Teachers

“Working towards solutions for sufficient numbers of appropriately trained and qualified teachers is an urgent imperative of our time if we are to ensure a safe, quality education—and hope for the future—for the rising tide of children affected by conflict and crisis” (Mendenhall et al., 2018).

Teachers

A competent and skilled teacher is one of the most important inputs in any education system. But in crisis and post-conflict settings, teachers are often in short supply and many are new recruits with minimal experience or education to prepare them for teaching in tough conditions. Those who do have a teaching background or qualification may have to teach content outside of their knowledge area, and may be unprepared to respond to the additional complexities of teaching in a crisis context.

As teachers play a critical role in shaping the future of their students and communities, their role should not be an afterthought, but an integral part of the preparedness and planning phases for education in emergencies and in chronic crises. Teachers, like all professionals, must be carefully recruited and prepared to be teachers, with access to well-planned and well-executed professional development in order to be the best that they can be, especially in times of crisis. In particular, teachers require relevant knowledge and skills, as well as strong school-based support and opportunities for collaboration to respond effectively to the complex needs of learners in crisis contexts.

You can find out more about INEE’s Teachers in Crisis Contexts Collaborative, an inter-agency effort to provide more and better support to teachers in crisis settings, here.

Key Statistics

  • TeachersIt is estimated that at least 20,000 additional teachers are needed each year to address the gap for the world’s displaced students (Strecker, 2018).
  • Recurring armed conflict in Central African Republic (CAR) since 2003 has led to a situation where in a country of 4.6 million people there are only 9,000 teachers, half of whom are unqualified (Nicolai et al., 2015).
  • In Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, 73% of primary teachers are uncertified (Mendenhall et al., 2018).
  • In Lebanon, 55% of teachers have not been trained for the past two years, despite the diverse needs of teachers and learners (UNESCO GEM, 2019).
  • In primary schools across refugee settlements in Uganda, the average pupil-teacher ratio is 85:1, reaching 94:1 and 133:1 in certain settlements (UNESCO GEM, 2019)
  • In Syria, teacher stipends have dropped on average to 10 percent of the value of pre-crisis salaries (Assistance Coordination Unit, 2017).
Manual/Handbook/Guide

Teachers in Crisis Contexts Training for Primary School Teachers

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

The Training for Primary School Teachers in Crisis Contexts package was developed for unqualified or under-qualified teachers often recruited to teach in refugee camps and in a range of other emergency settings.

Arabic
English
French
Spanish
Manual/Handbook/Guide

Teachers in Crisis Contexts Peer Coaching

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

The Teachers in Crisis Contexts (TiCC) Peer Coaching pack provides an additional layer of support for teachers participating in the Training for Primary School Teachers in Crisis Contexts by preparing teachers to use Teacher Learning Circles (TLCs) and Classroom Observations.

English
French
Portuguese
Spanish
Case Study

Promising Practices in Teacher Management, Professional Development, and Wellbeing

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

This publication provides donors, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and teachers with compelling examples of programs and practices that positively influence improvements in teachers’ work conditions and teaching practice.

Arabic
English
French
Portuguese
Spanish
Report

Landscape Review: Teacher Well-being in Low Resource, Crisis, and Conflict-affected Settings

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
,
Education Equity Research Initiative

This resource includes findings from a landscape review, a conceptual framework for teacher well-being, as well as programmatic and policy guidance for providing comprehensive support to the well-being of teachers working in low resource, crisis, and conflict-affected contexts.

Arabic
English
French
Portuguese
Spanish
Report

Teaching Amidst Conflict and Displacement: Persistent Challenges and Promising Practices for Refugee, Internally Displaced and National Teachers

Published by
United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organziation (UNESCO)
,
Global Education Monitoring Repot

Confronted with record-high numbers of displaced persons and protracted crises that have lasted for decades, this paper draws on case study examples from multiple countries to examine both the persistent challenges and promising practices for refugee, internally displaced, and national teachers in their efforts to provide education to the millions of children and youth affected by crisis.

English
Manual/Handbook/Guide

INEE Guidance Notes on Teaching and Learning

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

The INEE Guidance Notes on Teaching and Learning and accompanying Resource Pack build on the INEE Minimum Standards and articulate good practice on critical issues related to curricula adaptation and development; teacher training, professional development and support; instruction and learning processes; and the assessment of learning outcomes.

Arabic
Bosnian
Croatian
Chinese (Mandarin)
English
French
Spanish
Serbian
Manual/Handbook/Guide

INEE Guidance Notes on Teacher Compensation

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

The Guidance Notes on Teacher Compensation and related materials (available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic) provide a framework for determining appropriate compensation for teachers in crisis contexts.

Arabic
English
French
Spanish
INEE Webinar

Teacher Professional Development in Crisis Contexts

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

INEE hosted a free webinar on 29 September 2016 addressing the critical issue of teacher professional development in crisis-affected contexts.

English
Training Material

School Code of Conduct Teacher Training Manual

Published by
Save the Children

The School Code of Conduct (SCOC) training programme is designed to be used by Save the Children education staff to enable teachers and education personnel to implement governmental Teachers’ Codes of Conduct (TCOC) in schools. The training content relates to development and emergency contexts; to immediate and post conflict settings; and in response to natural disasters.

English
Website

Teachers for Teachers Initiative

Published by
Teachers College, Columbia University

Teachers College, Columbia University launched the Teachers for Teachers initiative in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya to support refugee and Kenyan teachers in their efforts to improve their own teaching practice and student learning in the camp.

English
Manual/Handbook/Guide

Education in Emergencies: A tool kit for starting and managing education in emergencies

Published by
Save the Children

This brief provides an overview of how teacher training is different in emergencies; who is trained; the timeframe for training; and the forms of, methodology and content for training. It also lays out 4 practical steps to follow in planning effective training for teachers. 

English
Other

Teacher Professional Development in Crisis Annotated Bibliography

Published by
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

This annotated bibliography reflects the results from a review of the literature regarding teacher professional development (TPD) in conflict, post-conflict, fragile, and developing contexts.

English