Publication: Tanzania: A Simple Teacher Incentive System Can Improve Learning
Date
2019-12
ISSN
Published
2019-12
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Tanzania devotes about one-fifth of
government spending to education, focusing much of the
funding on expanding school access. Primary school
enrollment rates have surged, yet the quality of education
services and learning outcomes remain poor, with only 38
percent of children aged 9–13 able to read or do arithmetic
at the second grade level. Teachers play a critical role in
helping children learn, but in Tanzania, many do not show up
to teach. Poor motivation and lack of accountability have
contributed to the high absenteeism and commensurate loss of
instructional time. One way to strengthen teacher motivation
and management is through performance pay. Teacher incentive
schemes link bonuses or other rewards to specific targets,
whether outputs (e.g., verified classroom presence) or
outcomes (e.g., student test score improvement). Performance
pay can help achieve learning results at low cost compared
to teacher base salaries. In Tanzania, the Results in
Education for All Children (REACH) Trust Fund supported a
randomized control trial comparing two types of teacher
performance pay systems and their effect on early grade learning.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2019. Tanzania: A Simple Teacher Incentive System Can Improve Learning. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33326 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”