Focus on Teachers

Murari Binod Pokhrel Sep 23, 2010

The other day a school teacher of Bagheshwari, Bhaktapur shared his experience as:

It was a matter of late 1970s and he was heading towards his school in nearby village. His eyes suddenly observed the foundation of a house of his neighbor Sanhila (third son of the family). He also looked at land slide (soil erosion pattern) cutting lands towards that foundation. He called Sanhila and asked why he is going to erect the home in a vulnerable location? Sanhila replied that he had no any other land except that plot. The teacher listened Sanhila but was not happy throughout the day thus affected his teaching works. On the weekend he called village panchas (government leaders) / other senior citizen and put the issue that if the community would not intervene the matter immediately, Sanhila’s family could face serious consequences later. Then the discussion went on. Finally one social worker happily declared to exchange a suitable land to Sanhila. The forum asked Sanhila to be shifted over that safe place. Sanhila came nearby to the teacher and told that he was helpless to spend money to dig foundation again and needs help. The teacher himself paid for that purpose and Sanhila constructed his home in the safer plot. The land where Sanhila wanted to build his home was no more there by the next four monsoon periods.

I would like to salute the above teacher in the occasion of World Teacher’s Day. I believe teacher can change the society in a constructive way.

Rubangakene Emmanuel Sep 24, 2010

I work with Norwegian Refugee Council -Uganda in education Project as the education Officer as well as a focal point person for INEE. I have learnt some few things about teachers; they are role models and entire respects behold them. Teachers have created a difference in the lives of the children like the vulnerable especially teaching children in difficult circumstances like the Northern Uganda where due to the resilience, they have been there for the children to trying to make them have life skills like coping with stress, advocating for girl education and having a role for Gender main streaming, therefore they have introduced gender friendly words like Head teachers, head prefects to mention.
The teachers can be helped by developing a curriculum that can help them to teach children in difficult circumstances since they need extra attention, giving the teachers opportunity to (provide) psychosocial support for the children and also making the children participate in such activities that make them adapt to socialization in the school despite their previous environment.
The government can be induced in such a way that they have to train more female teachers so that many of them are employed to reduce on the gender gap. The female teachers help in supporting the girl child in schools.

Happy Teachers’ Day!

Emmanuel Belimbi Sep 24, 2010

Je m’appelle Emmanuel Belimbi,je travaille pour Oxfam GB comme Field Officer Education en ville de Beni, je voulais par cette occasion apporter ma contribution pour cette journee internationale de l’Enseignement:

1.La chose la plus importante que mon enseignant m’avait apprise c’est de savoir lire et ecrire.C’est une richesse indescriptible que personne au monde ne peut m’arracher.

2. Les principaux defis auxquels les enseignants sont confrontes en situation de crise , c’est surtout le manque de motivation et d’equipement adequats, c’est le cas de la R D Congo , un pays qui connait des exactions de toutes sortes.Pour aider les enseignants, il faut retablir la paix,ameliorer les infrastructures et aussi ameliorer le niveau social.

Merci et bonne fete.

My name is Emmanuel Belimbi. I work for Oxfam GB as Field Officer Education in the city of Beni. I wanted to take this opportunity to offer my contribution on this World Teacher Day :

1. The most important thing a teacher has ever taught me is the ability to read and write. This represents the most valuable wealth in my life and nobody will ever be able to take this away from me.
2. The main challenges teachers face in emergencies are the lack of motivation and the absence of adequate facilities ; at least this the case in DRC, a country that is plagued by all sorts of abuses. In order to support teachers, peace must be restored and infrastructure as well as social cohesion improved. Thank you and happy World Teacher Day.

Secrétariat de l'INEE Sep 28, 2010

Merci, Emmanuel d’avoir posté ce commentaire sur le blog de l’INEE. Malgré les énormes difficultés auxquelles les enseignants sont confrontés en situations d’urgence, ils font preuve d’une grande résilience lorsqu’il s’agit de fournir des services éducatifs. Ils ont certes tous besoin d’être soutenus davantage par les autorités gouvernementales ainsi que par les divers acteurs de l’assistance humanitaire et de l’aide au développement. Nous vous souhaitons bonne continuation dans votre travail. Bien à vous. Le Secrétariat de l’INEE

International Task Force on Teachers for EFA Sep 28, 2010

How should we support governments in reducing the teacher gap and upholding EFA commitments in crisis contexts?

In situation of crisis, education can provide a sense of normalcy and continuity, promote
psycho-social well being and provide a safe space for children. Learning can take place anywhere, but learning cannot take place without teachers.  Teachers are most needed in crises situations. Yet these are times when they are most difficult to recruit and retain. They often work as volunteers in extreme situations: an unsustainable condition without salary and compensation. Indeed, many critical issues surround their conditions of work, including poor economic conditions compounded by increasingly high food prices, situations of displacement and instability. Countries with the biggest teacher gaps are also often those which are most touched by conflicts or recurring natural disasters.  As the 2010 EFA Report shows, around one-third of the world’s 72 million of out of school children live in only 20 conflict-affected countries. Support for teachers and adequate investment are urgencies for these countries to recover from crises, build their resilience and address the challenge of reducing the inequity of access to EFA. Yet in these dire situations, the reconstruction of education systems is delayed when schooling should get immediately underway. 

We are keen to understand what are the approaches that maintain and increase access for the poor and vulnerable in crisis contexts, support teachers and reduce the teacher gap while at the same time build state capacity and resilience of the education system to meet EFA.

How have countries responded to education needs with relation to teachers?
How are the principles of aid effectiveness applied in crisis contexts?
Can we take it for granted that education and the teaching force are part of every crisis and disaster analysis and assessment?
What are the particular initiatives to increase female teachers as an important strategy for improving girls’ access to education, especially in contexts where the education systems have been affected by crisis, and where girls’ enrolment and retention in schools have suffered because of family displacement, poverty, lack of accessible schools, and other crises related reasons?

We would like to hear about country experiences concerning home-based teachers and how a more supportive environment for home-based and community-based teachers can be ensured. Teachers play a key role in setting the signal towards life to continue in its normal pathways, and may need extensive support to live up to this role. The education administration and ministry are challenged to extend this support in cooperation with external partners, but channels and structures should be available.     

A country experiencing this type of situation is the Sudan. The civil war of over 20 years has left the education system in the South in shacks. All indicators of an operational education system are down: only 20-30% of children are enrolled in school, drop-out rates are high, only 12% of children continue past Grade 4. Girls comprise a third of children enrolled in primary school in Southern Sudan; however drop out rates during the first years of primary school are quite high. Less than 1% of them complete the primary education cycle and can become teachers themselves. In Southern Sudan, there is a significant and unaddressed gap in teacher training. International partners are assisting the Sudanese education authorities in rehabilitating the Regional Teacher Training Institutes in the South, and developing a unified curriculum for pre- and in-service teacher education as well as suitable modes of delivery of teacher training. This is crucial and necessary. Still, it will take time, but teachers are what is needed first when rehabilitating education. The situation is compounded by the fact that there are no “reserves” regarding teachers and teacher education in the Sudan, since teacher supply was insufficient since a long time before the war.

This begs the question: how can crisis situations be seen as opportunities to build back better, optimize opportunities of new curriculum, new approaches to recruitment and certification of teachers?

                                  .....................
The International Task Force on ‘Teachers for Education for All’ (EFA) is an international alliance of EFA partners working together to address the global teacher gap. It was endorsed in December 2008 by the 8th High Level Group on EFA.
There is no Education for All without teachers for all, and yet there is a significant global shortage of teachers. Furthermore, quality and equity in education require an equitable deployment of adequately qualified and motivated teachers.
Recognizing the critical role that teachers play in providing Education for All, the Task Force aims to coordinate and foster collaboration on teacher provision worldwide, and to provide a new focus and impetus in the drive for Education for All. The Task Force adopted an Action Plan structured around the three major gaps facing countries: a policy gap regarding national teacher policies, a capacity gap regarding planning for and implementing teacher policies, and a financing gap regarding international support as well as national recurrent spending for teacher recruitment and retention to reach the EFA goals.

Sanjay Limbu Sep 29, 2010

Indeed it is true that teachers are role model in the community.  If there is good support to Her/Him, then it can yeild better results.  Especially in crisis, (in Saptakoshi flood) a teacher Mr. Fanilal Sada of Shreepur, was hurling hither and thither.  He was in hoplessness, since his mother was trapped on the roof of his house when all water covered his house.  He was pleading me for help.  When I requested to CDO office problem was solved.  Another day, when I found him walking restlessly in one camp. Since he could not get the shelter, there. As I asked the Shelter box people they provided him one.  So he got his family there.  When UNICEF supported TLC (Temperory Learning Center) there, the teacher was asked to work in that TLC.  So the roster of teacher should be maintained, so that they can be used in education in Emergency.

Joseph Budu Sep 30, 2010

# What is the most important thing you’ve learned from a teacher?
The most important thing I have learned is that every learner has a potential. This potential could be unearthed with a little motivation and encouragement, watered with persistence and the provision of a suitable learning environment, and the fruits of such hardwork on the part of teacher and student will be harvested!

## What are the biggest challenges that teachers face in crisis settings and how can we best support them?
I think there is the challenge of learning materials. In crisis settings, the provision of basic amenities including food and shelter tend to take center stage pushing educational needs to the background. Therefore providing access to free online open-source educational materials could help a great deal.

### How should we support governments in reducing the teacher gap and upholding EFA commitments in crisis contexts?
Governments know what they have to do! They have the resources! Most governments are made of top educationists and economists who know the way forward. However they rather seek their own benefits. They do not believe there is enough for everyone! They have the scarcity syndrome! so they gather everyone else’ for themselves. Therefore I believe that teachers can make a difference. They should emulate and imbibe good leadership practices in and outside the classroom. Interestingly enough government would one day see and know and recognise the efforts of the teacher through one of their ‘annoying’ award schemes.

Jean Désiré NGIRUMPATSE Sep 30, 2010

Je m’appelle Jean Désiré NGIRUMPATSE, je travaille pour Merlin comme Admin & HR Officer. J’ai connu INEE pour avoir travaillé avec Norwegian Refugee Council en tant qu’Administrateur du programme d’Education en situation d’urgence. Quand bine même je ne suis pas du domaine de l’Education, j’ai un intérêt particulier face à ce domaine dans le sens où j’aime bien me cultiver et savoir ce qui se passe à travers le monde en matière d’éducation (enseignement).
Ainsi, pour le cas de notre pays la RD Congo, la situation de l’enseignant reste critique dans le sens où l’Etat n’a pas une bonne politique de prise en charge de l’enseignement et de l’enseignant. Pas de salaire alloué à celui-ci et le parent doit prendre en charge lui-même l’enseignant comme si toutes les écoles étaient privées, ce qui rend l’enseignant quelque peu dépendant et faible devant son élève qui est devenu son “patron” d’où une faiblesse et une baisse du niveau de l’enseignement sans oublier la siutation de la grande deperdition scolaire due à la guerre qui a longtemps sévi dans notre pays.
Je penses que l’enseignant Congolais ne doit pas croiser les bras mais au contraire reflechir sur comment se libérer de cette dépendance. La journée de l’enseignant est un bon cadre pour cette reflexion.

My Name Is Jean Désiré NGIRUMPATSE. I work for Merlin as HR & Amin Officer. I have known INEE since working with the Norwegian Refugee Council as Manager of Education programs in emergencies. Even though I do not currently work in the field of education, I have a particular interest in education because I like to develop my knowledge about and know what is happening worldwide in education (teaching/learning). 
In the case of my country, DRC, teachers face enormous challenges as a result of poor state policies to support teaching and teacher. Teachers are not compensated and families must support their chidren’s teacher as if schools were private, which makes teachers feel dependent and weak before his students who have become their “bosses”. This makes teaching of poor quality, not to mention the general school drop-out as a result to the long lasting war that has plagued this country. 
I think the Congolese teachers should not sit back but instead think about ways they can put an end to that relationship of dependence. World Teacher Day is an opportunity to think about that.

Fouad Abu Zahra Sep 30, 2010

1) What is the most important thing I have learned from a teacher.

I was about 15/16 years old. I asked an Islamic religion teacher a question which I really don’t remember now. All I remember is the reaction on the teacher as soon as he heard my question. He shouted at me accusing me of being a ‘communist and atheist’. He dismissed me from his class asking me to wait for him at the school principal’s office. I was beginning to tremble because all I knew about communists is that they ‘do not believe in God’. I waited for him at the classroom door and asked him pardon. He forgave me on condition ‘not to as such questions’.
The results were:
- I lost my faith in religion
- I kept motivating my students (as I became a teacher) to ask whatever questions they feel like asking, even personal ones.

What do you think of those results? Which one is positive and which is the negative? Do you think they are both positive? Why?

2) What are the biggest challenges that teachers face in crisis settings and how can we best support them?

In my view the biggest challenge lies within the teachers themselves; It’s the “INTEREST”, When a teacher is really interested in his profession s/he can do wonderful things, especially if they are intrinsically motivated. Other logistic things are well known to everybody, except government officials who are usually governed with ‘dogmatic’ thinking plus restrictions which make them more rigid.

3) How should we support governments in reducing the teacher gap and upholding EFA commitments in crisis contexts?

This depends on the context. Each country has its own barriers. Flexibility is required in dealing with governments. Everything that helps us win MOEs’ staff to our side is acceptable except for ‘hypocrisy’  which is a characteristic in almost all developing countries.

Abdikadir Issa Farah Sep 30, 2010

What are the biggest challenges that teachers face in crisis settings and how can we best support them?

As every body knows teachers are the lookers after the brain of the children. Teachers work begins from the mother care to the school teacher, then teachers face difficulties in crisis because all teachers let them be mothers or school teachers are effected by the crisis.In oherwords the most vulnerable people in emergencies are teachers because they miss their children. Mothers could not help their children and school teachers could not find ways to teach heir students since students disappeared into different places

Fuad Abu Zahra Sep 30, 2010

This is an excellent UNISDR video on how teachers and education can save lives:
http://ineesite.org/uploads/documents/store/lessons-save-life-hr-1.wmv

Fauzia Khuhro Sep 30, 2010

What are the biggest challenges that teachers face in crisis settings and how can we best support them?
From the 2005 earthquake experience in Pakistan: Our team of teacher educators went armed with innovative teaching learning resources to work with the teachers who were teaching either in tent schools or under a tree, most with vacant eyes and a stick in their hands trashing the children for what ever reason. Teachers who were expected to begin and end each school day with lessons and did not get enough time to grieve their own personal loss vented their anger and anguish on the students. In a crisis we look at the teachers to take control and and be on ‘duty’ not giving enough time and consideration to the teachers’ own personal loss. How best can we support them? the psyscho social support component to teachers need to be strengthened so that we have emotionally strong teachers for our children.

Valerie FEQUIERE Oct 01, 2010

Dear all INEE members,

I wanted to let you know that the Emmanuel Mounier Institute has been invited to speak at the World Teacher’s Day at UNESCO on October 5th.
I am a graduate of this school and I will give my own account concerning my experience as a teacher and social worker working with children in an emergency setting in Haiti.
I will highlight some important points of my Master’s thesis whose main focus is on education in emergencies and psychosocial intervention in Haïti after the earthquake.

ADJANI LAFIHU Oct 03, 2010

je suis Adjani Lafihu, J’ai eu la chance d’avoir géré de plus près, le système éducatif en période de conflit et d’avoir pu contribuer à apporter des solutions pour résourdre les défis liés au départ des enseignants titulaires des zones de conflit. Aussi, en vue de maintenir l’offre de service en matière d’éducation, nous avons fait appel à des enseignants dits bénévoles ou volontaires. Il est bon de signaler qu’ils été recrutès sur la base de critères de niveau et de moralité. En effet, pour la région de l’ouest de la Cote d’Ivoire, une équipe de spécialistes: Conseillers pédagogiques et directeurs d’écoles a été chargé de faire cette sélection et de faire par la suite le suivi pédagogique de ces nouveaux enseignants. Ainsi des conférences pédagogiques sont tenues dans les écoles en marge des heures de classes. Deux sessions d’examens ont pu etre organisées en cette période grace aux cours donnés par ces enseignants.

Aujourd’hui, les plus aptes parmi ces enseignants viennenet d’etre intégrés officiellement dans la fonction enseignante et bénéficient d’un statut de fonctionnaires de l’Etat.
Cette stratégie pourrait etre adoptée pour résourdre le problème d’insuffisnce ou de manque d’enseignants par endroit.
Elle a l’avantage de continuer de favoriser l’accès et de créer les conditions du maintien mais également du respect du droit des enfants à l’éducation malgré les difficultés du moment.
C’est pourquoi, une astuce qui a donné un tel resultat en periode de crise peut valoir plus en période de calme.

la Cote d’Ivoire organisera avec grand pompe la jounée des enseignants le 5 octobre 2010 aux palais de la culture de Treichville/Abidjan, avec le concours de l’UNICEF et de l’UNESCO en appui à la Direction de Ressouces Humaines du Ministere de l’Education Nationale et la particiaption de tous les syndicats d’enseignants.

nurul huda Oct 03, 2010

NURUL HUDA
SMA NEGERI 1 CIPARAY
BANDUNG RURAL DISTRICT - WEST JAVA – INDONESIA

I.  The important things I’ve learned from my teachers:
Each level of education had provide a unique learning experiences that are important for me
1.  At kindergarten (age of 4 - 5)
I learned about the existence of different social environment with a family environment. Teachers trained me to understand whether the behavior acceptable or not in accordance with the social environment. The ability to manipulate behaviour is needed for positive character building of individual as members of the community in order to build a harmonious society.
2.  At elementary school (age of 6-11)
Teachers trained me to master the skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. (1) the ability to read is very important in the context of obtaining information that can enrich the knowledge relating to the life and living, both aspects of the natural or artificial, (2) the ability to write, we are able to express ideas and share information to other parties, (3) the ability to manipulate the counting numbers in the form of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for the benefit of daily living.
Teachers had also encouraged me participate in student performance competition at the district level. The Competition has encouraged the spirit of learning. With respect and confidence we are motivated to do the best job.
3.  At Junior High School (age of 12-14)
I was first learning English. The teacher got me love English as a second language.
Teachers made me interested in developing vocational skills such as music, theater, made household appliances, sewing clothes and others that makes my life more colourful.
4.  At Senior High school (age of 15-17)
I was supplied the knowledge and skills that form the basis for continuing education to a higher level. I realized that education at secondary level is not sufficient enough to face with more modern and complex life.

II.  The biggest challenges that teachers face in crisis settings:
Many have written the negative impact economic crisis and globalization (Hedonism, consumerism and westernization) to education. On this occasion,  I focus on other things that should be a priority in the context of EFA:
1.  The challenges that arise as a result of administrative decentralization reform on the education sector:
a.  Local government bureaucracies built on the basis of interest groups and efforts to maintain power. These conditions affect the recruitment system of education bureaucrats at district level. Persons who manage the board of education could not implement the National of Education Standards into the program for educational development in the area. Resulting in stagnation in educational management. Formulated a vision that only a slogan. Even the recruitment of school principals are not based on the capacity and competence, but rather based on political interest. Resulting in principal lifetime in duty. The challenge facing teachers is how to regulate and control the implementation of the decentralization of education in line with the vision of a professional educational service, quality and honesty.
b.    Meanwhile in education funding, local governments are still highly dependent on funds from central government. The proportion of funding from central government is still very dominant in the procurement of the new school unit, the provision of laboratory, procurement of ICT infrastructure, rehabilitation of school buildings, teacher salaries, and teacher professionalism sustainable development. The challenge facing teachers is how local governments increasingly are able to manage it local revenue to enhance educational performance.
c.    School principals have always encouraged teachers to be able to develop their competence in the form of CAR, Lesson Study, the mastery of ICTs. But the principal did not give an example to do the same as they expect from teachers. This condition is getting worse cause by the lack of school principal on class supervision. So he did not realize crucial problem facing students in the learning process. The challenge facing teachers is how to encourage school principals to implement the duties and functions as a manager, administatur, supervisors and agent of change.

2.  Challenges arising from national final examination

a.  The learning process, especially at 12th grade, is directed to the ability to answer the national exam questions, not the ability to live. As a result, the national exam to be counterproductive to competency based and contextual learning.
b.  National tests should be the measuring tool to capture the effective of education performance. In fact it more became beaucracy pretigious indicator. The higher percentage of students who pass the examination the more higher perfomance of local government asssumed. This resulting in the case of leaking national exam documents and answer key bussiness. Overall it had caused moral hazard indicated by institutional dishonesty.
The challenge facing teachers is how to restore the purpose of national final examination to the orinigal purpose (goals), not as a determination of student graduation.

3.  Challenges arising from the national curriculum reform
a.    Everyone agreed that the curriculum should be able to adapt to changes in the constellation of the world and society. But the changes that occur when teachers has just begun to understand the previous curriculum, and then deal with other new curriculum, can cause unsustainable.
b.    Changes in the curriculum has always responded to changes in teacher administration (syllaby, lesson plan). Beginning of each semester teachers are trained how to implement the curriculum in the learning plan format. However, the ability of teachers to master the art of teaching, learning materials and their ability to organize the learning is not trained in the practice (usually in the form of lectures).

4.  Challenges arising from the commercialization of education:
a.  Teachers have the right to enhance their capacity in formal higher education (master’s and doctoral). But the price to be paid at public universities is very expensive. These conditions encourage the emergence of private institutions that provide master & doctoral degree with lower cost and in much shorter time. As a result, their earnings are not directly proportional to the increasing in the capacity of teachers.
b.  At the beginning of each school year, new parents have to pay costs for student’s uniforms, maintenance facilities, library donations and contributions to technology. Psychologically and morally, these conditions contribute to negative value to the school as a commercial institution. Smart but poor students face the barrier entering good but expensive school. This condition can easily be found at International based school.

III.  How should we support governments in reducing the teacher gap and upholding EFA commitments in crisis contexts?

1.  Encourage the government to supply properly and sufficiently the equipment and educational facilities throughout the country without exceptional.
2.  Encourage national government to create regulations in order to limit the tenure of the headmaster.
3.  Encourage the government to return to the original purpose (goals) of the national final examination as a means of measuring the success of the learning process.
4.  Encourage the central government during decentralization transition period retract the sole responsibility of the management of education;
5.  Encourage the government to improve the professional competence of teachers through training mastery of subject matter and learning methods;
6.  Encourage government for subsidies to teachers who are interested in continuing education;
7.  Encourage the government to equally distribute of qualifed teachers throughout the country.
8.  Encourage the government to guarantee the life skills education is included in the curriculum and consistency of implementation at primary and secondary education level.