Time to teach. Liberia

Teacher absenteeism is one of the main challenges to achieving universal learning in many developing countries. In Liberia, recurring school absenteeism and post abandonment are considered critical obstacles to quality education. Although national political actors recognize absenteeism as a major impediment to quality education, studies on the factors influencing teacher attendance in the country, including national policies and practices at the community and school levels, remain scarce.

The Time to Teach study seeks to fill these knowledge gaps. The main objective of the study is to collect and strengthen the evidence base on the factors affecting the various dimensions of primary school teacher attendance and to use this evidence to inform the design and implementation of teacher policies. More specifically, the study examines four distinct dimensions of teacher attendance: (1) being in school; (2) being punctual (i.e., not arriving late/leaving early); (3) being in the classroom (while in school); and (4) spending sufficient time on task (while in the classroom).