Addressing Teacher Absenteeism in Asia and Africa

The MIT Poverty Action Lab released a report addressing widespread teacher and health care worker absenteeism in impoverished communities of Asia and Africa.

Poverty-alleviating efforts in human and infrastructure capital are undermined if service providers are not showing up. The report Absenteeism: Showing Up Is the First Step describes the “widespread and unpredictable” nature of this problem where on an average day, 27% of teachers in Uganda and 40% of health care workers in India are not at work.

By describing the research conducted on various government and community models designed to alleviate service provider absenteeism, the report reveals that the elements which contribute to a successful model are often relative and complex in nature. However, some important policy principles are derived from the models such as providing intrinsic motivation and trained, community-based accountability.

Read more about Absenteeism: Showing Up Is the First Step:

• Highlights: http://bit.ly/MITabsenteeism

• PDF: http://bit.ly/PDFabsenteeism