Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan is characterised by indicators showing lack of mastering of reading, writing and mathematics literacy skills. To foster effective education systems and provide quality education, experts have encouraged and established various mechanisms of accountability. We conducted participatory workshops with 556 teachers representing 102 primary schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan to investigate their understanding of teachers' roles and responsibilities in education. Teachers acknowledged their own responsibilities for student learning but also emphasized that improving the quality of education should involve providing good teaching and learning environments, child-centred pedagogy, caring relationships, parental involvement, inclusive communities, and respect for teachers.