The world needs 44 million more qualified teachers by 2030 to meet education targets, making teacher shortages a global crisis. Education leaders are in search of and implementing novel solutions that address their biggest pain points such as strategies to fill vacancies, teacher wellbeing, burnout, and ways to scale learning, and many EdTech companies are heeding this need.
From marketplaces for efficient teacher recruitment and staffing to platforms promoting retention and well-being, and even virtual schools that scale learning, EdTech is playing a crucial role in:
- Improving teacher retention: By providing resources for stress management, professional development, and improved working conditions, EdTech can help keep skilled educators in the classroom.
- Building the future pipeline: Engaging and innovative tools can attract talented individuals to the profession while equipping them with the skills they need to succeed.
- Finding immediate solutions: EdTech platforms can connect schools with qualified teachers, bridge temporary gaps, and optimize existing resources to maximize impact.
A regional look: The need for more qualified teachers is largest in Sub-Saharan Africa (15 million), and Southern Asia (7.8 million)–a result of rapid student population growth. Europe & North America are in third place with 4.8 million teachers needed–a shortage resulting from teachers leaving the profession in large numbers.
The impacts of teacher shortages are cyclical and twofold: increased workloads of educators may deter future generations of workers from joining the teaching profession, drying the pipeline of new teachers entering the workforce, and at the same time existing teachers face burnout and are leaving the profession in large numbers. This leads to low-quality education, disadvantaging students throughout life, and perpetuating inequalities. To solve these issues, improving teacher retention and wellbeing, and building the future pipeline of educators, while finding immediate solutions to the lack of teachers, are top of mind for education leaders and decision-makers.
