Note: ‘Higher’ or ‘lower’ in this table are defined relative to a control group situation of non-school failure; however, the latter is defined.  –  Source: Psacharopoulos (2007: 7).

We cannot overlook the cost of the growing phenomenon of burnout among teachers (Elder et al., 2014).

Teacher burnout is a chronic phenomenon that continues to be a primary cause of teacher exodus in the 21st century. Teaching is an emotionally draining and physically exhausting profession that causes many teachers to look for other occupations. Besides, teachers who fail to handle burnout effectively are likely to experience weak quality student interaction, counterproductive instruction, increased absenteeism, which eventually leads to teacher attrition (Runschlag, 2017).

In fact, teachers’ burnout implies psychological suffering at job and burned-out teachers negatively affect themselves, their students and the educational system, having negative consequences on class quality and students’ learning outcomes. Some studies (Stoel & Thant, 2002; Whitaker et al., 2015; Zhang & Sapp, 2009) revealed that teacher burnout adversely impacted student state motivation and affective learning.

Surveys show that one in four teachers misses ten or more school days per year (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). Schools have some of the highest rates of absenteeism in any workplace. Absenteeism is a direct cost to every employer (Sparks, 2016), and it is an even more critical problem in schools because when an employee is absent, a replacement or substitute has to be hired in their stead. Schools or Governments, according to the national system of Education, have to pay both the salary of the absent employee and the salary of the replacement. The cost of having a missing employee in schools is often double the cost of absenteeism experienced in other workplaces (Kain, 2011).

This problem with absenteeism – the most significant single cause of employees missing work – represents an excellent reason to have a school well-being programme.

Recent surveys show the various reasons why employees are absent from work (Schaufeli, 2017). The first cause is a personal illness, and it is followed by family needs, own needs, entitlement mentality, and stress, in that order. When we look at all of these reasons for absenteeism, we can immediately perceive which ones a well-being programme could directly impact (Cohen et al., 1983).

During the FRIENDS project, the strong adherence of teachers to the Quiet Time with Transcendental Meditation programme generated essential effects on their well-being. The consequences were that the absenteeism rate plummeted and a climate of constructive, calm, perceived, and perceptible well-being in the school was generated, something evident even to visitors coming from outside. Moreover, several teachers have confirmed significant improvements. They experienced: (a) a different relationship with time; (b) a better problem solving ability (even more relevant in difficult schools); (c) a better ability to organise themselves; (d) the end of the harmful habit of bringing work (and problems) home. These are all elements that help to eradicate stress and that drive away from the likelihood of exhaustion and burnout:

« Although I haven’t done the proper research yet, […] there are one or two people I can think of, who in the previous year had a significant amount of time off – we’ve had virtually none this year. » (Chief Executive – Alternative Provision School – UK)

« The costs for sickness among teachers and staff in my school (which had been increasing steadily year by year for several years) had suddenly dropped from being around 45 million krona (2017) to 15 million in 2018, the year in which most of the teachers have been trained in QT/TM. I cannot explain this sudden drop with anything except TM! » (Principal – High school implementing TM – Iceland – TV interview).