Teacher shortage is a global issue and UN had clearly warned about it by saying that, in order to achieve universal education goal it is vital to combat such issue.
Going by UNESCO figures, one clearly understands that there is a massive global teacher shortage essentially in the sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Talking of teacher shortage and access to quality education, what is interesting to note is how some countries of Southeast Asia is tackling this issue by taking the support of advanced form of learning. By adopting e-learning, Southeast Asia is said to benefit tremendously in tackling the issue of teacher shortage. There is no doubt that trained teachers are in short supply in many countries and to counter such issues, online learning is seen as a resort to solve teacher shortage problems. It is not simply in Southeast Asia but schools in DeKalb County, Georgia has also adopted online learning to solve this issue. Read on it more piece by Katherine Mackey.
China is also considering Online Classrooms as a plausible step to tackle teacher shortage in rural China. Online lessons, are giving the students of rural China confidence and access to subjects like English and Music. In fact, at Wang’s school in Huantai County, Shandong province are using online lessons as a part of their regular schedule. This they do to offer free classes to students so that they get the best guidance on different subjects by some the best teachers of China. Learn more about it by clicking here
Instances of eLearning filling in the Gaps in SouthEast Asia
In Philippine island of Luzon, with the help of Quipper service– which is a British education service subsidiary of Japan’s Recruit Holdings, a school is offering online learning to its students. The school had just begun work on reforms to create a 12 year curriculum for elementary through high school. This was mainly an expansion from the former 10 year system and since the school was not ready to teach the 11 graders in the class. But with the support of Quipper Video services, the school managed to teach the curriculum.
Students’ review about this type of new learning system has been phenomenal as they are enjoying such classes. It is no different from any traditional class teaching and the teachers working under such kind of service, not only offer lecture guidance to students but create homework and manage grade online. So in this way, even the progress level of students can be analyze so that necessary guidance be provided at the right time.
Similarly, in Indonesia EdTech startup Ruangguru is creating a line of educational content that will be delivered through line vehicle to assist students to prepare for University admission. As the company had just started off, so they are offering lectures roughly of three minutes on any subject such as high school math and chemistry for free. But with years passing by, these companies would find out new ideas to monetize out of the service.
Again, in Thailand the EdTech startup Taamkru is focusing upon kindergarten education in partnership with a Vietnamese EdTech startup Kyna has ventured into translating and marketing Taamkru’s content like arithmetic drills and others to cater to the local demands. In fact the shortage of teachers, especially in remote areas of countries like Thailand and Indonesia is intense and this is what is attracting most of the EdTech companies as it is an advantage ground for these companies to flourish.
No one can disagree on the precious role of a teacher and how they are actually the essential players in promoting quality education. But thanks to the internet and online technology, which is helping combat the issue of teacher shortage in areas that face such challenges. By highlighting instances of few schools of Southeast Asia, hopefully other parts of world will receive an assistance to combating the challenge of teacher in their respective areas.
Have we missed out in highlighting any specific practice?
