UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) is developing a framework to facilitate and guide comprehensive teacher motivation policies for Africa. With its capacity-building, training and research responsibilities, IICBA will lead the way in the African context by developing instruments and mechanisms that will help both the continent and individual countries to achieve the Education 2030 targets, especially the critical success-driving factor of ‘teacher motivation’.

UNESCO-IICBA, along with its many partners (FAWE, ILO, Education International, ADEA, and the Teachers’ Task Force), has conducted substantial research to support their claim that teacher support and motivation is key to the success of education. It was found that there are low levels of job satisfaction and teacher attrition in the African region. If the quality of education hopes to improve, it is necessary to professionalize teaching and provide continuous support for those within the profession. Studies have shown that motivation is highly personal for teachers and this motivation is affected by a number of contextual factors. These factors include aspects like salary, resources for teaching, job placement, living conditions, and much more.

For the above reasons, IICBA has dedicated itself to creating a framework to assist in contextualizing effective teacher motivation and support across the African continent. During a recent workshop, IICBA and its partners worked on a literature review and discussed the instruments to be designed for moving this framework forward. The Teacher Support and Motivation Framework (TSMF) is a high priority for IICBA and will continue to be developed over the coming months.

For more details, please contact Mr. Mame Omar DIOP, Senior Programme Specialist, o.diop@unesco.org

Link to the report