UNESCO Urges Swift Action: Sub-Saharan Africa Requires 68 Million More Teachers

A UNESCO estimate reveals the pressing need for an additional 24.4 million primary school teachers and nearly 44 million secondary school teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve universal basic education by 2030. This critical issue took center stage in a recent webinar hosted by InfoStride News, attracting over a hundred participants, including experts, education professionals, and teachers, to explore various aspects of the challenge.

The webinar covered diverse topics such as teacher motivation, working conditions, governance and management, utilization of information and communication technologies, and recruitment policies. Mr. Dimitri Sanga, Director of the UNESCO Office in Dakar, commended teachers for their daily efforts to enhance education systems and emphasized their vital role in an increasingly technology-driven world.

According to Sanga, teachers play a key role in addressing the learning crisis in the region, serving as experts capable of helping individuals navigate the growing volume of unverified information, data, and knowledge.

A significant concern raised during the discussion was that Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s most overcrowded classrooms and faces the heaviest teacher workload globally. Severe staffing shortages, affecting 90% of secondary schools, coupled with a declining attraction to the teaching profession, contribute to the intensification of the learning crisis.

Ms. Habibata Thienta, the head of the Teachings & Learning cluster, shed light on the challenges faced by teachers, including overcrowded classrooms, extended working hours, and disengaged students leading to diminished teaching quality. Financial pressures force some educators to abandon the field for informal jobs, exacerbating the shortage of qualified teachers. Those who remain often lack sufficient training, further compromising the delivery of quality education.

The success of the webinar relied on valuable insights from expert speakers, addressing themes such as teacher motivation, training quality, teacher management, and recruitment policy. Mr. Guillaume Husson, in concluding the webinar, underscored three pivotal recommendations for shaping teacher policies:

1. Prioritize teacher motivation as a cross-cutting theme in policy development.
2. Advocate for the active involvement of teachers in policy processes.
3. Enhance context-based initial training, valuing local practices and relying on reliable statistical data.

In summary, the UNESCO estimate highlights the substantial challenges in achieving universal basic education in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, making it imperative to address the shortage of qualified teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and the declining allure of the teaching profession. The webinar organized by InfoStride News served as a platform to delve into these issues, providing valuable insights and recommendations for shaping effective teacher policies in the region.