Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses in which way and to what extent teacher motivation affects the quality of basic education in Burkina Faso.

Paper long abstract:

Since the 1990s it is possible to observe a normative double bind inherent to Burkina Faso's educational objectives. On the one hand, structural adjustment programmes pressurize the state to diminish unit costs for education. On the other hand, Education for All (EFA) policies result in a rapid increase of enrolment rates of children, which leads to increased public expenditures. Allocation deficiencies of public expenditure led to poorer working conditions for teachers. Because of lack of facilities and teaching materials these interface bureaucrats are bound to purchase materials from their own pocket if they wish to minimally deliver the educational service. Faced by these constraints the conditions that determine the "loyalty" of the staff employed disappear gradually. Demotivated teachers adopt a strategy of gradual disengagement from the profession. They show a lower commitment, which is associated with high absenteeism. The paper argues that lower teacher motivation indicates poorer level of service performance. In conclusion the paper discusses how corporate interests are expressed in the political system. Institutional responsiveness to these expressions of dissatisfaction could help improve the quality of the service. The paper is based on standardized statistical data and draws on complementary ethnographic data, collected from 2010 to 2012 in the city of Boromo and in rural villages of the province of Balé in Burkina Faso.