This text assembles much of the best data on the teaching profession produced in the last few years. It presents information produced by the principal international organizations working on these issues in a form which focuses attention on the main issues. It looks at the conditions under which teachers work as well as the policy trade-offs governments often face in ensuring teaching and learning opportunities to meet the expectations of citizens for universal accessible and high quality education.

While addressing these questions, the book presents an array of indicators on teachers and the teaching profession and:

• outlines the context of teachers and teaching by contrasting demand and supply broadly between
• developed and developing countries
• examines the composition of the teaching force in different regions and countries
• offers comparative analysis of the qualification of the teaching force
• examines the conditions of service including working time and teaching time, class size and