Brussels, 26/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - Teachers feel undervalued, according to the results of an OECD survey published on Wednesday 25 June. Whilst 90% of teachers say that they are satisfied with their jobs, 81% feel that teaching is not valued in society. More than one third of teachers in the European Union are working in schools facing shortages of qualified staff and nearly half of headteachers spoke of a shortfall of teachers for pupils with special needs. This situation has been described as worrying by Commissioner for Education Androulla Vassiliou, despite the fact that the Commission is constantly seeking to improve and promote the status of teachers: “Unless member states take action to attract and retain the best teachers, we will undermine progress in advancing the quality of education in Europe. The Commission stands ready to help member states design policies and measures to make teaching a more attractive profession”, said the Commission. In a report which was also published on 25 June, the Commission analyses the results of the survey.
Here are the main conclusions of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) conducted by the OECD and the recommendations made by the Commission in its report:
1) 36% of teachers work in schools where there is a shortage of qualified and well-performing teachers and many schools lack teachers for pupils with special needs. The Commission recommends that the member states set in place long-term strategies to attract and retain the best teachers. These measures could consist of creating better teacher training programmes, exploring flexible pathways into the profession and good career progression opportunities, based on transparent criteria;
2) teachers are more likely to feel prepared for their job when their initial training includes a combination of content, teaching and learning methods and classroom practice for the subjects they teach. The Commission suggests that teacher training covers all of these areas, in order to better prepare teachers for their careers. In terms of their professional development, there should be more focus on using ICT in the classroom and the skills required for teaching pupils with special needs;
3) nearly 40% of school heads report that no formal “induction” or early career support programme is offered at their school. The Commission recommends that the member states ensure that teachers' initial training is systematically followed by support at the start of their careers. It also reminds the member states of their promises to strengthen teacher training, with a clear definition of the skills and qualities required from teachers;
4) 15% of teachers report that they had not taken part in a professional development activity over the previous year; around 50% of teachers never observe each other's lessons and nearly 20% of them never take part in collaborative learning. The member states should put more emphasis on effective professional development and collaborative learning, as it encourages teachers to use innovative teaching methods, which better prepares pupils for further studies and the job market, the Commission stresses. (IL)