Abstract
This report is one of several on the research project on the Impact of GIS-Supported Teacher Allocation in Sierra Leone. The education workforce is the most important school-level determinant of student learning. In Sierra Leone, the pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio rises from 44:1 for schools in urban centres to 76:1 for schools in rural areas. Meanwhile, an average of a quarter of the workforce is absent from school on any given day.
This informal literature review provides a summary of the most recent literature on teacher absenteeism, covering a wide range of low- and middle-income countries, including Sierra Leone, where the larger study is being undertaken. For the purposes of this review, we have focused on lessons learnt from sub-Saharan African studies that share similar education contexts and challenges as Sierra Leone. Based on the review, we hypothesise that distance from a teacher’s home to their school and their ability to choose which school they would like to work in impact teacher motivation, school attendance, and time on task. Efficient teacher allocation could improve each of these outcome estimates.
Authors and contributors
- Vijil, Alejandra(Author)
- McBurnie, Chris(Author)
- Bellinger, Amy(Author)
- Godwin, Katie(Author)
- Haßler, Björn(Author)
Citation
Vijil, A., McBurnie, C., Bellinger, A., Godwin, K., & Haßler, B. (2023). Factors Related to Teacher Absenteeism in Sierra Leone: Literature review. EdTech Hub. https://doi.org/10.53832/edtechhub.0170
Link to this record
https://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/MS3CKE8G
Key themes
- Teachers
- Teacher allocation
- Low-level foundational skills
Type
- Evidence review
