Teacher trends: addressing teacher shortages in education

The causes of this problem include demographic shifts, inadequate teacher training programmes and increased expectations on educators. As an example, evidence shows that in some countries, more experienced teachers move away from schools with a more disadvantaged student population, leaving these schools to attract less experienced (or novice) teachers.

The EENEE-NESET report emphasises the significance of taking a holistic strategy when addressing teacher shortages. Investing in teacher training programmes, establishing supportive work cultures and adopting targeted recruiting methods are all part of this strategy, which would enable educational institutions to recruit fresh talent while also retaining established teachers, thereby reducing the impact of the shortage.

Possible actions

The report proposes different types of action to address the problem of teacher shortages:

• teacher-level interventions include financial incentives, job stability and career encouragement;
• school-level interventions foster a supportive environment for teachers through selection of qualified candidates, implementation of proper HR policies and development of strong school leadership;
• system-level interventions address systemic challenges, such as career diversification via flexible national career frameworks, mobility between topics and levels of education, and support for hybrid teaching (combining part-time teaching work with another part-time profession).

Another possible action concerns salaries. Restructuring salary schemes can maximise the supply of quality teachers without increasing spending and would contribute to making the profession more attractive to early-career and young potential teachers.

By making structural reforms and implementing the possible solutions, the education sector may be able to sustain a robust teaching force that fulfils pupils’ needs and protects the future of high-quality education.