Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot

Abstract

Twenty‐five percent of teachers were absent from school, and only about half were teaching, during unannounced visits to a nationally representative sample of government primary schools in India. Absence rates varied from 15% in Maharashtra to 42% in Jharkhand, with higher rates concentrated in the poorer states. We do not find that higher pay is associated with lower absence. Older teachers, more educated teachers, and head teachers are all paid more but are also more frequently absent; contract teachers are paid much less than regular teachers but have similar absence rates; and although relative teacher salaries are higher in poorer states, absence rates are also higher. Teacher absence is more correlated with daily incentives to attend work: teachers are less likely to be absent at schools that have been inspected recently, that have better infrastructure, and that are closer to a paved road. We find little evidence that attempting to strengthen local community ties will reduce absence. Teachers from the local area have similar absence rates as teachers from outside the community. Locally controlled nonformal schools have slightly higher absence rates than schools run by the state government. The existence of a PTA is not correlated with lower absence. Private‐school teachers are only slightly less likely to be absent than public‐school teachers in general, but are 8 percentage points less likely to be absent than public‐school teachers in the same village. (JEL: O15, I21, H41, H52)

Food Prices and Modern Retail: The Case of Delhi

“…These results are consistent with survey results of public service delivery in other sectors in India as well as other developing countries (e.g. Chaudhury et al, 2006;Kremer et al, 2005). Reasons given, during informal interviews with FPS managers and neighboring informants, for the closure of the shops related to lack of supplies, the limited number of ration cards that are distributed in urban areas, and leakage from the public distribution to private markets.…”

“…To assess the importance of FPS in rice retailing in Delhi, we used a method of unannounced visits (e.g. Chaudhury et al, 2006;Kremer et al, 2005), where we visited all the FPS during regular opening times in the randomly selected wards. We found that only one-third of the FPS were open during the time of the survey (Table 7), despite our visit time being within the normal hours of such outlets.…”

Solutions to Teacher Absenteeism in Rural Government Primary Schools in India: A Comparison of Management Approaches~!2009-06-19~!2010-03-19~!2010-07-08~!

“…For more arguments and references, see (Narayan 2007) [11]. 5 An alternative framework for understanding organisational relationships is available, that is similar to Hood's different approaches, except that the fatalist management style is not included. (Robinson 2000) [12].…”

“…Hood (1998) [7] distinguishes the four following approaches for dealing with public management problems: the hierarchist, the egalitarian, the individualist and the fatalist approach. 5 All these approaches are essentially about control and regulation, but they try to achieve this in different ways. Public management in the hierarchist way is characterized by strict relations of authority.…”

Basic Education as a Human Right Redux

“…If anything, it may have become worse. Kremer et al (2005) made three unannounced visits to each of 3700 primary schools, a nationally representtative sample drawn from all states of India. They found a quarter of the teachers were absent from school on the days of the visit.…”