UNICEF Mongolia - Teachers College Columbia University

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
The Government of Mongolia launched a salary reform in 2007 that significantly improved the situaon
of teachers, making the teaching profession more aracve. The base salary was raised significantly;
several salary supplements were integrated into the base salary; and the number of addional teaching
hours that teachers were permied to teach was limited. The 2007 reform was fundamental and was
subsequently accompanied by a series of other regulaons that dealt with ethical standards, licensing
requirements, incenve schemes and promoon regulaons. The recent developments in Mongolia
reflect an internaonal trend to pay greater aenon to teacher quality and movaon. In an effort
to support the iniaves of the Ministry of Educaon, Culture and Science (MECS), UNICEF Mongolia
provided funds to MECS to analyze more closely the current situaon of teachers in Mongolia.
This UNICEF Mongolia Study on Teachers therefore describes the fundamental reforms that took place
over the past few years, then examines their implementaon in pracce, and finally idenfies areas
in need of improvement. The first chapter provides the larger context of the study and presents the
research design of the study.
1.1. EDUCATION FOR ALL VERSUS LEARNING FOR ALL
TEACHERS IN MONGOLIA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON RECRUITMENT INTO TEACHING,
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND RETENTION OF TEACHERS
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For the past few years, the effecveness of educaonal reforms—including those funded by development
partners—has been typically measured in terms of whether a reform did indeed enhance student
outcomes. Progress in assessment has been made in two direcons. On one hand, there are discernible
aempts to move away from measuring student outcomes exclusively in terms of standardized test
results. Clearly, the debate on competencies, and most recently on skills, has broadened the earlier
focus on cognive skills. On the other hand, there is a growing number of researchers who are exploring
factors that impact student learning. It is currently widely acknowledged that teacher quality scores very
high among the drivers for student learning. One of the frequently cited studies even claims that teacher
quality is a beer predictor of student outcomes than class size or the money spent per student (see
McKinsey 2007). 1
The emphasis on student outcomes or student learning is reflected in the new educaon sector
strategies of development partners. Both the UK Department for Internaonal Development (DFID) and
the World Bank have moved away from emphasizing access to quality educaon (Educaon for All) and
now propagate access and outcomes of quality educaon. The current DFID strategy is called 2010-
2015 Learning for All, and the recently released World Bank Educaon Strategy 2020 is entled Learning
for All: Invesng in People’s Knowledge and Skills to Promote Development. Governments in different
parts of the world, both in developing and in developed countries, are facing the challenge of how
to best recruit graduates into teaching, to develop effecve teachers, and then to retain them on the
job. The shortage of qualified and effecve teachers is a global phenomenon and has led to numerous
organizaons ranging from the OECD (2005) to McKinsey (2007, 2010) emphasizing the importance of
aracng, developing, and retaining effecve teachers. 2
1 McKinsey & Co. (2007). How the Best Performing School Systems Came Out on Top. London: McKinsey & Co.; see also: McKinsey
Report (2010). Closing the talent gap: Aracng and retaining top third graduates to a career in teaching. London: McKinsey &
Company.
2 OECD. (2005). Teachers Maer: Aracng, Developing, and Retaining Effecve Teachers. Paris: OECD; McKinsey & Co. (2007).
How the Best Performing School Systems Came Out on Top. London: McKinsey & Co.; McKinsey Report (2010). Closing the talent
gap: Aracng and retaining top third graduates to a career in teaching. London: McKinsey & Company.