Teacher Education in Africa and Learning Outcomes

Abstract

This chapter analyses the impacts of teachers on students’ learning outcomes. It finds that teachers with high scores in the reading or mathematics content taught also tend to have higher scores in the didactics of reading or mathematics; and student performance on reading and mathematics is strongly correlated with teachers’ knowledge of reading and mathematics, respectively. Students whose teachers have benefited from additional training or in-service training, who have received a visit from the inspector, or who teach in classes of up to 40 pupils perform better than students whose teachers have the opposite characteristics. From another angle, teacher training of at least 3 years is positively associated with better student performance. In the teaching/learning process, teachers play a significant role in student learning, which is analysed. In sub-Saharan African countries, there is an urgent need to rethink the question of teachers. For this purpose, concrete measures in terms of teacher policies are needed. For example, it is necessary not to recruit teachers with an academic level lower than the baccalaureate (secondary school-leaving certificate), and introducing the obligation of 2–3 years’ pedagogical, didactic, and professional training is suggested.