Valuing Teachers research

VSO has investigated the motivations and challenges facing teachers in 15 developing countries. Poor salaries, training, management and working conditions are demoralising teachers and endangering education. 

What do teachers tell us?

The Valuing Teachers research series highlights the voices and experiences of educators. These insights led to the following findings:

• Head teachers play a crucial role in teacher motivation and improved learning in schools. We must prioritise management training for school leaders.
• The biggest investment of funds and human resources should always be in teachers. It is vital that governments and donors prioritise teacher management.
• The quality of teacher training dictates the quality of teaching. Reducing the length and quality of pre-service teacher training is a false economy. Moves to do so are damaging the quality of teaching and learning.
• Teacher management and training systems should address gender and inclusion. Girls, boys, children with disabilities and other excluded groups all need positive role models. This would also improve and support equal pay and conditions for teachers. 

Taking action on Valuing Teachers

Valuing Teachers has supported successful advocacy initiatives and won significant victories for teachers:

• In Nepal, the Lessons from the Classroom report fueled a national advocacy campaign. This led to improvements in pre-school education and changed government policy, including:
  - Increases in pay
  - New life insurance for teachers
  - Introducing positive discrimination to improve representation of female, disabled and minority groups in teaching. 
• In Mozambique, the Listening to Teachers report led to a national review of human resourcing needs in education. VSO supported the Ministry of Education to develop a national HR strategy for education. 
• We have placed volunteers in civil society education coalitions. There, they advise on using the evidence of Valuing Teachers to lobby for positive change.
• We have increased partnerships with teachers’ unions around the world. We support them to engage in education policy dialogues and negotiate better terms for education workers.
• We work with gender and disadvantaged peoples’ groups to improve education outcomes and representation
• We work with Ministries of Education to improve their responsiveness. This includes placing volunteers in Ministries

Access past Valuing Teachers research

You can download PDF versions of Valuing Teachers research conducted in the following countries:

• Cambodia - Teaching Matters
• Cameroon - Actions and Interactions
• Ethiopia - How much is a good teacher worth?
• The Gambia - Teachers Speak Out and Qualifying for Quality
• Guyana - Making Teachers Count
• Malawi - Teacher Talking Time
• The Maldives - Valuing School Leaders and Learning From Listening 
• Mozambique - Teachers Talking or Listening to Teachers 
• Nepal - Lessons from the Classroom
• Nigeria - Every Child Needs a Teacher and Teacher's Voice
• Pakistan - Teacher Professionalism in Punjab
• Papua New Guinea - Listen and Learn
• Rwanda - Seen But Not Heard and Gender Equality in Teaching and Education Management 
• Tanzania - Leading Learning
• Zambia - They've Got Class!

Find out more