November 8, 2018//-Teacher status in Ghana ranked 32ndout of 35 countries polled in the new Global Teacher Status Index 2018 – the fourth lowest of any country surveyed after Brazil, Israel and Italy.
By contrast, China was the highest ranked country.
The global education charity the Varkey Foundation which launched the Global Teacher Status Index (GTSI) 2018 – the follow up to the GTSI 2013 and the most comprehensive study ever of how society views teachers across 35 countries around the world, has revealed.
Ghanaians have among the least respect for teachers of any country surveyed. When asked to rank 14 professions in order of respect, Ghana ranked primary school teachers lower than any other country polled, headteachers the third lowest after Brazil and Hungary, and secondary teachers the third lowest after Brazil and Israel.
Despite Ghanaian teachers having among the lowest status of all the countries surveyed, half (50%) of those surveyed would definitely or probably encourage their children to become teachers – the third highest of all the countries surveyed after China (50%) and India (54%).
Despite Ghana’s low position in the teacher status index, Ghanaians rate their education system very highly – at 7.03 out of 10, the fifth highest of all countries surveyed after Finland (8), Switzerland (7.2), Singapore (7.1) and India (7.1).
The survey also found that almost three-quarters (70%) of Ghanaians believe pupils respect their teachers, the fourth highest of all countries surveyed, with only India (77%), Uganda (79%) and China (81%) higher.
Meanwhile, respondents in Ghana thought that nursing was the occupation most similar to teaching (13% chose this option), while Librarian was the second most popular choice, just behind on 12%.
This makes Ghana one of only four countries, alongside Japan, Portugal and New Zealand where the highest proportion of respondents chose nursing as the most similar profession to teachers. By comparison 10 countries close Librarian, 18 chose social worker and three chose doctor – China, Russia and Malaysia.
Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation, said: “This index finally gives academic proof to something that we’ve always instinctively known: the link between the status of teachers in society and the performance of children in school. Now we can say beyond doubt that respecting teachers isn’t only an important moral duty – it’s essential for a country’s educational outcomes”.
“When we conducted the Global Teacher Status Index five years ago we were alarmed by the weight of evidence pointing to the low status of teachers around the world. It was this that inspired us to create the Global Teacher Prize, which shines a light on the extraordinary work that teachers do around the world.
“It’s heartening that since the first Global Teacher Status Index there has been a modest rise in the status of teachers globally. But there is still a mountain to climb before teachers everywhere are given the respect they deserve. After all, they’re responsible for shaping the future”.
KEY FINDINGS – GHANA
#.Respondents in Ghana thought that nursing was the occupation most similar to teaching (13% chose this option), while Librarian was the second most popular choice, just behind on 12%.
This makes Ghana one of only four countries, alongside Japan, Portugal and New Zealand where the highest proportion of respondents chose nursing as the most similar profession to teachers. By comparison 10 countries close Librarian, 18 chose social worker and three chose doctor – China, Russia and Malaysia.
#. Ghanaians teachers are paid much less than the public think. Ghanaians estimated teachers’ wages at around $10,000 (adjusted for purchasing power parity), however the actual starting secondary school salary is much lower at around $7,200. The public believe a fair wage for teachers would be close to $12,000.
#. Over half (51%) of Ghanaians support performance related pay for teachers.
Ghanaians underestimated the number of hours teachers work, putting the figure at 37.9 hours per week, against the 43.1 hours per week reported by teachers.
KEY FINDINGS – INTERNATIONAL
#. The Global Teacher Status Index 2018 shows for the very first time that there is a direct link between teacher status and pupil performance as measured by PISA scores.
Countries which have higher teacher status are more likely to record higher PISA scores. This new finding for the 2018 Index shows that high teacher status is not just a nice to have – increasing it is likely, all things being equal, to lead to greater student outcomes in that country.
#. Overall, teacher status is rising globally. Of the 21 countries polled in 2013 and again in 2018, 13 have seen their teacher status score increase, while 7 have seen it fall and one, China, continues to have the highest score possible.
The biggest increases were seen in Japan (which rose from 17th place out of the 21 countries polled in 2013 to 11th of 21 in 2018) and Switzerland (15th of 21 in 2013 and 8thout of 21 now), while the biggest drops were seen in Greece (2ndout of 21 in 2013 down to 6th of 21 now) and Egypt (6th of 21 in 2013 down to 12th of 21 now).
#. Out of the 35 countries polled in 2018, the Asian nations of China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea and India rank higher in terms of teacher status than every European country and every Western nation – including the US, New Zealand and Canada. South Americans accord teachers lower status than any other region.
Every South American nation polled ranked in the bottom half of the survey, with Brazil coming bottom and Argentina fifth from bottom.
#. In 28 of the 35 countries surveyed in 2018, teachers are being paid less than the amount people consider to be a fair wage for the job. The only countries in which teachers are being paid more than the amount people consider fair for the job are Finland, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Singapore.
#. In all but six countries of the 35 countries polled in 2018, the general public underestimates – often considerably – the number of hours teachers work per week. Latin Americans underestimate teachers’ working hours more than any other, particularly in Peru (by 13 hours), Argentina (by 12.5 hours) and Panama (11.4 hours).
These were followed by Egypt, Brazil, Malaysia, Chile and Colombia. In both the UK and the US, the public underestimated teachers’ working hours by around five hours per week.
The only countries in which teachers report working fewer hours than the general public thinks they do are Canada, Finland, China, Indonesia, Uganda and Japan.
#. Support for performance related pay has fallen precipitously across the world. Every single country polled in 2013 and again in 2018 reports (often considerably) lower support for teachers being paid according to the results of their pupils now than they did five years ago.
#. In Finland, 80% of people surveyed in 2013 supported performance related pay, but this has fallen to 21% today, while in the UK 74% supported performance related pay five years ago, compared with 34% now. Support for performance related pay is generally higher in emerging and lower income countries than in more established economies.
#. People’s confidence in their own country’s education system is increasing around the world. In 17 of the 21 countries surveyed in both 2013 and 2018 people rate their national education system higher now than they did five years ago.
The only countries where confidence in education has fallen since they were last polled are Egypt, Brazil, Turkey and Japan. Japan is unusual as a country that scores highly in PISA and yet reports low public confidence in its education system.
#.In the majority of countries (13 out of 21) surveyed in both 2013 and 2018, more people would encourage their children to become teachers now than five years ago.
Only in the UK, Japan, New Zealand, Egypt, Singapore, Turkey, Greece, and Korea would fewer people encourage their children to become teachers in 2018 than in 2013.
There are huge disparities across the countries polled on whether people would encourage their children to be teachers. While 54% in India said they would encourage their child to become a teacher, only 6% would do so in Russia. Generally, countries with a higher respect for teachers are more likely to encourage their child to enter the profession.
#. In China 81% of respondents believe that pupils respect teachers, compared with an average of 36% across the survey of 35 countries polled in 2018. Across Europe and Latin America there are generally higher levels of pessimism about students’ respect for teachers than in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In most of the European countries surveyed, more respondents thought that pupils disrespect teachers than respect them.
#. Over half of the countries (18 of 35) surveyed in 2018 judge the professional status of teachers to be most similar to that of social workers. Ten countries consider the most similar profession to teachers to be librarians.
Three countries say the most similar profession to teachers are doctors – China, Russia and Malaysia. This is an increase from 2013 when China was the only country that said teachers were most similar to doctors.
These findings are among those published today by global education charity the Varkey Foundation. They are based on in-depth opinion polling and analysis by Professor Peter Dolton and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research of over 35,000 adults aged 16-64 and over 5,500 additional serving teachers across 35 countries.
Instructively, the Global Teacher Status Index (GTSI) 2018 is the most comprehensive study ever of teacher respect around the world. It follows on from and expands upon the first GTSI which surveyed 21 countries in 2013 and inspired the Global Teacher Prize.
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