Better pay and changes in the nature of teachers' work can help to raise thestatus of the teaching profession, writes Dr Barry McGaw
Shortages of qualified teachers are a problem in many countries. Even in Ireland, schools have a hard time finding teachers in sectors like science and technology. Good teaching is the basis for future economic growth. Today's shortages, if they aren't tackled fast, could have serious consequences tomorrow.
How best to recruit and retain high-quality teachers will be one of the topics for discussion by OECD Education Ministers when they gather in Dublin later this week for a meeting hosted by the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey.
The challenge is to find ways of raising the status of the teaching profession, so as to attract larger numbers of qualified people to its ranks.
Part of the problem lies in demography. Many teachers are approaching the end of their professional life and looking forward to retirement. In Germany, nearly half of all secondary school teachers are over 50, and the average for all OECD countries is 30 per cent. Ireland, at 29 per cent, is essentially at the OECD average but will still face problems in replacing those teachers who do retire.
In most OECD countries, too few young people are joining the profession to make up for those who retire. And among those who do set out to become teachers, many drop out after only a few years. Withdrawals are highest in fields where there are the greatest shortages, mathematics, science and technology, since these are precisely the areas where other attractive jobs are most readily available. Ironically, the position tends to be worst in countries that are strong economically since they provide a wider range of alternative employment opportunities.
In half of all OECD countries, a majority of 15-year-olds attend schools where the principals say that students' learning is hindered by shortage or inadequacy of teachers. The problem is often worse for socially disadvantaged students and in geographically remote regions. And it is particularly serious in key subject areas such as mathematics, science, technology and languages.
When demand outstrips supply, there are two possible solutions: increase supply or reduce demand. In the realm of education, the response has generally been to try to increase supply. But that isn't necessarily the best answer. Teacher shortages are often dealt with by downgrading the quality of teaching provided. Recruitment standards slip, with jobs being given to less well-qualified teachers. Qualified teachers are called on to teach subjects for which they are not well-qualified. Inadequate teachers are kept in jobs longer than they merit.
What can education providers do to counter this trend? Over the last 15 years, public spending on schools has generally risen in OECD countries. But teacher salaries have actually fallen in relation to national wealth. Much of the extra money has been spent on reducing class sizes, rather than on raising teachers' salaries, even though research shows that reductions in the range involved don't actually result in significantly improved learning performances.
One obvious step would be to increase teacher salaries, but that presents difficulties. Teachers account for 2.6 per cent of the total labour force in OECD countries. Teaching is largely a public-sector activity, and public-sector salaries are under pressure. Even in countries where starting pay is good, salary scales often hit a ceiling relatively early in teachers' careers.
While pay is an important signal of status, however, it isn't the only one. The kind of job satisfaction that holds people in careers often depends as much on the nature of the work they do as on how much they earn. That's one area where there is considerable scope for increasing the attractiveness of teaching. While other professions have been transformed in recent decades, teaching remains largely unchanged. Teachers transmit knowledge, but they lack the excitement that goes with being a knowledge worker in a profession where research is resulting in constant evolution. And their students, among whom are their potential successors, see this.
Things don't need to stay that way. In some countries, teachers are developing a research role alongside their teaching role. Others are engaging more actively with new knowledge and with professional development based on the evidence provided by improved practice.
If teachers' work can be transformed into knowledge work - and if other people can be employed to do those parts of teachers' current work that do not require teachers' professional skills - fewer teachers would be needed. Demand would be reduced and that, in turn, would open up the way for increases in salary.
Already, in some countries, incentives such as fee waivers, forgivable loans, scholarships and improved initial salaries have increased the percentage of teachers under 30. Some countries, too, have made it easier for people from other professions to start teaching in their 30s and 40s. If a combination of better pay and changes in the nature of teachers' work can help to raise the status of the teaching profession, not only teachers but also students will benefit.
• Dr Barry McGaw is director for education of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development