La mesure de l'efficacité scolaire par la méthode de l'enveloppe : test des filières alternatives de recrutement des enseignants dans le cadre du processus Education pour tous

Data envelopment and school effectiveness: contract teachers' efficiency compared to civil servants in the Education for all process) In the context of EFA process, countries, in general the most depressed LDC, both constrained by scarcity of funding and urgency for expanding school access have set up new tracks for teacher recruitment on annually renewable contracts. Those teachers are often not professionally trained in regards with traditional pedagogical curricula. They receive much lower salaries than regular civil service teachers. This has been a controversial policy, but there is very limited evidence on the effectiveness or failure of contract teachers in improving student learning. Here using a survey from PASEC on the Guinean case, we present evidence from a program FIMG that provided a massive supply in contract teachers. Using data envelopment analysis in a value added view for pupil's assessments we find, mixing data envelopment methods and the classical production function of education as economists are familiar, a link between the characteristics of teachers and students' performance. After a first step using DEA or FDH, we try to explain variety in efficiency rates measured in each classroom using censoring data estimation methods. In this analysis we particularly focus on the choice between parsimony or generosity in the choice of input factors. In conclusion, there is, at least, no clear evidence for a clear impact coming from the professional positions and the quality of teaching, as measured through PASEC's assessments in pupils' performance. When corrected with socio economic, and teachers' characteristics the new professional track appears more efficient for the pure class' performance; this fact dilutes when taking account the dimension of equity and returns to scale. So comparing cost, hiring for contracts teacher may appears on today as rational to achieve EFA process as the penalty in school performance is not established.