Holding teachers accountable for student test scores enhancing is being vigorously advocated.
While test scores are not the only parameter for quality education, neither are teachers the only stakeholders responsible.
What are the findings of UNESCO?
Ensuring inclusive and quality education for all, and to promote lifelong learning is one of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of that effort, UNESCO’s new Global Education Monitoring Report 2017/18 made a comprehensive analysis in global education systems.
The report points out that providing quality education depends on many stakeholders.
Governments, schools, teachers, parents, media and civil society, international organisations and the private sector – all have a shared responsibility.
Why is test scores oriented approach bad?
Using test scores as landmarks is also a bad idea as, ‘teaching to test’ might become the norm.
Teaching to the test is bad way as scores by themselves are an inadequate way of assessing the complex process of learning.
Such exclusive focus on test scores has the risk of leaving weaker students behind.
It also leaves academically better-performing students with a narrow understanding of what education is all about.
Are teachers the main cause for underperformance?
Teachers are one of the many stakeholders, they tend to be disproportionately targeted for systemic underperformance.
It is both unfair and short-sighted to target teachers as the primary reason for poor test scores.
While teacher absence, is indeed a problem, very often the reasons for this are beyond the teacher’s own control.
The overall percentage of teachers not in school was estimated at 18.5% by Azim Premji Foundation.
But most of these were due to other official duties or on bonafide leave and absenteeism due to bunking was a mere 2.5%.
Hence the larger problem is one of teacher shortage needs to be fixed first.
