How to Recruit Teachers for Hard-to-Staff Schools: A Systematic Review of Evidence from Low- And Middle-Income Countries

David Evans and Amina Acosta
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Amina Acosta: Center for Global Development

No 595, Working Papers from Center for Global Development

Abstract: Education systems struggle to staff schools in rural areas or in areas with high concentrations of poverty. Potential policy solutions include financial incentives, mandatory rotations, and local recruitment drives, among others. First, this systematic review provides evidence on challenges with teacher staffing in certain types of schools. We observe lower teacher skill and higher teacher absence in rural areas in many countries. Second, the review synthesizes available experimental and quasi-experimental studies of government-implemented policies to increase the quantity or quality of teachers in hard-to-staff schools in low- or middle-income countries. Financial incentives—the most evaluated policies—are often effective at increasing the supply or reducing the turnover of teachers in hard-to-staff schools, and well-designed incentives can also increase the quality of teachers in these schools. Impacts on student outcomes are often positive. Although there are fewer evaluations, behavioral and informational interventions have been cost-effective in reducing vacancies in two countries.

Keywords: education; teachers; hard-to-staff schools low- and middle-income countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I22 I24 I28 J38 J45 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 77 pages
Date: 2021-10-29, Revised 2023-08-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cgd:wpaper:595

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