Where civil servants are absent from their jobs, it is likely that public service delivery will be less effective. This study for the World Bank, part of a multi-country survey, examines the extent and impact of absenteeism among teachers in Bangladesh. It also analyses the factors that influence absence and suggests some ways to tackle the problem.
The survey represents the first attempt in Bangladesh to quantify teacher absence on a nationally representative scale. Unannounced visits were made to a sample of government-run primary schools and private-run, government-aided secondary schools (the norm in Bangladesh). The average teacher absence rate in primary schools was 15.5 per cent, putting it joint third-lowest among the eight countries surveyed. However, the cross-sectional average hides the fact that 23.5 per cent of teachers were absent during at least one of the two visits paid to each school. The average absence rate in secondary schools was 17.6 per cent, increasing with the remoteness of the establishment. In both primary and secondary schools, absence rates for headmasters were higher than for all teachers. The most common reason given for absence was that the teacher was away performing official duties. Certainly, in South Asia, it is common for government teachers to be asked to undertake non-teaching related activities, such as election duty.
Regression analysis is used to explore correlates of teacher absence. In addition, tests and examination pass rates are analysed to establish the impact of teacher absence on pupil performance. Key findings are that:
- Formal supervision is an important factor, with teachers 10 per cent more likely to be absent in secondary schools that have never been visited by officials.
- Informal supervision by the community may have an even stronger impact. Teachers are 68 per cent less likely to be absent where pupils have better-educated mothers, a potential proxy for parent monitoring.
- Motivation is significant. Where teachers have been specifically trained in education, this leads to better attendance at both primary and secondary levels. Having been in one job for a long time also decreases absence.
- In secondary schools, there is little correlation between absence and examination pass rates, which have been stable over a long period. There is a negative effect on test scores, but it is not significant.
- In primary schools, teacher absence has a significant adverse effect on English-language test scores.
The study highlights the fact that service delivery problems relating to incentives and accountability cut across the public and private sectors. Policy measures to improve teacher presence should also apply to both. Recommendations are to:
- Introduce more careful monitoring, especially because teachers represent the most expensive supply-side input into education.
- Strengthen institutional capacity to hold both public and private providers accountable.
- Increase the frequency of inspections, particularly in secondary schools where there are few mechanisms to ensure accountability.
- Address institutional issues that cause headmaster absence. This is more important than raising salaries, because it is higher-paid teachers who are most likely to be absent.
- Carry out further evaluation to identify unambiguous causal factors that help lower absence, including research on teacher training. Political-economy studies of incentives at all levels would also be useful.
