Fifteen teachers from around the world shared their experiences ensuring that learning continued during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the Teacher Task Force. The challenges that teachers faced and the strategies they developed can guide the next steps in responding to COVID-19 as countries and organizations plan to reopen schools and develop more resilient education systems.

A fine balance: Teaching through the pandemic   

Through their unique stories, key themes have emerged about teachers’ professional and personal challenges during the pandemic. Professional challenges included variations in both their own and their students’ digital literacy and in their ability to access online learning. Teachers also faced the personal challenges of maintaining work-life balance and dealing emotionally with the sudden changes brought on by the pandemic.

Teachers also drew attention to the inherent inequities in education systems and their implications for distance education, in rich and poor countries alike.

Private schools in urban areas are investing in online schooling for their pupils. However, the level of investment is not standardized and not consistent among schools. … Online education is not a feasible option in a country where most people have no access to the Internet.

Nadya Faquir, a teacher from Mozambique

Online learning is based on the assumption that students have the possibility to follow online learning at home. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all students. Less advantaged children have a greater chance of falling behind. 

Anne-Fleur Lurvink, secondary school teacher, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Protecting the socio-emotional well-being of students during the return to school, especially where the safety of school spaces is essential for teaching and learning activities, was also highlighted as a challenge.

We also worry about the social and emotional well-being of our students ….[s]chools are more than just places where knowledge is transferred.; it is where children socialize and where they grow. Schools are safe places for those who have unstable homes. How to ensure this at a distance?

Anne-Fleur Lurvink, secondary school teacher, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The suddenness of school closures left teachers little time for preparation. It wasn’t clear to some teachers how they should use the different online and distance education tools, and what the implications of these tools were for the practice of teaching and ensuring student learning. Teachers had varying levels of experiences with the use of technology for teaching. For some, the transition to distance education was neither easy nor smooth.  

The news of Covid-19 was so sudden that it had us stunned at first. Nevertheless, we immediately started activating various platforms to be ready to provide distance learning. …The process was not a smooth one though.”

Barbara Riccardi, primary school teacher, Rome, Italy

It was not an easy initiative to take. We didn't have any resources as we were not prepared for this long lockdown. We had no skill regarding video editing. In spite of the challenges, we made it happen.”

Shaila Sharmin, fellow, Teach For Bangladesh

Strategies for ensuring learning doesn’t stop

In developing strategies to continue teaching and learning, teachers have had to consider many factors, including their own access to technology, their understanding of students’ access to and use of technology platforms, and their knowledge of how their students learn. They have adapted their teaching practices accordingly, while remaining emotionally available for students throughout the process.

Teachers have also demonstrated their commitment to using multiple resources to ensure learning continues despite disruption of school schedules and school closures.

I work in a community of extreme poverty, with few resources. Together with teacher colleagues, I have mapped out the best way to work with these students, in view of their social and economic reality.

Débora Garofalo,  a technology teacher in Brazil’s public education network and a technology manager at the São Paulo State Education Secretariat

I have therefore had to adjust my teaching for those who go at a slower pace, due to lack of self-discipline or depression due to isolation. I start each lesson with emotional encouragement, get feedback on how people are feeling, and generally have slowed my pace or expectations…. I have tried to keep it simple as pupils are having a lot of online lessons. ...

Marjorie Brown, Roedean School, South Africa, Varkey teacher prize finalist

Teachers have relied on collaboration with colleagues to develop support systems while navigating the little-known terrain of online teaching and developing technical know-how. Support from colleagues in similar situations has proved to be important while developing online teaching skills. Professional development opportunities appeared to have more effectiveness when these built on or drew from professional collaborations between teachers. Some teachers point to the ongoing need for - and value of - the partnerships and collaborations developed during this phase. 

The strength of our professional community emerged in these early days, as colleagues supported one another making the transition, learning new instructional tools, and discussing how to support learning at a distance […]

 

Wendee White, 5th grade elementary school teacher, Syracuse, NY, United States

When the news arrived that schools would close, we really collaborated as a team. Teachers came together at school for a brief brainstorm session and started transforming the curriculum to an online one in just one day […] what makes it manageable is the fact that we are in it together. Teacher development has accelerated, and peer learning has been central to it […]

Anne-Fleur Lurvink, secondary school teacher, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Another key factor that has emerged in teachers’ responses is the importance of partnerships and communication with parents in ensuring that children’s learning continues. Teachers displayed an awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by parents during the pandemic. This has led teachers to design strategies that involve parents and to encourage collaborative learning between students and parents, wherever feasible.

I help parents and family with tips and suggestions on how to organize the home study routine (offering practical examples) and how to increase the repertoire of activities…I also offer guidance on how to help students to understand whether they have managed to reach all the learning objectives.

 

Débora Garofalo, a technology teacher in the public education network and a technology manager at the São Paulo State Education Secretariat

Strong parent-teacher-child partnerships have been a tremendous asset to the success of online learning.

Wendee White, 5th grade elementary school teacher, Syracuse, NY, United States

Some teacher experiences have also highlighted the need for developing a cautious approach to adopting online learning. In under-resourced contexts and in schools that largely draw students from socio-economically disadvantaged sections of the population, teachers highlight the possibility that adopting online learning may exacerbate inequities in learning. This requires some planning to mitigate growing inequity such as making use of broadcast media or basic printed materials.

Some lessons for planning next steps

Teachers’ experiences vary depending on the country, type of school, subjects taught, access to technology/infrastructure and the socio-economic background of teachers and students. Nevertheless, three main lessons can be gleaned from the testimony shared.  

First, access to online learning infrastructure is crucial to ensure continued learning. Teachers with previous exposure to the use of online technology show a greater readiness to employ it. However, the transition to new teaching and learning methods has not been easy. Teachers have had to deal with challenges such as navigating different technologies and what they can offer, ensuring its suitability for their subject teaching, dealing with personal social and emotional challenges, and meeting the learning needs and socio-emotional needs of their students.

Second, teachers gained a good understanding of the learning needs of their students during the pandemic. This knowledge needs to inform the next steps in the educational response strategy. Teachers have placed at the forefront the needs of their students and addressed the contextual challenges faced by them to access online education or other learning opportunities. As countries plan strategies to assess and build on students’ learning in this phase, drawing on this awareness and knowledge will be crucial. In one of the experiences shared, for example, dialogue by the school involving teachers helped build their confidence and maintain continuity of learning for students.      

Third, several strategies and practices developed by teachers to cope with the demands of school closures, including their experiences using different technology platforms, can be harnessed and used to build the resilience of education systems. Two crucial practices that can be strengthened are building peer support networks, and establishing communication channels with parents to ensure their involvement in students’ learning.   

Listening to teacher experiences and ensuring that teachers’ concerns are adequately addressed – and teaching and learning strengthened – will be critical as countries move into the next phase of developing education responses to the pandemic.

Further reading: Supporting teachers in back-to-school efforts – A toolkit for school leaders

Based on research provided by Pierre Varly for the TTF, this note examines how COVID-19 is affecting contract teachers in the public and private sectors in several African countries and provides recommendations for improving education resilience in the face of school closures. It has been published to mark the release of the TTF Review of the use of contract teachers in sub-Saharan Africa.

The current global education crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on education systems. At its height, 194 countries had implemented country-wide school closures, affecting 63 million primary and secondary teachers. Sub-Saharan Africa has not been spared during this crisis, witnessing country-wide closures affecting an estimated 6.4 million teachers.

Who are contract teachers?

Contract teachers are recruited through alternative pathways and agree to work outside traditional employment arrangements that are supported by a civil service collective agreement. They receive a salary for the work they perform but do not receive the benefits that apply under public-sector norms and standards, such as annual leave, pension or health insurance.  

While contract teachers may hold similar academic qualifications to their civil service colleagues, they are frequently trained insufficiently in pedagogy, and do not participate in continuous professional development programmes. As a result of their status, contract teachers typically receive lower remuneration and have less job stability, as their employment is subject to public budget fluctuations, market pressures and education providers’ ability to pay.

In practice, there is no single definition of a contract teacher. In francophone sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the terms part-time teacher, state contract teacher, community teacher, national service contract teacher and volunteer all refer to contract teacher subtypes. Teachers in the private sector may also be thought of as contract teachers since they are often paid directly by schools through fees collected from parents. They typically earn less than their public sector counterparts. Various public-private arrangements also exist, with varying implications for the payment of salaries.

Contract teachers as means to expand access to education

The world will need an estimated 69 million teachers, including 17 million for sub-Saharan Africa alone, to meet the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”) in 2030. Due to the teacher shortage in many government-owned schools, contract teachers have been used by the public sector to fill gaps, especially in several sub-Saharan African countries, where the school-age population has grown faster than countries’ capacity to train them. In other countries, remote and rural community-based schools have been set up, based on a public-private model, that employ teachers paid for by local communities and/or through government subsidies.

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on contract teachers is essential as they represent a high proportion of the teacher workforce in many countries. They represented 71% of all pre-primary to secondary level teachers in Niger in 2017, according to RESEN, while 64% of primary teachers in Chad were contracted community teachers in 2014. Contract teachers increased as a proportion of all teachers in primary education in Burkina Faso from being negligible in 2002 to 81% in 2015. In contrast, contract teachers decreased as a proportion of the workforce in Mali from 79% in 2009 to 29% in 2014 – as a result of a government decision under pressure from teacher unions to grant civil service status to more than 40,000 contract and community teachers.

Delayed payments and other impacts on public sector contract teachers

COVID-19 has had varying impacts on the employment and salaries of public sector contract teachers. Public sector contract teacher contracts in Cameroon, Niger and Zambia have not been suspended. Moreover, contract teachers have received their salary payments regularly despite school closures.

This contrasts with Togo where “volunteer” contracts are held by 27% of primary, 41% of lower secondary and 25% of  upper secondary teachers. While teachers’ contracts have not been suspended or terminated, regular salary payments have been a challenge. At the end of May 2020, the National Agency for Volunteering (ANVT) regularly paid about 900 contract teachers, but another 9,490 had not received any state support, representing about 1 in 6 teachers in Togo.

Some evidence shows that in Kenya, contract teachers also did not receive their salaries, since payments depend on school management, which was not possible during school closures. The joint UNESCO/UNICEF/World Bank survey of country responses shows that Burkina Faso and Guinea will also suspend payments to contract teachers, while Ghana and Sierra Leone will continue to pay salaries but after applying reductions. According to the secretary-general of the Teachers’ Union in Uganda, Filbert Baguma, contract teachers there, too, have not received regular salary payments.

Although their situation is not directly related to COVID-19, 2,500 new teachers hired in late 2019 in Niger have yet to receive salary payments for the first few months of 2020. Having incurred debts to travel to their postings, teachers were then obliged to leave their posts during the shutdown then return for the reopening of schools on 1 June (Education International, 2020). In Cote d’Ivoire, the Ministry of National Education, Technical Education and Vocational Training announced that payments would soon be made to 10,300 teachers recruited in 2019.

In Gambia, temporary teachers whose contracts ended in March 2020 were unable to reapply for their positions due to school closures, ending their regular income.

Private sector teacher instability

COVID-19 has revealed institutional shortcomings in the management of teachers. For the public and especially for the private sector, contract teachers may not be covered by any regulations in the event of force majeure (a circumstance beyond the control of both parties). Unlike in the public sector, however, private sector teachers receive salaries directly from school providers, making the tracking of payments much more difficult. In other cases, including community schools, a public-private model is used where local parents pay fees to the school, which can in turn be subsidized by central education authorities, to cover costs such as salaries.

Information from surveyed countries suggests many private sector teachers were not paid for April and May, mostly because shuttered schools were not able to recover all tuition fees, which constitute their only source of income. The situation varies between schools, however, depending on their capacity to offer distance or online instruction. In other cases, wages are tied directly to the work teachers do, so teachers are not paid during closures and absences. In rural community schools, implications for payments are less clear since salaries can be comprised of fees paid by parents and government subsidies, or direct payment to teachers.

According to Stéphane De Souza, the general coordinator of the provisional office of private teachers in Togo, teachers have had no salary updates from their employers (Kossi, 2020). The National Director of Catholic Education also suspended salaries of teachers for May and June. To improve matters, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education indicated volunteer teachers will receive government assistance throughout closures (Togolese Republic, 2020); to date, however, volunteer teachers have not received assistance. Similarly, private sector teachers have not been paid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Senegal, while in Kenya many teachers’ contracts have been suspended due to a general lack of resources.

To maintain partial salaries for private school teachers in Mozambique, the government has requested that private school leaders negotiate with staff and that parents continue to pay monthly fees. Some parents have not complied, making it difficult for administrators to pay full salaries to teachers. As a result, some schools have negotiated with teachers to lower salaries to 75% during the first month and 50% during the second. Similar reports from Zambia show that many private sector teachers there are currently receiving 50% of their monthly salaries.

Finally, it is important to note that since a significant portion of the early childhood care and pre-primary education sector is private, the implications for pre-primary teachers’ salaries not being paid will be greater than in primary education. Additionally, since 80% of pre-primary teachers in sub-Saharan Africa were female in 2017, the non-payment of salaries at this level primarily affects women.

Towards a more effective response for covering salary costs and building system resiliency

As the main system input to achieving education quality, teachers need to be sufficiently trained and supported. The non-payment of teacher salaries therefore not only poses a significant problem for individual, family and community well-being, but also prevents the delivery of quality education and the achievement of SDG4. The effects on teachers of school closures, including attrition and the hardship experienced by those returning, could seriously harm teaching and learning, and undermines the education system’s ability to withstand shocks, including possible resurgences of COVID-19 when schools reopen.

The non-payment of salaries also places a psychological burden on teachers. The General Coordinator of the Provisional Office of Private Teachers in Togo uttered a cry of despair: “We have nothing left to provide for our families. The situation is serious.” (Kossi, 2020).

Government can show leadership by mitigating some of the most severe impacts. Senegal, for example, set up a contingency fund called Force COVID-19. This response fund of 1,000 billion FCFA (USD 1.6 billion) is intended to support businesses and households through a social and economic resilience programme (PRSE) that guarantees wages, including those of both civil servants and contract staff working in public institutions, until classes reopen.

For the private sector, governments can influence private providers in the regular payment of salaries. Education authorities in Cote d’Ivoire have used traditional and social media networks to communicate the importance of paying private sector salaries. The minister of education even warned the private sector against teacher layoffs and non-payment of salaries while congratulating those that continued to meet payments. The minister went further to stress that the payment of salaries by private providers will be a precondition to the transfer of funds to private sector establishments.

Civil society teacher representatives can also continue to play an important role. This includes both public sector teacher unions and those representing the interests and rights of private sector teachers. Due to non-payment to private sector teachers in Togo, a new teacher union was quickly set up, the National Union of Private Schools and Institutions of Togo (SYNEP-TOGO), which held its constituent general assembly in April 2020. Formed to defend private teachers’ rights and socio-economic interests, SYNEP-TOGO aims to ensure better representation of its membership to public authorities and international organizations to allow for collective bargaining for the private sector (Togo top news, 2020).

Recommendations for maintaining teachers’ contracts and payment of salaries

Member states are reminded of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers and articles about teachers’ salaries, and rights and responsibilities. The Teacher Task Force further proposes the following recommendations to ensure teacher salaries are covered now and during future school closures.

Enhance the provision of distance education: The spread of distance education is vital for the continuation of teaching and learning during school closures; however, it is also vital to maintain teacher contracts. Where schools close and teaching and learning cannot be transferred online or through other distance education methodologies (including via mobile phones, broadcast and Interactive radio and television and printed materials), contract teachers will be vulnerable. A partial solution is to develop strategies that help schools and teachers to continue teaching during school closures, including the use of high-, low-, and no-tech solutions. For this, teachers need to receive adequate training and preparation, with special provisions for contract teachers who are excluded from professional development opportunities. They also need access to the Internet and the necessary devices.

Develop financing strategies to cover teacher salaries: The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has announced an additional USD 500 million to support education systems affected by COVID-19 school closures. Governments therefore may have additional leverage to pledge special funding of up to about 4% of total education expenditures to ensure that all teacher salaries – public and private – are paid during short periods of crises. Governments can also make subsidies to private schools conditional on the payment of teachers’ salaries. Countries should also consider innovative funding mechanisms to support teachers during the crisis and the international community should be able to support these efforts.

Strengthen teachers’ voices through teacher unions and civil society representation: Public and private sector teachers – including teachers and support staff in early childhood care and pre-primary education – need better representation. At the same time, relationships between teachers’ unions need to be strengthened to enhance sharing of information related to COVID-19, its impact and effective ways to maintain learning, including distance learning techniques. The collective representation of education support staff and early childhood care and pre-primary education staff needs to be enhanced to improve their standing.

Improve communication with parents, caregivers and communities: Governments can communicate better with parents and caregivers about school closures and their impact on education, as well as with communities about the importance of paying school fees on time, despite the interruption in education, to ensure teachers do not lose their livelihoods.

Improve data on non-civil servant teachers: It is important to collect regular data on contract teachers, including their salaries, training, qualifications and conditions of employment, to enable more effective policy and planning responses when needed.

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Teacher Task Force presents new research on the impact of COVID-19 on contract teachers

To shed light on the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on contract teachers in sub-Saharan Africa, the Teacher Task Force conducted desk research and numerous interviews with representatives of ministries, trade union and UNESCO National Commissions. The research is supplemented by data collected through the joint UNESCO/UNICEF/World Bank “Survey on National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures.” The Teacher Task Force is also publishing the “Review on the use of contract teachers in sub-Saharan Africa”, which takes a closer look at the situation of contract teachers in 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Teacher Task Force, in its response to the COVID-19 crisis, issued a Call for Action on Teachers to ensure all teachers are protected, supported and recognised. In it, the Teacher Task Force calls on governments, education providers and funders – public and private – and all relevant partners to preserve employment and wages, stressing that governments and all public and private education providers should work to preserve the entire teaching and education support staff, and their salaries and benefits. They will be essential for a rapid and effective recovery when schools re-open.

Blog's photo credits: Dietmar Temps / Shutterstock.com

Shanghai, January 2020

I woke up one morning in the Chinese New Year holidays to find we were not going to return to school on February 3 as expected. Instead, we were told to prepare to teach online. As the pandemic spreads all over the world education has to reinvent itself rapidly. Teachers from all over the world have come together on social media to support each other and share experiences during these difficult times. But as I become more conversant with online teaching, my mind is still not at ease. I am one of the privileged ones lucky enough to have access to a huge number of resources. But how about those who are not so lucky? My thoughts were with the people in my home country, Mozambique, and other developing countries where the vast majority of the population has no access to electricity, let alone online learning.

Lara, a 13-year-old eighth grader, starts her day by helping the family with chores around the shack where they live instead of heading to school as she used to do before the terrifying pandemic. Lara and her family live in Manhiça, in the province of Maputo, Mozambique. She attends the Filipe Nyussi School in Maluana. Neither of Lara’s parents has completed primary education. Her father is the sole income provider and he earns about $45 per month, which he needs to manage carefully between food for the family and education for Lara and her seven brothers and sisters.

Despite the difficulties, Lara’s father says his dream is to see his daughter complete her education. He beams with pride as he describes Lara as a smart, passionate, and dedicated student. Sadly, he also expresses a lot of concern about the uncertain future.

Due to the pandemic, schools in Mozambique have closed. Lara’s daily routine has changed dramatically. She must stay at home while her father walks to school to collect school assignments. When he gets home after work, Lara completes the assignments and later submits them for the teachers to review and grade. Occasionally, her father has had to pick up assignments twice, paying up to 160 meticais (about USD 2.40).

Lara is very eager to learn. She is frustrated that while she would spend four  hours a day learning when she could go to school, her current routine only allows her to study for one hour a day. The family agrees that the current level of education is extremely weak, but unfortunately there is little they can do. They complain about the additional costs for the printed material.

Lara and her family have no access to electricity and consequently have no TV or Internet access at home. This type of situation is very common throughout the country. For this reason, schools have resorted to providing written material prepared by the teachers for students to study at home. Many other children in rural areas, especially girls, face similar challenges. While school is meant to be free, many have complained about the fees for the printed material. In addition, not going to school exposes young girls like Lara to hidden risks of premature marriages and/or pregnancies.

Private schools in urban areas are investing in online schooling for their pupils. However, the level of investment is not standardized and not consistent among schools. Some private schools are moving faster with online platforms and online classes to better meet the needs of their students. Nevertheless, they also rely on parents’ willingness or financial ability to invest in access to technology such as Internet connectivity, computers, and mobile devices.

Studies have shown that the quality of education in Mozambique lags behind that of its neighboring countries and the level of school retention for young girls in the country is still a challenge. On top of that, the country also struggles to provide proper training for its teachers.

Online education is not a feasible option in a country where most people have no access to the Internet. While teachers from all over the world get together in social media to collaborate and give education a face-lift, some teachers and schools in less privileged countries are forgotten.

Nadya Faquir

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

In Brazil, where I teach primary and secondary school, 82% of students are in public schools. Due to regional social differences, some of us have to deal with adverse situations. But all regions face related problems and connect in different ways.

I work in a community of extreme poverty, with few resources. Together with teacher colleagues, I have mapped out the best way to work with these students, in view of their social and economic reality. Infrastructure and connectivity resources are lacking, but most families have mobile devices, such as cell phones.

We conducted and made available a study guide to be carried out at home with printed curricular guidelines so that parents could withdraw their children from school at alternate times, so as not to create agglomerations that would pose a danger due to Covid-19. The guidelines included information about the platforms that would be used, such as WhatsApp and social networks, including a Facebook group that we already had for all the classes in the school.

So, in addition to the printed guidelines sent to homes, I started using WhatsApp and Facebook with my classes to disseminate short videos. The videos give them guidance to carry out activities, such as work on various topics from digital literacy to computational thinking and problem-solving skills, but also socio-emotional skills, such as creativity, self-management and self-care.

I proposed to the students some reflections and suggestions for hands-on activities. For example, we made a mechanical hand. I made a sequence of short videos, talking about creativity, telling the story of Leonardo da Vinci and also of sustainability , and the three Rs (recycle, reduce and reuse). Another video talked about the importance of the mechanical hand for industry, saving lives and giving quality of life to people who have lost limbs. Finally, I encouraged them to create a robotic hand using cardboard, string and glue, with a hashtag to post a photo on the Facebook group when the work was done.

WhatsApp also works as a channel to clear up doubts, so I organized daily schedules for my students to let them know when I am available to remedy difficulties and clarify points. This has been effective in helping students to continue their studies.

In addition to my work as a teacher, I write two columns on education in major media. I have used this moment to write to teachers and educational managers about using technology to teach, pointing out information about tools such as Google Classroom, Zoom, Blackboard, Century Tech, and EkStep, among others. I have also written about planning, about designing and applying activities, about assessment and hybrid teaching. I have also provided guidance for class recordings, on topics such as voice intonation, didactic sequence, time, cell phone handling, sound and light, as the vast majority have prepared classes without interactions, only with forums.

I help parents and family with tips and suggestions on how to organize the home study routine (offering practical examples) and how to increase the repertoire of activities. I show them the importance of creating lists of books, films and virtual places, such as museums. I also offer guidance on how to help students to understand whether they have managed to reach all the learning objectives, with such questions as:

• Does the exercise that I got wrong have to do with the content of the previous learning?
• Was there any factor that took my attention away from studies?
• Did I understand the question?
• Did I answer what was asked?
• Did I study the whole topic?

This is a period of new learning for all, in which it is necessary to learn from each other, to listen and find ways to overcome difficulties.

Débora Garofalo is a technology teacher in the public education network and a technology manager at the São Paulo State Education Secretariat. She is an education columnist, a winner of national awards and was in the top 10 of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize 2019.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.