2012年-世界发展银行全球_Guinea-Bissau_Teachers___SABER_Country_Report_2012_14页_755kb

Summary of SABER-Teachers Country Report: Guinea-Bissau (2012)

Core Content Overview

The SABER-Teachers report evaluates the teacher policy system of Guinea-Bissau against eight key policy goals aimed at ensuring that every classroom has a motivated, supported, and competent teacher. The report highlights the current status of these policies using a four-category scale: Latent, Emerging, Established, and Advanced. The analysis is part of the SABER (Systems Approach for Better Education Results) initiative by the World Bank's Human Development Network, which provides a comprehensive framework for comparing and improving teacher policies globally.

Main Policy Goals and Status

Key Findings

1. Setting Clear Expectations for Teachers (Emerging)

• Expectations: Guinea-Bissau has defined clear standards for what students should learn and what teachers are expected to do.
• Weakness: Policies on teachers' use of time do not account for non-teaching activities like lesson planning, professional development, and administrative tasks. This may hinder teachers' ability to improve instruction.
• Comparison: High-performing systems like Japan and Singapore allocate a significant portion of teachers' time to instructional improvement activities.

2. Attracting the Best into Teaching (Latent)

• Qualifications: Teacher qualifications in Guinea-Bissau are low compared to other professions. Primary teachers require 6–24 months of study, while secondary teachers require 2–3 years.
• Pay and Conditions: Teacher pay is not linked to performance, and working conditions are not appealing enough. Student-teacher ratios are high (52:1), compared to high-performing systems (maximum 20–30:1).
• Career Opportunities: There are no policies for horizontal career advancement in academic leadership, and teacher advancement is only linked to performance.

3. Preparing Teachers with Useful Training and Experience (Emerging)

• Initial Training: Primary teachers are trained at the ISCED 4A level, while secondary teachers at the ISCED 5B level. This is lower than many high-performing systems, which require bachelor's degrees (ISCED 5A).
• Classroom Experience: Trainees receive 3–6 months of classroom experience during initial education, and are required to participate in mentoring programs. However, this is shorter than the 7+ months typically required in high-performing systems.

4. Matching Teachers' Skills with Students' Needs (Latent)

• Incentives: No incentives are available for teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools or teach critical shortage subjects.
• Subject Shortages: Critical shortage subjects are not identified, which may lead to an imbalance in teacher availability and subject coverage.

5. Leading Teachers with Strong Principals (Latent)

• Leadership Development: There are no specific programs or training for developing principal leadership skills, and performance is not rewarded.
• Principal Role: Principals are not explicitly required to evaluate teacher performance or provide instructional support. In contrast, high-performing systems view principals as instructional leaders who guide and support teachers.

6. Monitoring Teaching and Learning (Latent)

• Student Data: Student achievement data are collected at the national level, but not used to inform teaching or policy.
• Teacher Evaluation: There is no system to monitor teacher performance over time, and evaluations are limited to subject matter knowledge. High-performing systems use multiple criteria and data sources for teacher assessment.

7. Supporting Teachers to Improve Instruction (Established)

• Professional Development: Teachers are required to participate in 20 days of professional development annually, which is comparable to systems like Singapore and Shanghai.
• Cost and Responsibility: Professional development is funded by sub-national and local authorities, and teachers do not bear the cost.

8. Motivating Teachers to Perform (Latent)

• Compensation and Performance: Teacher pay and appointments are linked to performance, but there are few mechanisms to hold teachers accountable.
• Accountability: High-performing systems use more comprehensive mechanisms for teacher accountability, including performance evaluations and data feedback.

Conclusion

Guinea-Bissau's teacher policy system is in the Emerging or Latent stages in most areas, with only Supporting Teachers to Improve Instruction classified as Established. The report highlights the need for stronger policies in attracting qualified teachers, providing comprehensive training, and ensuring that teacher performance is monitored and aligned with student learning outcomes. These findings suggest that while some foundational support exists, significant improvements are needed to enhance teacher quality and effectiveness across the country.