The Task Force’s support to countries is demand-driven and the principles underlying it are developed by two experts’ meetings in Paris, September, 2011 and in Dakar, December 2011 including country delegates and Task Force Steering committee members. They are clearly aligned with the objectives of addressing the teacher gap in countries furthest away from the EFA goals.
Criteria for selecting beneficiary countries
It was decided priority should be given to the following countries:
Criteria for selecting beneficiary countriesIt was decided priority should be given to the following countries:
- Countries furthest away from realizing the Universal Primary Education goal;
- Countries with the largest teacher shortage (according to the projection made by the UIS);
- Countries that present a realistic request oriented towards the reduction of the teacher shortage in its education system and ways to address the gap in the field of policy, capacity development and financing;
- In addition, beneficiary countries should also be able to present reliable information on the general context of the education system, which includes:
- Document on sectoral policy analysis;
- Reliable data on the demographic context;
- Information on the macroeconomic and the budgetary context;
- Information on the school context;
- Information on the teaching force;
- Information on the recruitment of pre-service/in-service training, and management of the teaching personnel.
MethodologyThe principles guiding the methodology for carrying out this country support activity are based on the ones proposed by the tool to be used for the process: the “Methodological Guide for Analysing Teacher Issues”, developed by UNESCO:
- National ownership: The intervention will be initiated upon the demand of the beneficiary country. A national technical team will be responsible for undertaking the diagnostic study;
- Participatory approach: All teacher and education stakeholders will be involved in the process, coordinated by the relevant unit of the Ministry in charge of Education; that is all relevant directorates of the MoE, officers from the Ministries of labour and finance (possibly planning), teacher unions’ representatives, NGOs active on teacher issues, teacher education institutions, etc.;
- International technical expertise for backstopping the national technical team;
- Alignment with national educational plans and development frameworks;
- The launching of the exercise with a high level mission coordinated by the Task Force to ensure high-level government commitment to mobilize other education partners active in the country and to explain the process.
Expected Outcomes
- Availability of data on teachers compiled and analysed by a national team;
- Availability of the report of the diagnostic study of the teacher issues
- Plans for using the recommendations for improving/devoloping a national teacher policy