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Encouraging Teacher Attendance through Monitoring with Cameras in Rural India
Teacher absenteeism is a problem across rural and urban areas, and in both formal and informal schools, in various parts of the developing world. Studies by Seva Mandir, an NGO in Udaipur, India, show that teachers attend class only 60% of the time. As teacher attendance is an essential component in improving the quality of education in developing countries, this study tests whether monitoring and salary incentives can reduce teacher absence. It also evaluates whether reduced absenteeism actually leads to improved educational outcomes. A financial incentive program aimed at reducing teacher absenteeism is implemented in informal one-teacher schools run by Seva Mandir. 60 of 120 schools are randomly assigned to the program (treatment), whereby teacher salaries are directly based on attendance. To accurately monitor attendance, teachers are given cameras with tamper-proof time and date functions, along with instructions to have one of the children photograph the teacher and other students at the beginning and end of the school day. The other 60 schools (control) do not receive cameras or incentives.
Results
Teacher absenteeism declined almost immediately after the start of the program. The absence rate (measured using unannounced visits both in treatment and control schools) decreased from an average of 43% in the control schools to 24% in the treatment schools. Due to the cameras, the costs of this program were low: program staff could monitor teachers daily without having to visit remote schools. Children learned more as a result of the program. A year after the start of the program, test scores in program schools were 0.17 standard deviations higher than in the comparison schools and children were 43% more likely to be admitted into regular schools. |
Project Overview
Researchers
Esther Duflo, Rema Hanna
Sectors
Education
Themes
Participation
Research Questions
How does increased teacher attendance affect student performance? Does daily monitoring tied to financial incentives decrease teacher absenteeism?
Country
India
Sample
120 non-formal Education Centers within Udaipur district in southern Rajasthan
Status
Complete |