Profiles

This is a translated executive summary of the first report on Women in Learning Leadership in Chad, originally produced in French. The full report in French is available here. Effective school leaders are indispensable for driving school and student learning improvements. Inspired by emerging literature highlighting a positive correlation between female school leaders and learning outcomes and the underrepresentation of women in school leadership, the Women in Learning Leadership project in Chad adopts a gender lens to examine school leadership in the country. This research highlights the significant underrepresentation of women in the education sector in Chad. Only one out of five teachers (20 per cent) and 1 out of 20 school leaders – a mere 5 per cent – are women. The report (in French, with an English Executive Summary) presents the granular and sub-national distribution of women leaders and the multifaceted reasons for their underrepresentation in the Chadian education ecosystem. It also explores the differential education outcomes in schools led by female and male school leaders. The findings demonstrate that Chad remains a profoundly unequal society, and several barriers at different levels of the education system prevent women from rising into leadership positions. Recommendations targeting the identified barriers are highlighted to enhance female representation at the leadership levels.

Des directeurs et directrices d'école efficaces sont indispensables pour améliorer l'apprentissage des élèves et la qualité de l'enseignement. Inspiré par une littérature émergente soulignant une corrélation positive entre les femmes directrices d'école et les résultats d'apprentissage et la sous-représentation des femmes dans la direction des écoles, le projet "Women in Learning Leadership" au Tchad adopte une perspective de genre pour examiner la direction des écoles dans le pays. Cette recherche met en évidence la sous-représentation significative des femmes dans le secteur de l'éducation au Tchad. Seul un enseignant sur cinq (20 %) et un chef d'établissement sur vingt (à peine 5 %) sont des femmes. Le rapport (en français, avec un résumé en anglais) présente la distribution détaillée et sous-nationale des femmes leaders et les raisons multiples de leur sous-représentation dans l'écosystème éducatif tchadien. Il explore également les différences de résultats scolaires dans les écoles dirigées par des femmes et des hommes. Les résultats démontrent que le Tchad reste une société profondément inégalitaire et que plusieurs obstacles à différents niveaux du système éducatif empêchent les femmes d'accéder à des postes de direction. Des recommandations ciblant les barrières identifiées sont formulées afin d'améliorer la représentation des femmes aux niveaux de direction. Effective school leaders are indispensable for driving school and student learning improvements. Inspired by emerging literature highlighting a positive correlation between female school leaders and learning outcomes and the underrepresentation of women in school leadership, the Women in Learning Leadership project in Chad adopts a gender lens to examine school leadership in the country. This research highlights the significant underrepresentation of women in the education sector in Chad. Only one out of five teachers (20 per cent) and 1 out of 20 school leaders – a mere 5 per cent – are women. The report (in French, with an English Executive Summary) presents the granular and sub-national distribution of women leaders and the multifaceted reasons for their underrepresentation in the Chadian education ecosystem. It also explores the differential education outcomes in schools led by female and male school leaders. The findings demonstrate that Chad remains a profoundly unequal society, and several barriers at different levels of the education system prevent women from rising into leadership positions. Recommendations targeting the identified barriers are highlighted to enhance female representation at the leadership levels.