Teachers' perspective on accountability: A comparative case study in primary rural schools of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This article examines teachers' perceptions of accountability in primary education within challenging rural contexts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, based on participatory workshops with 556 teachers from 102 schools. Teachers expressed a strong ethical commitment to providing quality, inclusive, and child-centred education, emphasizing their responsibility for students' overall development rather than narrowly defined test-based performance metrics. They identified multiple factors influencing their accountability, including under-resourced educational structures, limited professional development, low salaries, weak school leadership, and varying levels of parental and community engagement. The findings suggest that effective accountability systems in these low- and middle-income countries should move beyond standardized testing to incorporate supportive environments, collaborative relationships with parents and communities, and investments in teacher training and working conditions to improve educational outcomes.