Interpretation: A high percentage of teachers certified to teach in schools implies that a majority of the teaching force is trained and has the necessary pedagogical skills to teach and use the available instructional materials in an effective manner.
Quality Standards: Data should refer to teachers certified as having received adequate pre-service or in-service teacher training, or both. The percentage of certified teachers cannot exceed 100%. Teachers are persons who, in their professional capacity, guide and direct pupils’ learning experiences in gaining the knowledge, attitudes and skills that are stipulated in a defined curriculum program.
Limitations: This indicator does not take into account differences in teachers’ experiences and status, teaching methods, teaching materials and variations in classroom conditions -- all factors that also affect the quality of teaching/learning. It should be noted that some teachers without this formal training may have acquired equivalent pedagogical skills through professional experience.
Gender Parity Index (GPI)
Definition: Ratio of female to male values of a given indicator.
Purpose: The GPI measures progress towards gender parity in education participation and/or learning opportunities available for women in relation to those available to men. It also reflects the level of women’s empowerment in society.
Calculation Method: Divide the female value of a given indicator by that of the male.
Data Required: Female and male values of the given indicator.
Data source: See source of the given indicator.
Type of disaggregation: By level of education, type of institution (private/public) and geographical location (region, urban/rural).
Interpretation: A GPI equal to 1 indicates parity between females and males. In general, a value less than 1 indicates disparity in favor of boys/men and a value greater than 1 indicates disparity in favor of girls/women. However, the interpretation should be the other way round for indicators that should ideally approach 0% (e.g. repetition, dropout, illiteracy rates, etc). In these cases, a GPI of less than 1 indicates a disparity in favor of girls/women and a value greater than 1 indicates a disparity in favor of boys/men.