Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction among teachers in public primary schools in Temeke district, Tanzania mainland

Teachers as individuals, teachers as workers and teachers as educators have needs which must be satisfied by the institutional if at all they must continue serving it. Non attainment of these needs may lead to teachers’ frustration and dissatisfaction with the teaching profession that may lead to their resignation. This study aimed at investigating job satisfaction and dissatisfaction among public primary school teachers in Tanzania Mainland. It was a qualitative study that involved a total of fifty one respondents including teachers, head teachers and education officials from public primary schools. Interviews, observation and document search data collection methods were employed to gather relevant data. Research findings revealed that majority of public primary school teachers were dissatisfied with their profession. Factors for their job dissatisfaction included, poor working conditions, poor living conditions, limited chances for career development, delayed promotions, decline of teachers’ status accorded to the teaching profession, heavy teaching load, transport problems, low salaries and centralization of education matters. Also, findings revealed that better housing for teachers was probably one among the top priority to be taken into consideration. Furthermore, it was found that teachers, who were perceived to be satisfied with their job, were often willing to voluntarily engage in behaviours that went beyond formal job requirements. Findings also revealed that there was a need for policy makers to recognize the fact that education quality is largely related to teachers’ job satisfaction. Therefore improving teachers working conditions is not an extra option, but a central component in effective policy-making. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MOEVT) and policy makers should seriously consider aspects of teachers’ job satisfaction. These include teachers’ salaries, working conditions, living conditions, in-service training, teachers’ promotion and professional development as it is one among the prerequisite for improving quality education and job performance. Since the present study focused only on a single district it is recommended that researches covering a wider area have to be undertaken so as to get conclusions that are generalizable to all districts in the country.