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World Bank Working Paper
to MSCE or at least the JCE level. They are encouraged by the community to work as teachers to make up for the shortages that exist. In some cases, they receive payment from the community, and in few cases receive money from fellow teachers. Some of these teachers may aspire to becoming regular teachers. Volunteer teachers are included in in service trainings, and head teachers are expected to provide them with some guidance on teaching skills. Characteristics of Teachers in Government Funded Schools TEACHER STATUS In 2007, the total number of teachers was 42,330, well below the 2000 level of 47,840.29 Ninety six percent worked in government funded schools.30 The great majority of government funded school teachers are regular civil servants (89 percent), while temporary and month to month teachers account for 1.5 and 3.4 percent, respectively. Volunteer teachers make up 6.5 percent of the total teaching force working in government funded schools. Table 4.12: Teacher Status by Location (in %), Government-Funded Primary Schools (2007) Urban
Rural
Total (%)
Total (in numbers)
Civil servant
Teacher status
97.6
87.2
88.6
35,982
Temporary
2.3
1.4
1.5
628 1,369
Month-to-month teacher
0.1
3.9
3.4
Volunteer
0.0
7.5
6.5
2,633
100.0
100.0
100.0
40,612
Total Source: EMIS, 2007.
Female teachers account for 38 percent of the teaching force. They are overrepresented in urban settings;31 a reason often evoked is to “follow the husband.� In Malawi, a female teacher cannot be denied the opportunity to join her husband, no matter where the husband is. Table 4.13: Teacher Distribution by Gender and Location (in %), Government-Funded Primary Schools (2007) Teacher distribution
Female
Male
Total
Urban
29.8
3.5
13.4
Rural
70.2
96.5
86.6
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
Source: EMIS, 2007.
TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS The distribution of teacher qualifications as depicted in the table 4.14 shows that most public primary teachers hold a MSCE (55 percent) or a JCE (47 percent), while Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) and diploma/degree holders are rare. The MSCE holders are more in demand than JCE holders. On average, male teachers working in government funded schools have slightly more academic education than