With the goal of promoting accountability in the management of teachers in public schools, IBIS and NNED, two IMOs in Ghana, undertook a study to determine the extent of teacher absenteeism and its effect on quality teaching and learning in public primary schools in Northern Ghana. IBIS and NNED researchers found that on average 30% of teachers are absent at any given point and the average number of days per week a teacher is absent is three. Perhaps more unsettling is the perception that teacher absence on Thursday and Friday is becoming normal and that both manditory and non-manditory supervisory mechanisms are ineffective. Researchers found that teacher absenteeism leads to poor pupil performance and attendance and recommend that teacher mentoring programs and monitoring programs be established.
