Teacher shortages strain schools across four countries

Teacher staffing shortages and retention problems are disrupting schools in several countries. In Memphis, nearly one in five educators resigned in 2024, with teachers citing poor facilities, inadequate supplies and leadership concerns; the district has raised salaries and offered bonuses, while experts have suggested extra pay for hard-to-staff schools. In the Philippines, an education commission reported 717 vacant special-needs teaching positions and found that 1,906 schools serving learners with disabilities had no special-needs teachers recorded. Sri Lanka’s teachers’ union says recruitment is lagging behind tens of thousands of vacancies, leaving schools understaffed and preventing some teachers from transferring. In a rural girls’ school in Pakistan’s Attock district, six teachers serve more than 450 students across 11 classes, with classroom and furniture shortages further disrupting lessons.