Foundations Newsletter

The world is facing a critical shortage of teachers. The UNESCO Institute of Statistics reports that “at least 74 countries face an acute shortage of teachers while about 59 million children are excluded from primary education and millions more struggle to learn in overcrowded classrooms.” (UIS, 2015). More and more teachers are leaving the job, and fewer and fewer graduates are joining the profession. Colleges and schools will find themselves offering “fewer subjects in larger classes by less qualified staff.” (The Guardian, 2015).

But what are the reasons behind this critical situation? There is no doubt that the teaching profession is a highly-demanding job, and many teachers now prefer to quit and look for  less demanding yet better paid jobs. Teachers are expected to undertake a heavy teaching workload, monitor the daily development of their students and write appropriate reports about progress, construct and correct tests and examinations, and finally, meet the criteria set up in the annual staff appraisal. There is also the social factor associated with the behavior of students, and the pressure exerted by the parents who always aspire for their children to achieve the best results. This kind of job may lead to frustration, disappointment, and discouragement. Some people argue that teachers should retire at a much earlier time than any other profession!

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But wait a second! There are, on the other hand, teachers who enjoy their job and think it is fun, and would never think of quitting! They believe it is a rewarding, fulfilling and encouraging profession. They earn their reward through the “bright” looks in the eyes of their students when the latter manage to understand a difficult concept, solve a complex problem, or write an outstanding essay or article. They enjoy their success as educators when their students celebrate passing an official assessment or a standardized test. How about the holidays/breaks in the school calendar? Compared to other professions they may look numerous and lengthy, but well earned!

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Now, where do you stand?