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Teacher Turnover in Low Income and Fragile Settings: Insights from Burkina Faso

Without a teacher at the front of the classroom, no learning can take place. But all over the world, teachers are leaving the profession in droves. There are a variety of reasons for this—from low pay to political instability. High levels of teacher attrition not only strain education systems, because additional recruitment and training is needed, but also harm student learning due to unfilled vacancies or less experienced replacements. To solve this issue, and formulate effective policies to retain teachers, we first need to understand the type of teachers who are most likely to leave, and schools that are most likely to lose teachers.

In a new working paper, we use a unique dataset from Burkina Faso that follows teachers over a five-year period, documenting their transitions in and out of the workforce and between different schools. We examine demographic and location-specific characteristics that correlate with teacher attrition to understand the personal and systemic factors that might cause teachers to leave.

Which teachers quit?

We find that female teachers, teachers who are in their first five years of teaching and those with university degrees are most likely to leave the teaching profession (Figure 1). Female teachers are 11 percent less likely to keep teaching than male teachers on average. The retention gap between male and female teachers widens as teachers’ age increases. 14 percent of the teachers in our dataset aged between 20 and 24, the youngest cohort–left the profession. In contrast, slightly older teachers aged 25 to 35 years are the most likely to remain in the workforce, with a retention rate of 90 percent. Teachers with a university level education have one fifth lower odds of staying in the workforce on average, especially in the earlier years, compared to teachers with only junior high school education. Finally, teachers who have been promoted into management positions are more likely to stay in the profession than regular class teachers or assistant teachers. Together, this suggests that competing career opportunities (especially for young and highly qualified teachers) and personal milestones such as domestic responsibilities (especially for female teachers) may motivate teachers to quit before retirement age.

Figure 1. Teacher attrition by demographic characteristics.

Note: The subgroup with the highest attrition within each category is highlighted (i.e. the attrition rate of female teachers, highlighted in yellow, is higher than the attrition rate of male teachers).

Which schools lose teachers?

Not all schools are created equal when it comes to teacher turnover. As you might expect, schools in better-developed and safer locations are more likely to retain their teachers. Similarly, public schools which are government-funded and might be better managed are more likely to keep their teachers. But there are nuances: teachers, of course, can switch schools, as well as leaving the profession. Rural and less developed regions see more teachers transferring to urban areas, ostensibly in search of better living standards and infrastructure. But schools in urban areas see more teachers leaving for options outside of teaching. For instance, the province where the capital is located, Ouagadougou, is one of the regions with the highest percentage of teachers leaving the workforce (see Map 2, Panel A). 

We find that teachers are more likely to leave the profession if they work in an area affected by violence and conflict: an increase of one standard deviation in conflict incidence is associated with an 18 percent rise in teacher attrition. However, violent conflict does not significantly correlate with a high probability of teachers transferring to other schools. This suggests that violent conflict tends to drive teachers out of the workforce entirely, whereas the option to transfer (usually within the same province) can help retain some teachers in more peaceful settings. Furthermore, public school teachers are almost 10 percent less likely to leave their positions compared to those in private or religious schools, likely due to better funding and management in public institutions.

Figure 2. Teacher attrition and switching rates by province

Note: The rates displayed in the figures are simple averages of school-level attrition and switching rates for each administrative province.

A differentiated approach to teacher retention

Teacher turnover can have benefits if it leads to ineffective teachers self-selecting out of the profession. But higher turnover rates among certain groups may be a source of significant inefficiencies and self-reinforcing inequities. For example, the higher turnover rate among female teachers could negatively impact girls' educational outcomes, as research shows girls perform better with female teachers. Similarly, high turnover among young teachers might imply the loss of capable individuals who have more viable employment options outside teaching but could be retained with better policies.

Ultimately, the most effective policies for a setting like Burkina Faso will vary by region and even by school. The first step in identifying the right solution, or combination of solutions, is to understand the nuanced factors driving teacher attrition at both demographic and geographic levels. With the increasing demand for teachers in many low- and middle-income countries due to population growth and improving enrollment rates, an effective teacher workforce development strategy must consider these patterns and address their underlying causes.

Disclaimer

CGD blog posts reflect the views of the authors, drawing on prior research and experience in their areas of expertise. CGD is a nonpartisan, independent organization and does not take institutional positions.


Image credit for social media/web: Sarah Farhat / World Bank

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