Teachers Working Group

This working group focuses on finding solutions to the low coverage and comparability issues hampering the production and reporting of teachers’ data. The group will concentrate on trained teachers through a dedicated task force to agree on a global definition and produce standards for teacher training programmes. It will explore innovative approaches in data collection through the production of guidelines to strengthen the capacity of Member States to report on SDG 4.c indicators.

Key issues

  • Issues with conceptualization, especially on trained teachers
  1. No agreement on empirical definition of trained teachers
  2. Lack of standards for teacher training programs
  3. No information collected on teacher policies
  • Issues with methodologies, especially on teacher salaries and attrition as countries do not collect the variables needed to report the indicators
  • Lack of clarity in definitions and guidance to collect teacher data hampering capacity building efforts

Objectives

  • Focus on trained teachers
  1. Task Force: Agree on a global definition of trained teachers in 2024
  2. Produce standards for teacher training programmes
  • Consider policy indicators on attracting, preparing, and retaining teachers
  • Support innovation in data collection reviewing feasibility and updating teacher data collection instruments
  • Develop guidelines for data production on teachers to guide Member States

Terms of Reference

Teachers Task Force

The objectives of the Task Force are to assess whether a workable global definition of “trained teachers” is feasible, propose a definition and propose a template for data collection. Members are expected to discuss how a common denominator between their countries’ “trained teachers” definitions could be achieved. The Task Force’s experts could also reach the conclusion that such a common denominator cannot be agreed upon in which case the proposal would be to abolish the indicator.

The Task Force will consist of representatives of EDS Commission member countries with expertise in teacher issues, preferably with regional representation, and representatives from non-member states’ experts in the field. The Task Force will report to the chair of the Teacher Data Working Group and the EDS Commission co-chairs.

The Task Force will employ mainly teleconferencing for discussions. The Secretariat will identify opportunities and arrange in-person meetings, as needed. The Task Force will be dissolved upon completing the deliverables.

Terms of reference of the teachers task force