This study sets out to study the effects of teachers’ working conditions on effective teaching in conflict zones.

Effective teaching during emergency situations is a salient element as far as the education production function

is concerned. Ineffective teaching hampers school internal efficiency as it significantly causes wastages of scarce

resources and prevents educational institutions from attaining set objectives. This study looked at teachers

working condition in terms teachers’ security, and teachers’ motivation in terms of risk allowance; and how these

variables influence effective teaching in the North West Region and South west Region of Cameroon. Within the

context of research methodology, the mixed method approach was used in data collection and analysis. The

simple random sampling and proportionate sampling techniques were used to obtain a representative sample of

working conditions are a strong determinant of effective teaching the within crisis context. Based on the finding,

we recommend that school administrators and other stake holders should be create an enabling environment that

The Republic of Cameroon inherited two colonial cultures both from Britain and France and this is reflected in

the two educational sub systems that are run by the country. Out of the 10 regions in Cameroon, two (northwest

and southwest Regions) are Anglophone regions which are considered as the minority. In 2016, lawyers and

teachers organized a strike action against what they termed marginalization of the Anglophones amongst other

sets out to examine teachers working conditions in conflict context of the North West and South west regions

In 2020 and 2021, GCPEA (2022) identified at least 58 reported incidents of bloody attacks on school students,

teachers, and other education personnel, which harmed over 150 individuals in this area. Since 2018 students,

teachers educational personnel amongst others have been experiencing attacks from armed men, many have been

kidnapped, tortured and even killed. Global Coalition Protect Education Attack identified more reported

incidents during this period that harmed fewer people, as compared to earlier years. Apart from these hundreds

of schools have been locked down since 2017 till date. The military use of schools continued in Cameroon during

the 2020-2021 reporting period in both the North West and South-West regions (GCPEA, 2022). During the

2020-2021 reporting period, GCPEA identified at reports of sexual violence by a non-state armed group that

The International Crisis Group (2019:32-33) listed seven major armed militias with an estimated membership of

2,000 to 4,000 combatants, and noted another 20 smaller groups with localized purviews. Their strategies include

closing government schools which they see as symbols of the Francophone state; imposing lockdowns to disrupt

public life; targeting state agents and combating security forces; and punishing individuals suspected of

collaboration with the government. Furthermore, they have engaged in acts of kidnapping for ransom, for which

they have targeted traditional rulers, middle-class, school actors etc. As these developments suggest, the

Anglophone conflict has increasingly taken on the character of a market of violence in which armed group use

violence to create an economic basis for survival. Among the several atrocities attributed to armed men are

several attacks on schools, including the Kumba school massacre in October 2020, in which many students were

killed and others injured (HRW 2020b; in Pelican, 2022). There has been limited understanding of the impact of

live. With the outburst of the Anglophone crisis, activities geared towards meeting these objectives seem to have

been severely compromised to a certain extent. Students seem not to be acquiring the relevant skills needed for

professional insertion in an environment which is plagued by numerous shootings, killings and kidnappings.

This affects the education production function in the sense that production processes would hardly be efficient

as teachers may not teach effectively and students not learn effectively. If teachers teach «on the run » , they

would not and never effectively carryout effective curriculum implementation. Worker production would likely

diminish if the work environment is loaded with fear and uncertainty. If the teaching environment appears

insecure, it means that teachers need motivation to reinforce their resilience. The absence of fringe benefits could

adversely influence teachers’ commitment and assiduity. Environmental insecurity, inadequate teaching

environments, little or no access to allowances and fringe benefits, are some of the salient elements that could

or indirectly affect the quality of school processes. Teachers in these areas face numerous risks, including

physical harm, kidnapping, and emotional trauma and even death. This phenomenon alone renders teachers’

working conditions in war zones extremely challenging and can have a profound impact on their well-being,

safety, and ability to provide quality education to students. By prioritizing teacher safety in war zones, we can

help ensure that formal education continues to play a vital role in preaching and promoting peace, stability, and

development, even in the most challenging contexts; which is daunting task. When teacher safety is ensured,

educational institutions can promote a positive and supportive learning environment, reduce teacher stress,

phobia and burnout, and improve overall well-being. This however means that teachers in crises context needs

Teachers physical unsafe as many may be kidnapped and abducted, tortured, assaulted, raped, displaced, forced

2021 alone, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack identified 630 attacks on school pupils,

teachers, and education personnel across 28 profiled countries (GCPEA, 2022). In some contexts, teachers are

threatened, abducted, or killed because they represent the state or for their membership in teachers’ unions. In

other conflicts, teachers are killed or injured by explosive weapons on their way to or from school or in violent

clashes between armed groups. In addition, where schools and universities are used as bases and barracks, these

facilities can be targeted by opposing force shelling and ground attacks, which also places teachers’ lives at

considerable risk (GCPEA, 2014; GCPEA, 2022). The effects of these realities are profound as many teachers

report that threats and acts of violence shift the quality of their teaching practices physical or emotional violence

As one of the first empirical studies to conceptualize and measure teacher wellbeing in a crisis context, Wolf et

al. (2015) apply the concept ‘cumulative risk’ to describe the accumulation of stressors and adverse conditions

that affect teachers’ work and wellbeing in Congo. Their findings show that there is a statistical significance and

negative relationship between cumulative risk and teachers’ motivation to teach (b = -.032, p < .001), meaning

that the more risk teachers’ experience in their work the less motivated they are to remain in the profession.

Similarly, their findings demonstrate a significant and positive relationship between cumulative risk and burnout

(b= .068, p < .01), meaning that the higher a teachers’ exposure to cumulative risk the more likely they are to

report burnout. As INEE (2022) promotes, however, teacher wellbeing needs to be an outcome in and of itself;

not just an input for better child wellbeing and learning outcomes. Thus, for teachers to be able to function to

their fullest capabilities, free from physical and psychological harm, teacher wellbeing and the prioritisation of

compensation, school and district support for teachers’ professional development, school decision making,

Gomez, and Varni 2018). In crisis contexts, sufficient numbers of teachers must be recruited and deployed where

they are needed. Teachers in conflict-affected contexts need many of the same sources of support as other

teachers—preparation and ongoing support that builds and refines their capacity to deliver high-quality

instruction, consistent pay and so on, while also requiring specific pedagogical, psychosocial, and administrative

stipend, volunteer or assistant teaching positions (Mendenhall, Gomez, and Varni 2018), but such measures are

Within the context of this theory, inputs constitute factors such as personal effort, skills, and experience, risks