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@UNICEF/2023/Adebayo
TEACHERS
WANTED
Empowering teachers at the forefront of the learning crisis
- Suman Sachdeva and Alyson Gombas
zekial Jacobs, a 33-year-old
school teacher from Nigeria
is no stranger to crisis. Civil
armed conflict and violence
Ehas gripped Ezekial’s home forward and rebuild their communities
in the North-East region since 2009,
forcing more than 1 million children
out of school, damaging over 400
schools and resulting in the deaths
of over 2,295 teachers. With the crisis. Globally, nearly two-thirds of
10
children are suffering from ‘learning
poverty’ – meaning they cannot read
and understand a simple story by age
10. And in Sub-Saharan Africa – the
epicenter of the learning crisis – this
rate is nearly nine out of every 10
children.
Foundational learning — learning
basic reading, numeracy and socio-
emotional skills — gives children
the essential building blocks to
comprehend information, empathize
with others, communicate effectively
and solve problems. These skills are
the foundation for developing all
@UNICEF/UNI519182/Mari other critical skills including digital,
region gradually recovering from the entrepreneurial and job-specific skills.
devastation wrought by over a decade Without foundational skills, students
of conflict, Ezekial and many of his often struggle to thrive later in school
fellow teachers are ready to move and as they enter the workforce.
Declining literacy levels among young
by tackling a different kind of crisis — children not only impacts the student
the learning crisis. but also poses a serious threat to
development and economic growth at
The world is grappling with a learning both the national and global level.
One of the key factors contributing
to the learning crisis is the global
shortage of teachers, affecting both
high- and low-income countries
alike. Globally, 44 million additional
primary and secondary teachers are
needed if we are to meet Sustainable
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most
Development Goal (SDG) 4 by 2030.
impacted by teacher shortages, there
is an average of 58 students for every
one trained teacher compared to local assessment and consultation, the Although highly localized, the teacher
the global average of 24 to one. The
consequences of teacher shortages
can be devastating, not only on the
Government of Nigeria established
training programme in North-East
quality of learning but on teacher
workload and well-being. that the first step in addressing the big Nigeria offers some key lessons and
insights for developing sustainable
foundational learning gaps among its
students was to invest in its teachers. foundational learning-focused
Most teachers are not When awarded a US$ 20 million programming.
equipped to tackle the learning Global Partnership for Education
crisis (GPE) Accelerated Funding (AF) grant These programmes should be
The alarming state of learning can aimed at improving student learning evidence-based, drawing from global
also be attributed to the quality of outcomes in the North-East region, evidence, best practices, and targeted
teachers.
the Government of Nigeria prioritized local assessments and consultations.
Nearly 45 per cent of countries have professionalization and upskilling of its They should also be transformative,
no teacher training on foundational teaching force. exploring approaches beyond standard
literacy and numeracy and fewer teacher training models and create
than half of all countries surveyed in In May of 2022, Ezekial was just one new pathways for recruiting and
UNICEF’s RAPID 2023 analysis have a of over 28,000 teachers to graduate qualifying teachers. Moreover, these
programmes should be systemic and
from the UNICEF-supported training
specific focus on foundational literacy, programme, allowing him to pass sustainable, developed in collaboration
numeracy and socio-emotional
learning in their national curriculum. qualifying exams and officially become with government counterparts and
When designing interventions to licensed to teach after nearly a decade integrated into existing teacher
support teachers at the forefront of in the classroom. training and accreditation systems.
the learning crisis deciding where to Finally, they should be smart, assessing
start can seem daunting. The good The accelerated one-year training the cost-effectiveness of various
news is, there is evidence on what programme also aimed to equip evidence-based interventions to
works and there are solutions to tackle teachers with tailored skills and ensure strategic allocation of limited
knowledge to meet the foundational resources.
the crisis. needs of all students in their distinct
There is a solid body of evidence and classrooms — classrooms that on Now more than ever, investing in
the path forward is clear: foundational average have only one teacher for teachers is key to tackling the learning
learning must come first. every 124 students. Ezekiel shared crisis and ensuring classrooms around
that his teaching approach has the world gain more teachers –
Fixing foundations first: lessons been greatly impacted by the skills teachers like Ezekiel – that are trained,
from North-East Nigeria he gained, and he now feels more qualified and supported to help every
Based on a growing global body of confident that he can make a dent in child learn the foundations so they can
evidence, as well as a comprehensive the learning crisis, one student at a reach their full potential.
time.
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