CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL
TEACHER EDUCATION
TEACHERS AS AGENTS OF
PEACE?
Y U S U F S AY E D
1 ST M A R C H 2 0 1 5
TEACHERS AND THE POST-2015 AGENDA
• 2015 will be the start of a new phase in global
education policy development - with arguably an
ambitious global policy for 2030
• It will define the terrain for what countries and what
donors do – this will shape practice
• And teachers, teacher education, and teaching will
be at the heart of an agenda which, for the first
time, has quality education at its core
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
THE ROAD TO DIGNITY BY 2030
79. We need to rebuild and reintegrate societies better after
crises and conflicts. We must address state fragility,
support internally displaced persons and contribute to
resilience of people and communities. Reconciliation,
peacebuilding and state-building are critical for countries to
overcome fragility and develop cohesive societies, and
strong institutions. These investments are essential to
retaining the gains of development and avoiding reversals
in the future.
(UNSG report to UNGA 2014)
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
PROPOSED OVERARCHING GOAL
Thematic (World We Want)
Equitable, Quality Education and
Lifelong Learning for All
HLP
UNESCO
Ensure equitable quality
education and lifelong
learning for all by 2030’
Provide Quality Education And
Lifelong Learning
SDG
Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
Thematic: Equitable lifelong education requires attention to enabling conditions – conducive
learning environments with the proper and necessary infrastructure; the presence of sufficient
numbers of trained and motivated teachers; and participatory governance structures that
empower parents and local communities to be effectively involved in school decision making
HLP: The quality of education in all countries depends on having a sufficient
number of motived teachers, well trained and possessing strong subject-area
knowledge
UNESCO: By 2030, all governments ensure that all learners are taught by
qualified, professionally-trained, motivated and well-supported teachers
• SDG: by 2030 increase by x% the supply of qualified teachers,
including through international cooperation for teacher training
in developing countries, especially LDCs and SIDS
CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL
TEACHER EDUCATION
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
SOME HEADLINES
South African Teachers' Strike Shuts Schools,
Compounds Educational Crisis (Bloomberg news:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-31/south-african-teachers-strike-shuts-schools-compounds-educationalcrisis.html)
When teachers strike children suffer (Pretoria News:
http://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/opinion/when-teachers-strike-children-suffer-1.1511127
Haram: Nigeria teacher training college attacked (BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29244107)
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/shots-firednear-cape-town-school-1.1651916
State school teachers 'fail to push pupils towards
Oxbridge'
(Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/11022675/State-school-teachers-fail-topush-pupils-towards-Oxbridge.html)
Teachers must help contain HIV/AIDS
(Zambia Daily Mail: http://www.ipsnews.net/2010/01/zimbabwe-training-teachers-to-cope-with-hiv-positivestudents/)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29244107
Protestors in Mexico demand justice for missing
teachers
(Vatican
Radio:http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/21/protestors_in_mexico_demand_justice_for_missing_teachers
/1111848)
Why should teachers talk about mental health with
students and colleagues?
(The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2014/dec/03/teachers-talk-mental-health-studentscolleagues)
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/10/mexicosmissing-43/100838/
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
FRAMING TEACHERS
Teachers as part of the problem (the
blame game) vs./& teachers as the
solution
Public, Policy & Research
Discourses – from derision to
super humans
Teachers as technocrats vs./&
teachers as reflexive professional
Teachers as victims vs./& teachers
as perpetrators vs./& Teachers as
agents
TEACHER QUALITY AND QUALITY TEACHING
Distinction a useful one
Quality Teaching: successful and effective teaching practices
Quality Teachers: the attributes of an individual teacher, their
motivation, experiences and competencies
8
WHAT IS MEANT BY TEACHER QUALITY?
A term with many meanings!
Linked increasingly to students’ achievement outcomes
Consensus that teacher quality is a composite that includes:
 1.Competences: knowledge, skills and attitudes
 2. Teacher professionalism
 3. Personal attributes and values
 4. Teacher relationships with parents and community
 5. Teacher practices in the classroom in specific contexts
Important to recognise context-specificity
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WHAT INFLUENCES TEACHER QUALITY?
3 aspects:
i.
National Policies (teacher governance and management)
ii.
Teacher professional development (pre and in-service)
iii.
School level factors ( school based management)
Different entry points to effect changes
Distinct challenges of e.g.: conflict or post-conflict environments: smallisland context of Pacific region; weak government capacity, large federal
states
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TEACHER QUALITY & NATIONAL POLICY
Setting minimum professional qualifications and regulations
Teachers conditions of service e.g. salaries, teacher’s contracts, career
progression and promotion
Teacher governance: deployment
Teacher Information Management Systems
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TEACHER QUALITY & INITIAL TEACHER PREPARATION
Effectiveness depends on….
Recognition of prior learning and relevant experiences of trainees
Balancing attention to theory with reflection on practice
Training related to specific classroom contexts faced by teachers
School/field based training
Enhancing the quality of teacher educators
Providing scaffolding to implement progressive pedagogies
Training which addresses cultural challenges of implementing progressive
pedagogies
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR IN-SERVICE TEACHERS
Effectiveness depends on training which is…
- On site, needs based, experiential and context-specific
- Uses school based mentors and professional clusters
- Is ongoing and continuous
Rethink of the balance between initial and continuing professional
development
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TEACHER QUALITY AND SCHOOL GOVERNANCE
School based governance to establish effective monitoring and support
systems
Enabling classroom environments to support teacher performance e.g.
resources
Good teacher-community relations – especially important in developing
country and post-conflict contexts
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AUSAID SUPPORT FOR TEACHER QUALITY
Improved teacher quality through provision of pre- and inservice training a key component of achieving:
i.
4 million more boys and girls in school: Helping the
World’s Poor through Effective Aid: Policy Framework to
2015-2016
ii.
Improving student learning and completion rates:
Better Education: A Policy for Australian Development
Assistance in Education
iii. Improving the quality of learning: Education Thematic
Strategy Paper 2011
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TEACHER QUALITY IN THE DRAFT PAF
‘Teaching quality has also been identified in the theory of change as
a distinctive influence on learning outcomes improvement’
‘Teaching is responsible for the largest amount of variance in
student learning outcomes’
Need for improvement of aspects of teacher quality as recruitment,
qualification, equitable deployment and system incentives’.
However…. ‘the quality of teaching requires its own investment
focus’
Key issues include: replicable pedagogical practices; scalable
training modalities; mentoring and supervision of classroom
practices
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Country
Achievement
Bangladesh
190 000 teachers trained
Iraq
430 teachers trained
Laos
More than 3 500 primary school teaching and learning toolkit distributed to pupils
Pakistan
500 teacher trained in Gilgit Baltistan
Philippines
700 teachers trained for peace building
ADB
331 600 teachers benefiting from training
GPE
300 000 more teachers employed
IDA
1 million more teachers employed. Example of 100 000 teachers being employed in
Ethiopia given
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AUSAID RATIONALES FOR TEACHER QUALITY INVESTMENT
Improving primary education access and completion rates for
marginalised and disadvantaged children
Improving learning outcomes of students in literacy, reading and
numeracy
Improving youth employment/access to TVET
Developing teacher competencies e.g. active learning and child-centred
pedagogies
Providing resources and learning materials to support quality teaching
Enhancing school leadership
Improving social cohesion, consolidating democratic processes,
empowering young people
20
AUSAID & TEACHER QUALITY: NATIONAL LEVEL
Establishing national teacher governance and management
frameworks e.g. Australia Education Partnership, Fiji
Establishing macro-regulatory frameworks/national standards to
regulate teacher’s performance e.g. Improved Basic Education
Programme, Kiribati
Strengthening data gathering and information management
systems e.g. Pacific Benchmarking Education Quality for Results
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AUSAID & TEACHER QUALITY: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Reforms to teacher education curriculum to improve relevance to
teaching contexts of trainees ( e.g. Nepal School Sector Reform
Program)
Reforms to improve mode of professional learning used in training –less
transmission, more participation and active learning ( e.g.
Bangladesh Diploma in Primary Education)
Professional development of teacher educators ( Master Teacher
Trainers Program, Pakistan)
Matching course content with needs of distinct groups of teachers e.g.
in remote areas of Papua
Provision of tailored opportunities for teachers to upgrade qualifications
( accelerated programmes in Laos)
22
AUSAID & TEACHER QUALITY: SCHOOL LEVEL
The teaching and learning environment e.g. provision of resources,
school buildings and furniture ( e.g. UNICEF support for Multidonor Education Fund, Myanmar)
Activities to enhance classroom teaching practices ( Education
Sector Development Programme)
School based Management and Professional Development e.g.
mentoring teachers/using school clusters to model and support
good practices
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EVIDENCE GAPS
i.
Understanding the impact of policy changes on teaching quality
and student outcomes. Specifically, a future evaluation should
consider what policy changes are most effective for improving
teacher quality and student outcomes.
ii. Examining the investment in teacher professional development
(pre and in –service) and their impact on teacher quality and
student outcomes: which models of professional development are
more effective, what kinds of support are and should be provided
to teacher training institutions,.
iii. Evaluation of the relationship between aid investments and what
specific aspects and attributes of the teacher’s classroom practice
contribute to student learning outcomes in low resource contexts
26
EVIDENCE GAPS
iv.
Evaluation of school level investments and relationship to teacher
quality and student learning outcomes. Specifically - whether school
based management, school clustering and community involvement
have a positive effect on teacher quality and reduce teacher
absenteeism.
v.
Evaluation should consider which aid modalities are more effective for
investments in teacher quality that impact on classroom practice,
particularly in low income contexts. This may entail considering the
differences between project-related aid versus direct budgetary
support for government.
27
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Relevance of commitment to equity in evaluating all
interventions
Teacher quality essential for student learning but cannot
fully overcome structural social inequalities and
contexts - requires joined up pro-poor policy
interventions
Interventions to improve teacher quality should be
context specific
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
SEVEN ROLES OF TEACHERS IN SOUTH AFRICA
1.
Learning mediator
2.
Interpreter and designer of learning programmes and materials
3.
Leader, administrator and manager
4.
Scholar, researcher and lifelong learner
5.
Community, citizenship and pastoral role
The educator will practise and promote a critical, committed and ethical attitude towards developing a
sense of respect and responsibility towards others. The educator will uphold the constitution and
promote democratic values and practices in schools and society. … will develop supportive relations
with parents and other key persons and organisations based on a critical understanding of community
and environmental development issues. One critical dimension of this role is HIV/AIDS education.
6.
Assessor
7.
Learning area/subject/discipline/phase specialist
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
POLICE MANUAL IN SOUTH AFRICA (2009)
10. EXAMPLES OF WHAT WORKS
10.1 Elements of promising safe schools programmes
The following elements were included as part of a number of safe school
[initiatives with positive results and feedback from stakeholders]:
 Peer group mediation
 Conflict resolution; conflict management and restorative justice
 Programmes
 Education and curriculum programmes to increase tolerance and develop
 Life and vocational skills
 Family support
 Teacher training support
 Individual learner support
 Safety plans
 Anti-bullying programmes
 Focusing on victims, victimisers and promoting healthy behaviour
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
TEACHERS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RESEARCH
Understanding the conditions under which education
interventions focused on teachers can promote
peace, social cohesion and mitigate and reduce
violence with a view to identifying measures and
processes that can increase the effectiveness of
such programmes in conflict-affected situations.
Focuses on the role of teachers who are both potential
agents of peace and of enduring conflict.
Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts
Dimensions
Focus
Policy analysis
Integration of teachers as agents of peace in national
and education policies
Stakeholder Analysis
Position(s) of key actors/agencies in relation to teachers
as agents of peace
Teacher governance
Analysis of selected programmatic interventions to recruit
and deploy teacher in hard to reach areas in post conflict
contexts
Teacher professional development
Analysis of selected initial and continuing teacher
education interventions in relation to enhancing teacher
knowledge, competences and disposition to educate for
peace building post conflict contexts
Curriculum training
Teacher practices
Teacher accountability
Analysis of selected programmatic interventions to
enhance teacher accountability to school and school
community in post conflict contexts
Gender and violence as transversal foci across all dimensions