A critical factor for recruiting and retaining effective teachers is the social status of the teaching profession. In Liberia, the Ministry of Education’s strategy recognizes that improving teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge, as well as their teaching practice, is a key factor for improving learning outcomes. 

That's why we wanted to know: How do Liberians view the teaching profession? What influences decisions about when to send children to school?

IREX partnered with the YMCA of Liberia to conduct a study of perceptions of the teaching profession and early childhood education.

We hope these findings can help improve the quality of  teaching by analyzing how current norms, relationships, and incentives shape Liberians’ views of teaching as a profession.