While most of the E-9 countries may have neared or achieved the Education for All (EFA) goals for universal primary education and gender parity, a shortage of qualified teachers remains one of the world's major challenges in education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) director general Koichiro Matsuura said here Tuesday there was an increasing demand for teachers at secondary, technical and university levels.

But he said at the same time the world was lacking science and mathematics teachers and the shortage was more serious in remote or disadvantaged areas across the globe.
UNESCO estimates 18 million new primary schools will be needed globally, with 40 percent of them, or seven million teachers, in the E-9 countries alone.

The E-9 countries are nine countries with the biggest illiterate populations, comprising China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Egypt and Nigeria. "But the challenge is more than one of numbers," Matsuura said while addressing the seventh E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting on EFA here.

"It is about the quality of teachers and teaching to achieve good learning outcomes."
He said teachers in a lot of countries had left the profession because of a decline in status, poor working conditions, low salaries, lack of career progression and inadequate professional training. "Attrition, particularly in the first few years of teaching, is often high," Matsuura said.

The E-9's report on the condition of teachers and the teaching profession in their countries said recruiting quality teachers was a significant challenge, especially in mathematics and science. Teaching does not have a high status in professional circles, said the summary of the report, which was published during the second-day of the E-9 ministerial meeting Tuesday.

Most of the E-9 countries noted the difficulties of employing teachers to work in hard-to-reach areas, particularly rural regions. The report said offering financial incentives or providing accommodation were among strategies some countries had used.

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