Teacher shortage threatens development
A new study shows that 33 countries in the world will not have enough teachers to provide every child with a primary education by 2030, if current trends continue.
With millions of children out of school today, universal primary and secondary education will remain a dream if aid fails to reach those who need it most, says the latest report by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).
The world will need to recruit 25.8 million school teachers to provide every child with a primary education by 2030. This total includes the creation of 3.2 million new posts and the replacement of 22.6 million teachers expected to leave the profession.
Today, an extra 2.7 million teachers are needed to reach the 59 million children excluded from education and accommodate them in classrooms with not more than 40 pupils per teacher, according to UIS data.
The new data highlight the challenges ahead in reaching the new Sustainable Development Goal to provide every child with 12 years of quality education by 2030. However, 96 countries are still struggling to achieve universal primary education. According to UIS projections, only 37 countries (39%) will have enough primary teachers in classrooms by 2020 and the share will rise to 56% by 2025. However, 33 countries (34%) will still not have enough teachers to achieve Universal Primary Education in 2030.
