Teacher Turnover and Performance of Private Secondary Schools in Tanzania: a Case of Dar Es Salaam

Babirye, Fatuma (2005) Teacher Turnover and Performance of Private Secondary Schools in Tanzania: a Case of Dar Es Salaam. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

After decades of restricting private secondary education, the Government of Tanzania embarked on new policies in the mid 1980s to support its expansion. The private sector expanded very fast in response to the high demand at the time and is still expanding today. However the policy implementers did not put much consideration on the human resources that were to run these schools. Consequently the rapid expansion of the private sector led to an increase in teacher turnover especially from the public sector. At the same time there is also competition in the private sector for the same pool of teachers as each school tries to attract the best-qualified teachers so as to survive in the expanding sector. In Tanzania, all secondary school students take standardized tests at the end of Form II and These examinations are critical for a student's further studies and future career opportunities. Parents therefore choose private rather than state education for different reasons but the decisions of many are influenced by the belief that a private school with smaller classes will raise their child's examination performance. Contemporary education theory holds that lack of scholastic materials, school environment, and family background are responsible for a school's performance This research investigates the causes and effects of teacher turnover and how turnover levels affect performance of schools. Data utilized in this investigation are from the best and worst performing schools in the National Form IV examinations using questionnaires and interviews. The results show that the factors causing teacher turnover are job dissatisfaction and teachers pursuing other jobs. The data shows that in particular low salaries, inadequate support from school administration, student discipline problems and lack of participation in school decision making all contribute to high rates of turnover. The results further indicate that turnover has both positive and negative effects on a school's performance. In particular high rate of turnover causes disruption and repetition of programmes, loss of established teacher experience and burnout and drain on energies of remaining teachers. Low turnover rates lead to inflow of new ideas from new recruits, capacity for planning over extended period of time, and strong teamwork amongst staff. This research suggests that teacher related issues should be addressed so as to reduce teacher turnover. This research is valuable since it helps to explain how teacher turnover influences the performance of schools. It is indispensable to policy makers and owners of private schools since it enlightens them about priorities for action which when met would reduce staff turnover and improve the performance of schools.

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