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Teacher shortages, teacher contracts and their effect on education in Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Jean Bourdon

    (IREDU - Institut de recherche sur l'éducation : Sociologie et Economie de l'Education - UB - Université de Bourgogne)

  • Markus Frölich

    (IZA - Institute for the Study of Labor - Institute for the Study of Labor, University of Mannheim = Universität Mannheim)

  • Katharina Michaelowa

    (HWWA - Hamburg Institute of International Economics - Hamburgisches Welts-Wirtschafts Archiv, UZH - Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich)

Abstract

To enhance primary enrolment rates, many African countries have launched large teacher recruitment programmes in recent years. Given tight budgetary constraints, teachers are no longer employed in civil service positions, but on the basis of (fixed term) contracts typically implying considerably lower salaries and a sharply reduced amount of professional training. We analyse the effect of this change on educational quality in Niger, Togo and Mali, on the basis of very informative data, which are comparable across these countries. We use a variety of estimation techniques, including a non-parametric estimation of quantile treatment effects. Our results demonstrate that contract teachers tend to reduce inequalities in student outcomes. Overall, the effects are positive in Mali, somewhat mixed in Togo and negative in Niger. This ordering is consistent with theoretical expectations related to the manner in which contract teacher programmes were implemented differently in each of the three countries under study.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean Bourdon & Markus Frölich & Katharina Michaelowa, 2010. "Teacher shortages, teacher contracts and their effect on education in Africa," Post-Print halshs-00426678, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00426678
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    Cited by:

    1. Stahlschmidt, Stephan & Eckardt, Matthias & Härdle, Wolfgang Karl, 2014. "Expectile treatment effects: An efficient alternative to compute the distribution of treatment effects," SFB 649 Discussion Papers 2014-059, Humboldt University Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk.
    2. Gundersen, Sara & McKay, Michael, 2019. "Reward or punishment? An examination of the relationship between teacher and parent behavior and test scores in the Gambia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 20-34.
    3. Liao, Wei, 2019. "“Weekday rural teachers, weekend urban spouses and parents”: A Chinese case of how alternative hiring policy influences teachers’ career decisions," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 53-63.
    4. repec:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2014-059 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Duflo, Esther & Dupas, Pascaline & Kremer, Michael, 2015. "School governance, teacher incentives, and pupil–teacher ratios: Experimental evidence from Kenyan primary schools," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 92-110.
    6. Karthik Muralidharan & Venkatesh Sundararaman, 2013. "Contract Teachers: Experimental Evidence from India," NBER Working Papers 19440, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Sonja Fagernäs & Panu Pelkonen, 2012. "Preferences and skills of Indian public sector teachers," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 1(1), pages 1-31, December.
    8. Todd Pugatch & Elizabeth Schroeder, 2018. "Teacher pay and student performance: evidence from the Gambian hardship allowance," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 249-276, April.
    9. Carroll, David & Parasnis, Jaai & Tani, Massimiliano, 2018. "Teaching, Gender and Labour Market Incentives," IZA Discussion Papers 12027, IZA Network @ LISER.
    10. Wang Lei & Mengjie Li & Siqi Zhang & Yonglei Sun & Sean Sylvia & Enyan Yang & Guangrong Ma & Linxiu Zhang & Di Mo & Scott Rozelle, 2018. "Contract teachers and student achievement in rural China: evidence from class fixed effects," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 62(2), pages 299-322, April.
    11. Sonja Fagernäs & Panu Pelkonen, 2011. "Whether to Hire Local Contract Teachers? Trade-off Between Skills and Preferences in India," SERC Discussion Papers 0083, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Valente, Christine, 2019. "Primary education expansion and quality of schooling," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    13. Dreher, Axel & Poutvaara, Panu, 2011. "Foreign Students and Migration to the United States," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 1294-1307, August.
    14. Todd Pugatch, 2017. "Is teacher certification an effective tool for developing countries?," World of Labour, LISER, pages 349-349, April.

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