The KIX Observatory has published its fourth report “Teacher Training and Support in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic”. This report contributes to the KIX Observatory’s efforts to gather emerging evidence on education policy and practice responses to COVID-19 in Africa. The KIX Observatory facilitates peer learning and informs decision-makers from 40 African partner countries of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
Focusing on teacher training and support, the latest report acknowledges the severe impact of COVID-19 on education and the surmounting challenges faced by education practitioners from the region. GPE partner countries faced numerous challenges providing teacher training and support, from their inability to reach and train targeted teachers to factors that hindered teachers from executing their duties despite the training and support provided to them. Some pre-existing challenges, such as inadequate funding for professional development, were underscored by the pandemic. Other challenges, such as the loss of employment and salaries during school closures especially among private school teachers, reflect the broader economic challenges experienced by national governments across sectors, as lock downs and other pandemic control measures reduced incomes and spending among their populations. The pandemic also highlighted pre-existing gaps and inequities in the digital connectivity—especially among teachers and learners in rural and remote areas--needed to support remote training and learning.
The review of policy and practice responses revealed that GPE partner countries centered their teacher training and teacher support on six main areas. They include: (i) development and use of distance learning solutions (DLS), (ii) support to school children affected by gender-based violence (GBV) and mental health problems, (iii) supporting vulnerable children, (iv) school reopening preparations, (v) teachers’ overall wellbeing, and (vi) teachers’ motivation and incentives. Taking into account the region’s shared challenges, the report outlines a series of recommendations for national policymakers to enhance pandemic-coping mechanisms, reverse learning losses, and build back better in the education system.
Find the detailed report here.
For more information on the KIX Observatory and how this platform contributes to global efforts to measure and respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on education, putting country experiences and research to use, visit their website.
The KIX Observatory’s first report on education financing in Africa during the pandemic can be found here, their second report on the well-being of schoolchildren during the pandemic can be found here, and their third report on school reopening during the pandemic can be found here. A live tracker of relevant education policy and practice responses in the region can be found here: https://bit.ly/3xsSdyX
