A two-day workshop was organized by IICBA on the 23rd and 24thJanuary 2017 to deliberate on the Teacher Support and Motivation Framework (TSMF) for Africa, which is currently under preparation. Two renowned consultants are currently preparing the framework with close follow-up by IICBA team and partners, and the workshop is a call to assess the progress they have made and to enrich the draft output that they have prepared. Dr. Yumiko Yokozeki, IICBA Director, opened the workshop by welcoming participants and thanking the consultants for the progress they have made so far. Then, Mr. Omar Diop, senior program specialist at IICBA, explained the background of the initiatives on teacher motivation and set the stage for the two-day workshop.

IICBA’s project of developing a teacher motivation framework intends to provide African countries with policy and strategic options to address the issue at regional, country and school levels. It aims to support a comprehensive approach to teacher motivation that is not there yet, including, but going beyond the usual dialogue around teacher salaries and professionalization. Teacher motivation is key to recruiting and retaining teachers in the profession, and an important component in building a conducive teaching and learning environment in the context of SDG4 and CESA.

The workshop was attended by participants from IICBA, African Union Commission, ADEA and FAWE. The main objectives of the workshop were to harmonize approaches and methodologies, to discuss the designed tools, to integrate an African perspective in the framework and discuss the way forward. The various documents prepared by IICBA are expected to feed into the global study on teacher support and motivation that is conducted by the teachers' task force. As part of creating such a link and joining hands, Dr. John Oliphant and Ms. Indriyati Rodjan participated in the 9th International Policy Dialogue Forum organized by the International Teachers’ Task Force (ITTF) in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

IICBA’s project of developing a teacher motivation framework intends to provide African countries with policy and strategic options to address the issue at regional, country and school levels. It aims to support a comprehensive approach to teacher motivation that is not there yet, including, but going beyond the usual dialogue around teacher salaries and professionalization. Teacher motivation is key to recruiting and retaining teachers in the profession, and an important component in building a conducive teaching and learning environment in the context of SDG4 and CESA.