Teacher shortage can prevent Arab states from achieving UPE

New Delhi, Apr 20 (UNI) Looming teacher shortage could prevent sub-Saharan Africa and Arab states from achieving the goal of universal primary education (UPE), according to a new UNESCO report.

UPE is one of the six Education For All (EFA) goals as well as one of the Millennium Development Goals agreed at the Millennium Summit in 2000.

The report, titled 'Teacher and Education Quality: Monitoring Global Needs for 2015', also highlights shortage of specialised teachers in developed countries like the US, Spain and Ireland, partly resulting from changing demographic and labour conditions.

Prepared By UNESCO's Institute for Statistics (Montreal), the research presents new projections on the demand for teachers while assessing the quality of teaching around the world.

It also examines the working conditions and status of teachers by analysing diverse factors such as entry standards, salary scales, teaching hours and deployment policies.

The research focuses on problems with teacher training and quality in many parts of the world and finds that those countries needing the most teachers generally have the least qualified personnel in classrooms.

The report will be launched during EFA week from April 24 to 30.

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