The principal of a reputed Kathmandu-based school phoned me last week to ask if I could send him an experienced English language teacher for his school. To my surprise, I got a similar call from the manager of another school the next day. These two incidents vividly demonstrate that academic institutions are suffering from a chronic shortfall of experienced teachers.

There are scores of reasons behind the shortage of teachers—society’s perception of teachers, low salary and lack of incentives. Add to that the government’s failure to produce teachers as per demand, early retirement, poor working environment, lack of job security, career shift, unsupportive managers, lack of autonomy and lack of opportunities for professional growth.

Pedagogy procedures

In Finland, a country known for its successful education system, teaching requires at least a Master’s degree, including extensive studies in educational science combined with pedagogy and a year's practical teaching training. Also, the government invests heavily in pre-service teacher education; and it takes at least five years to become a qualified teacher.

In Nepal, teachers working for private institutions, with a few exceptions, are grossly underpaid. The salaries and incentives are not compatible with their qualifications, experiences and skills. With a 15 percent salary increment this year, a secondary level teacher in a government school earns Rs43,689 monthly. An assistant professor and professor at Tribhuvan University, the oldest university in the country, draw monthly salaries of Rs48,126 and Rs66,860 respectively. Almost all private schools pay lower than government institutions. In the case of private colleges, teachers are either paid little or not paid on time. Dejected, many teachers have made career shifts where they get more benefits.

In order to retain experienced, effective teachers and attract more young graduates into the teaching profession, academic institutions should offer competitive salaries and benefits to teachers. Similarly, institutions should provide monetary support for the teachers’ professional development; this may include helping them to pursue their academic goals by paying their university fees, for example, if they want to pursue a degree related to teacher education or educational science. In return, teachers can commit to render service to the institution for a certain number of years.

This will not only help to retain the existing teachers to some extent as they get professional and academic development opportunities, but also attract more young, talented graduates fresh out of university into the teaching profession. Otherwise, because of a meagre salary and lack of recognition and professional development opportunities, even the existing teachers will find other suitable options to fulfil their career ambitions.

In addition to offering adequate payment, institutions should offer leadership opportunities as a top growth experience to retain experienced teachers. Experienced teachers should be given leadership roles to share their experiences with their juniors, and guide and supervise their instruction. This makes them feel appreciated and valued for their years of dedication to the profession. Otherwise, they feel demotivated and less appreciated when they have to remain in the same position with the same role for years and years. Frustrated, they leave the profession forever.

Furthermore, special care must be taken while hiring a principal. Hiring a principal without much reasonable experience to enhance the working condition of teachers could lead to high turnover. In many institutions, the principal acts like an authoritarian figure instead of a mentor and pedagogical leader. With little trust in teachers, there is a practice in Nepal to hire supervisors and inspectors who readily interfere with the teacher’s autonomy in the classroom. Overloaded and stressed, and without autonomy, teachers lose creativity and eventually quit the profession. In Finland, what to teach and how to teach is left entirely to the teachers.

Government intervention

The government should play the principal role to prevent a potential teachers’ crisis in the future. Malaysia has never faced a shortage of teachers because the learning to become a teacher is sponsored by the government or through scholarships or education loans. The profession is considered one of the most revered persons with security. The government should also allocate a higher budget for education to produce a larger teaching workforce to meet the demand in the market. This can be done by offering more scholarship schemes for those who want to pursue degrees related to teacher education and educational sciences.

Nepal's education budget for the fiscal year 2021-22 was 11 percent of the total budget, which is short of the government's target of 15 percent of consolidated expenditures. For several years, the education budget as a percentage of the total budget has remained constrained between 10 and 12 percent. A large budget has been allocated for teachers’ pensions and the University Grants Commission which absorbed 60 percent of the central government allocation in the fiscal year 2021-22. This is a significant reduction from 80 percent last year. Nevertheless, the University Grants Commission has failed to offer adequate grants to research scholars. A certain number of conditional grants can be allocated to scholars who want to step into the teaching profession. This may help to yield a larger education workforce.

All in all, a shortfall of teachers has been witnessed lately and this is a threat to the overall development of the country. Without teachers, the idea of a prosperous nation will remain a far cry. If attention is not given to this grave issue, the nation will inevitably have to bear irrecoverable losses in the future. Hence, society has to change its perception of teachers, and the government and academic institutions should realise the worth of teachers and act accordingly before it’s too late.