Get to know » Teachers » Resources:
Resources for teachers
Teachers were given a series of statements about the resources available to them and were asked to indicate how much they agreed or disagreed with them. Reponses could be ‘Strongly agree’, ‘Agree’, ‘Disagree’, or ‘Strongly disagree’. These statements were focused around two key resources: the space and the time available to teachers to teach and to manage learning.
Space available for teachers
Teachers were asked to indicate their agreement with two statements about the availability of space: ‘I have adequate space in my classroom for all my students’; and ‘I have a space to do my work in the school’. Both touch on crucial issues for teachers, their ability to deliver effective learning and their ability to perform supporting activities, such as marking, lesson planning and administration.
The graphic shows the proportion of students with teachers in Papua New Guinea who agreed with each statement about the amount of space available to them (‘Strongly agree’ or ‘Agree’).
The results show that, across both grade levels, most students (about 72%) had teachers who agreed or strongly agreed they had adequate space in their classroom for their students, and most students across both grade levels, about 90%, had teachers who agreed that they had a space to do their work in school. These are high proportions but they still show that around 30% of the students in Papua New Guinea had teachers who thought they did not have adequate classroom space. Further, they show that about 10% of students in Papua New Guinea had teachers who thought they did not have a space to do their work at school.
Teacher’s time
Teachers were asked to indicate their agreement with five statements related to the adequacy of time they had available for defined areas of their work. Table TT2.4 details the results of these questions by the grade level of the students.
More than six out of ten students in Papua New Guinea had teachers who agreed they had enough time to complete the required mathematics, reading and writing lessons. However, these figures were lower for grade three students than they were for grade five students. This means that more grade five students have teachers who agreed they had enough time to complete required lessons than grade three students.
On average, one third of students in Papua New Guinea had teachers who indicated they did not have enough time to work with students who are slow learners. This was the area with the lowest proportion of students with teachers in agreement.
On average, across both grade levels, more than 80% of students in Papua New Guinea had teachers who agreed that they spend an appropriate amount of time on administrative work.
What does this mean?
Most students in Papua New Guinea have teachers who agree they have enough space in their classrooms for all students and a space at school to do their work. However, the results also imply that teachers are experiencing potential challenges with the space they have at school.
The PILNA 2021 programme also collected information about school leaders’ perceptions of school resources. These are found in the school leaders’ section.
Regarding teachers’ time, over half the students in Papua New Guinea have teachers who agree they have enough time to complete lessons in mathematics, reading and writing, but these results were much lower than the regional results, where roughly 80% of teachers reported enough time to complete the required lessons. This, and teachers’ ability to accommodate slow learners, are two areas of concern. A large proportion of students in both grade levels have teachers who think they do not have enough time to work with slow learners. About one in three learners in Papua New Guinea schools may not get the teacher support they need if they fall behind or are slow to absorb new concepts.
