaries. Strikes by teacher unions have caused the country serious losses, averaging more than 100 million man-days lost since 1996 (Ajetomobi & Ayanwale, 2005). (This study is based on data derived from annual reports from the Central Bank of Nigeria and account statements from the Federal Ministry of Education and National University Commission.) In Nigeria following UPE, the government had difficulties paying teachers on time. As a result, many abandoned the teaching profession. Often, the most qualified teachers leave to find better opportunities (Asagwara, 1997). (This article relied primarily on secondary source data, with some use of government reports and indicators from the Ministry of Education.) After fee elimination, there is an increased lack of morale among management/teachers (Bray, 2003). (This article was composed of secondary sources.) Moreover, teacher parent relationships appear strained by various misunderstandings. High levels of misunderstanding and suspicion exist between parents and teachers; teachers frequently see poor parents as uncommitted, ignorant of the benefits of education, hiding behind excuses, and an obstacle themselves to getting children into school (Boyle et al., 2002). (This synthesis report was created using the findings from research in Bangladesh, Nepal, Uganda, and Zambia. In each country, semi-structured interview questionnaires were given to 140-180 households, supplemented by group and individual interviews. Additional qualitative data were also taken from Kenya and Sri Lanka. The researchers recognize there was some inconsistency due to the different capabilities of the country teams.) In Kenya, teachers expressed concern over parents’ lack of involvement post fee abolition. Parents no longer come to school to engage with teachers regarding student performance and do not give in-kind contributions. With the FPE grants falling short of finances needed to run schools, teachers looked to parents for contributions, yet parents felt they had been told not to contribute (UNESCO, 2005). (Multi-stage sampling was used within nine districts of Kenya, resulting in a sample of 162 schools. Focus group discussions were held with pupils, teachers, community members, and parents. Additionally, all headteachers completed a questionnaire, research teams completed a classroom observation checklist, and the district education officer was interviewed.) Knowledge Gaps: What are the long-term effects of FPE on teachers and their morale, and how does this vary for newly hired teachers and veterans? In what capacity do teachers and communities interact after fees have been abolished? How can parental support for education best be achieved and utilized? Teachers How does fee abolition affect teachers in the classroom? Rising enrollment has put additional stress on teachers, who have responded using various strategies, including teaching to the brightest, rote learning, and reducing the amount of feedback they give to their students. Many teachers were trained quickly and poorly, or not at all. Once in the field, many teachers are not able to implement techniques from training programs and received little support. However, successful teachers who use appropriate and innovative techniques were identified in Uganda and Malawi. Rising enrollment has put additional stress on teachers, who have responded using various strategies, including teaching to the brightest, rote learning, and reducing the amount of feedback they give to their students. With FPE, classroom management became an additional issue. Teachers changed their classroom styles, assigning less homework and often times did not even grade what they did assign (UNESCO, 2005). (Multi-stage sampling was used within nine districts of Kenya, resulting in a sample of 162 schools. Focus group discussions were held with pupils, teachers, community members, and parents. Additionally, all headteachers completed a questionnaire, research teams completed a classroom observation checklist, and the district education officer was interviewed.) On average, PTR was 50:1 in Kenya, prohibiting teachers from giving children individual attention or helping those learners that needed special help. Attention in overcrowded classrooms was mostly given to the brighter students, while those that were weaker were left behind (UNESCO, 2005). (Multi-stage sampling was used within nine districts of Kenya, resulting in a sample of 162 schools. Focus group discussions were held with pupils, teachers, community members, and parents. Additionally, all headteachers completed a questionnaire, research teams completed a classroom observation checklist, and the district education officer was interviewed.) In Tamil Nadu, large classes occurred as a result of policies to reduce costs. Although rote learning was the primary style of teaching, further reduced availability of resources forced teachers to use more didactic learning styles (Duraisamy et al., 1997). (Data for this article, on Tamil Nadu, India, came from two sources: (1) unpublished aggregate data from the Ministry of Education and (2) field visits to 26 public and private schools where discussions with school heads and teachers, as well as classroom observation, took place.) A variety of anecdotes that Wax (2003) reported from Kenya following FPE include: some students have never been able to actually meet their teacher or talk to him/her personally; teachers may use megaphones to give lessons; teachers tap students’ shoulders to call on them because they do not know their names; and children being given bananas when they answer questions correctly as way to praise them as well as feed hungry students. (This newspaper article is from Homa Bay, Kenya.) Many teachers were trained quickly and poorly, or not at all. Once in the field, many teachers were not able to implement techniques from training programs and received little support. Teachers in Malawi faced difficult challenges following FPE. Although the government developed a complex training program (MIITEP) which was supposed to provide teachers with both pre-service and in-service training as well as introduce them to new pedagogical styles, the amount of time dedicated to training was insufficient, and teachers in the field were left with very minimal support (Kunje, 2002). (This article was based on classroom observation, information from informants, and secondary sources, of both a qualitative and quantitative nature. The article does not include the sample size or selection criteria.) Since UPE in Tanzania, teacher training has been altered from a two year in-school program to a one year in-school program with an additional probation year. As a result of this change, the abilities and competence of new teachers are questioned (Davidson, 2004). (This working paper was based on three years of research, largely qualitative, in the Morogoro region of Tanzania. The research included school visits to 50 government primary schools, classroom observation, and numerous discussions with teachers, parents, pupils, and education officials.) Following the implementation of FPE and the Teacher Development Management System, the ratio of trained teachers to total teachers actually rose in Uganda, from 73% in 1995 to 83% in 2000. However, the teaching methods have left much to be desired, possibly suggesting that although teachers are technically trained, they are not trained well (Murphy et al., 2002). (Education Notes from the Human Development Network at the World Bank; the source of most of the evidence is not provided, including the data on learning outcomes.) In Malawi, teachers were recruited under crisis management conditions and trained in two weeks following FPE. They did not have materials, they refused to teach in rural and remote areas, and some even used fake certificates ("Africa struggles with free primary education", 2006, April 15). (This newspaper article included interviews with various individuals, UNICEF staff, principals, and education advisors.) However, successful teachers who use appropriate and innovative techniques were identified in Uganda and Malawi. Although Malawi Integrated In-service Teacher Education Program (MIITEP) materials were originally meant to increase child-centered and interactive pedagogy through songs, they were instead used as a creative way to maintain control and increase participation amongst large classes. Specifically, teachers used songs to keep children occupied while they wrote on the board, to call children to the start of class, and to signal a change in subject or activity (Croft, 2002). (This article was based on research regarding fifteen lessons implemented by five teachers in three Malawi schools. Interviews, documentary analysis, and pupil tests were used to supplement the findings.) Observations of effective teachers in Uganda revealed large numbers of children in overcrowded classrooms where children had to share desks. The classes ranged from 71 pupils in grade 2 to 102 pupils in Grade 1. Despite the large classes, the classrooms all had teaching aids on the walls, exercise books, and other learning supplies such as pencils. “The teachers praised the children, asked a lot of questions, explained clearly, scanned the classroom constantly, used eye contact with as many of the children as possible, and used repetition effectively in that it did not degenerate into mindless boring chants” (p. 30). They managed time well, marked exercise books, used both individual and group work, and planned lessons in advance. Compared to most other teachers observed, the four effective teachers were positive, enthusiastic, and energetic. (O’Sullivan, 2006). (This article was based on large classroom lesson observations in two rural and two urban schools in Uganda in grades 1, 2, 6, and 7. The lessons were then selected based on their apparent effectiveness on learning outcomes.) Knowledge Gaps: Little is known about the strategies teachers use in the face of increased workloads and overcrowded classrooms, both in terms of how they teach large classes as well as how they manage them. In addition, there is little mention of how teachers cope with the added diversity in their classrooms considering the enrollment of underage or overage learners and/or those who are least prepared for school. In particular, there is little information about the successful ways teachers have been able to handle the changes that occurred with FPE, and the difficulties that various groups of teachers face (i.e. trained vs. untrained teachers; male vs. female teachers; upper vs. lower primary school teachers).