Teachers: Absence, Pay and Accountability

What research reveals about teacher absence and pay in Indian government schools, and which approaches to accountability and support have improved learning.

Teachers are the most important school input. How they are hired, paid and supported shapes learning.

Teacher absence

A nationally representative survey led by Karthik Muralidharan and colleagues, conducted around 2010, found that roughly one in four teachers in rural government schools was absent during unannounced visits. They estimated the fiscal cost of this absence at a large sum each year.

Pay

Regular government teachers in India are paid well above private school teachers and many comparable workers. But higher pay alone hasn’t guaranteed better learning outcomes, according to research.

Contract teachers

Some states hired contract teachers at much lower pay. Studies found contract teachers often performed as well as regular teachers in raising learning, though their use raised concerns about job security and fairness.

What works

Teaching at the Right Level: grouping children by learning level rather than grade, developed with Pratham, improved basic skills.
Structured pedagogy: clear lesson plans and materials.
Monitoring and feedback, including community involvement.
Performance incentives: an Andhra Pradesh study found modest bonuses linked to student learning improved test scores.

Supporting teachers

Teachers often face large classes, non-teaching duties such as election work and surveys, and limited training. Reducing these burdens and offering practical training helps.

The bonus experiment

In a study, teachers in some schools received small bonuses based on their students' improvement in test scores. Students in those schools learned more than in comparison schools, at relatively low cost.

Thinking higher teacher pay alone improves learning

Pay matters, but accountability, pedagogy and support have larger effects on learning in research.

Key takeaways

About one in four rural government teachers was found absent around 2010.
Regular government teachers are paid well above private teachers.
Contract teachers often did as well at raising learning.
Teaching at the right level, structured pedagogy and incentives improved outcomes.